Product Description
The Spitzer Space Observatory, originally known as the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), is the last of the four “Great Observatories”, which also include the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Developed over twenty years and dubbed the “Infrared Hubble", Spitzer was launched in the summer of 2003 and has since contributed significantly to our understanding of the universe.George Rieke played a key role in Spitzer and now relates the story of how that observatory was built and launched into space.Telling the story of this single mission within the context of NASA space science over two turbulent decades, he describes how, after a tortuous political trail to approval, Spitzer was started at the peak of NASA’s experiment with streamlining and downsizing its mission development process, termed “faster better cheaper.” Up to its official start and even afterward, Spitzer was significant not merely in terms of its scientific value but because it stood at the center of major changes in space science policy and politics. Through interviews with many of the project participants, Rieke reconstructs the political and managerial process by which space missions are conceived, approved, and developed.He reveals that by the time Spitzer had been completed, a number of mission failures had undermined faith in “faster-better-cheaper” and a more conservative approach was imposed. Rieke examines in detail the premises behind “faster better cheaper,” their strengths and weaknesses, and their ultimate impact within the context of NASA’s continuing search for the best way to build future missions. Rieke’s participant’s perspective takes readers inside Congress and NASA to trace the progress of missions prior to the excitement of the launch, revealing the enormously complex and often disheartening political process that needs to be negotiated.He also shares some of the new observations and discoveries made by Spitzer in just its first year of operation. As the only book devoted to the Spitzer mission, The Last of the Great Observatories is a story at the nexus of politics and science, shedding new light on both spheres as it contemplates the future of mankind’s exploration of the universe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

I am not into these sort of books
I like space and I am sure that because of the big money involved and the political system that set up NASA and supplies the money that a great deal of politics is involved. For me, this is of little interest. For those of you that are interested, I think you will find much information on this. Clearly, it is very frustrating to the people involved.

An very interesting story
George Rieke gives a blow by blow account of the twenty frustrating years from project proposal in 1983 to successful launch in 2003 from the point of view of one of the scientific principal investigators. One of the many interesting points that he makes along the way is that because it took so long, he and others realized thay they were unlikely to get another similar chance within their professional lifetimes, thus magnifying the personal significance of the mission. The book winds up with an insightful discussion of the impact of NASA's "faster, better, cheaper" initiative on the Spitzer program and on NASA.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in how things really worked in an unmanned space program.

A fly on the walls of NASA
When I was about 3, my parents took me to see "2001" and I was told that, by 2001, we could buy tickets to the Moon.Later on, I was just old enough to understand that the Moon landing was a "big thing".Close to 40 years on, I've watched 2 shuttles blow up, the Hubble near-disaster and loss of spacecraft due to software confusion between imperial and metric units.Most of all, I am appalled by the ongoing waste of money, including Canadian tax money, that is the International Space Station.NASA seems to have lost its touch, despite occasional successes.Why?

As a layman, this is as good a place as any to find out, though the book gives no easy answers and is rather dry reading.The author, a scientist, worked on the project for 20 years till it launched.He is clearly frustrated by project's duration, constant reviews, cost-cutting and changing agendas.Nevertheless, he also recognizes the need for both cost cutting and reviews.Spaceships are unique in that they are extremely complex machines that are produced only once, using essentially skilled artisan techniques rather than mass-production engineering.Worse, once launched, there is little that can be done to correct defects.A wonder they work at all.That gives you some sympathy for the amount of administration, reviews and documentation at NASA.Ideally, every possible contingency needs to be anticipated and accounted for.Unfortunately, that costs lots of money.

Despite suffering from its fads, Mr. Rieke does not dismiss "better, cheaper, faster".What he seems to say is that, up until a certain level of cost, complexity and novelty, a space mission can be carried out with streamlined management and control.Especially if the project is not put under undue time pressure.Past that level of complexity and cost, more formal and thorough management is needed to palliate mission risks.He also highlights interesting misconceptions about where the real mission risks are, statistically.Overall, you are left with the impression that managing spaceflights is not amenable to easy answers.Personally, I think more extra-agency competition would help in avoiding groupthink.

Reading this book, it seems that there are really 2 NASA.One, the unmanned scientific branch, is extremely competitive (in the old sense of the word), quite short of money and almost too careful in funding scientific missions.It fails, often, but also advances scientific knowledge.The other one, which is only glancingly mentioned, but not without veiled contempt, is "big NASA" (my nickname).

"Big NASA" badgers scientific missions into using their pretty shuttles, whether that makes sense or not."Big NASA" spends $100 billion on the shuttles and the International Space Station, with dubious scientific returns, but takes 20 years to fund a $700 million satellite."Big NASA" wants to putmen on Mars and a station on the Moon, whether they are useful or not.

Quoting p.25 "The space station was starting to eat up a huge part of NASA's budget.An attempt to rally scientists and others to oppose the station in Congress led to a dramatic demonstration of the power of the professional aerospace lobby over the amateurish scientific one - the station was easily victorious."Not dated, but circa 1994 apparently.p.88 - "It appears the $14 million we got extra was really a way for headquarters to hide money they wanted to spend on the space station" (1998).

For those interested in management techniques, the author dissects how the project was managed.It certainly shows that _good_, respectful and technically savvy management is a huge help - something many of my fellow software programmers forget all too easily.

What is a bit left out in all this are the scientific aspects of the Spitzer telescope.That wasn't a big deal for me however, because I was more interested in understanding one view of NASA's problems.

An excellent, smartly written contribution to astronomy history shelves
The Last Of The Great Observatories: Spitzer And The Era Of Faster, Better, Cheaper At NASA is the story of the last of the four "Great Observatories" that tell modern scientists more about the stars, planets, and galaxies beyond our own; the other three are the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Developed over twenty years and nicknamed the "Infrared Hubble", Spitzer launched in 2003 to resounding scientific success. The Last Of The Great Observatories tells of the long history and creation of Spitzer, from its lengthy planning to its reflection of the desire to get it done "better, faster, cheaper" to complications plaguing its launch and more. An excellent, smartly written contribution to astronomy history shelves.

What It Really Takes to Do Big Science
The Hubble is the most famous of the satellite observatories. But it was actually only one of four, the so called 'Great Observatories.' This excellent book tells the story of the last of the four, the Spitzer Space Telescope. The Spitzer operates in the infrared part of the spectrum (Hubble - Visible Light, Chandra - X-Ray, Compton - Gamma Ray).

The idea for the Spitzer began in 1983 with a proposal that NASA spend $2 billion for the project. The key to this book is the twenty years that it took to get it to fly in 2003. Here's the inside story of what it takes to get one project through the NASA system. It makes for excellent reading.

There isn't much in the book about the astronomy that the Spitzer does, and just a few color pictures would help. After all, it is the pictures that have kept the Hubble in the public's eye. But you can fix this by browsing to [...]

Dr. Rieke, a professor at the University of Arizona,was one of the people who worked on the original proposal in 1983 and is still with the project. He also knows how to spin a good tale. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

The Reference on the History of Astronomy in Canada
This is a unique book about the history of astronomy in Canada. The coverage is quite good but could have been enriched and is somewhat biased. Especially some aspects might have been explored in more details, like the astronomy in the French regime. On the other hand, a large coverage is given the the David Dunlop Observatory. The book looks a little outdated now as the astronomy has largely grown in many part of Canada in the last 20 years.

It is still the authoritative book about history of astronomy in Canada. A recommanded reading for a long cloudy winter night. ... Read more

Product Description
University astronomy is the tap-root of the discipline from which the community of professional astronomers and its organizing talent emerged. Yet the academic sector has been neglected by historians because effective scientific roles for its observatories were very slow to evolve. On the one hand, governments considered the public need to be the business of observatories founded as national institutions, whilst on the other hand university statutes imposed a primary duty to teach. Hence in practice a mismatch proliferated between founding aspirations encompassing public utility and teaching, and the provision of adequate resources for research.This book provides an explanatory history of the institutional development university observatories, analyzing of the ability of academic astronomers in the period between 1772-1939 to contribute to both national astronomy and to advance science within their universities.Offering a comparative historical approach, the book also answers fundamental questions about how and why astronomy came into the universities, and how institutions responded to the professionalization of the discipline. ... Read more

Product Description
This clear easy-to-understand book helps "new" amateur astronomers by answering the most frequently asked questions. The idea is to quickly take the reader to a level of expertise significantly higher than that provided by general books. Each chapter is on a different subject, from what to buy through to how to use it and what to look at. The tips and techniques are applicable to all telescope users. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

good but not great
thinner than I thought it would be.
good info for a beginner...
over all a good book to
have around for a quick
reminder...

Highly concentrated facts
Fantastic!! Just the book that I've been looking for - it has an enormous amount of information concentrated into relatively few pages. The format, similar to an internet FAQ, makes it easy to navigate. Whilst nothing is covered in great depth, the book serves its purpose of giving enough information to get a new astronomer up and running. I refer to this book a lot and expect to keep doing so. ... Read more

Product Description

The aim of State of the Universe 2007 (and subsequent volumes issued annually) is to provide an annual astronomy review suitable for the popular science level reader to be published every year in September in a format that will be suitable for an appeal to the Christmas market. The book will cover all major astronomical news on topics beyond the Solar System and place them in the context of the longer term goals that astronomers and astrophysicists around the world are aiming for. The target is to capture the excitement and vibrancy of modern astronomical research. The book will present a complete list of the major announcements, discoveries and news items from each year, with the major ones being explained in detail through selected chapters being written by invited contributors who are at the forefront in those fields. The January meeting of the American Astronomical Society each year will be the major source of astronomical news for the following year’s volume, giving access to potential authors and contacts with public information officers of major observatories, space centers, etc.

The regular set features, which will appear every year, will include an annual chronological list of the latest discoveries announced during the previous twelve months; a review of the major news stories of the year with the main characters; a list of launches of major astronomical observatories/satellites during the past year; a list of planned future astronomical satellites; basic data on all astronomical observatories currently in operation with web links for the reader to dig deeper; list of anniversaries and landmarks; the latest from the BadAstronomy website by Dr Phil Plait, and the cartoon feature.

Customer Reviews (3)

terrific reference work
I work in a small planetarium, and Martin Ratcliffe's "State of the Universe" is a terrific resource for us.We don't have the budget to have a real astrophysicist on our staff, so for us, Martin's book is an ideal way to stay relatively current on cosmology.Anybody with an interest in astronomy would love this book.Can't wait for next year's edition.

A must have!
When I read about the book I was quite excited and when I received the book, a few days ago, I was not disappointed. The book has a part dedicated to brief news and other with in-depth articles about very interesting topics (gravitational waves and LIGO, supernova 1987A remnants, gamma ray bursts...) and appendixes with data about current and future telescopes and extrasolar planets. I have still not finished it, but it won't take me long to.

Only slight cons is that I expected it to cover 2006 news and, because editorial schedule, it covers march 2005 - march 2006. Then maybe State of the Universe 2007 was not the most proper or accurate title. Other con was that I expected glossy paper, and it's not, Mate astronomical pictures are not so spectacular, but I guess this way it's cheaper (and more ecologic?).

I hope next year will bring a new State of The Universe, and I sure will buy it,

Excelent Information
I read the Martin Radcliffe's book "State of the Universe 2007" and I think it was a good idea to write a book like this. It is informative, well documented, comprehensive and provides you a good vision of what is going on in the different areas of the Universe whicha are under investigation. I think he should publish it every year, to keep un up-to-date with the latest discoveries. We could collect them and follow up different researches and their results and novelties. Superb. ... Read more

Product Description
How to Use a Computerized Telescope describes how to get a computerized telescope up-and-running, and how to embark on a program of observation. Michael Covington explains in detail how the sky moves, how a telescope tracks it, and how to get the most out of any computerized telescope. Packed full of practical advice and tips for troubleshooting, his book gives detailed instructions for three popular telescopes: the Meade® LX200, Celestron^DCC NexStar 5 and 8, and Meade® Autostar^DTM (ETX and LX90). Michael A. Covington is an associate research scientist at the University of Georgia.He is a computational linguist trained in the computer processing of human language and the computer modeling of human logical reasoning, and a widely recognized expert on the Prolog programming language. He is the author of nine books including Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms, Seventh Edition (Barron's, 2000), Astrophotography for the Amateur (Cambridge, 1999), PROLOG Programming in Depth (Simon & Schuster, 1996), Cambridge Eclipse Photography Guide (1993), and Syntactic Theory in the High Middle Ages (Cambridge, 1985).A senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Covington is a Contributing Editor to, and former "Q&A" columnist of, Poptronics magazine. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Learning about telescopes book
Learning about Telescopes, this is a great first time /review of things you for got and thing you just didn't know how book.very helpful.

Useful book for those new to goto scopes
If you have a goto scope it's very useful.I have a Celestron NexStar goto telescope, and have bought a book specific to NexStar scopes, and I still found this one helpful, especially on alighment.

The Book your looking for!
If your looking for a clearly written, very informative, get you going in the right direction book, this is the one!

How to Use a Computerized Telescope
This is a very clearly-written book and excellent for beginners. It breaks down the various topics of using a computerized telescope into manageable chapters.

Very helpful book
I recently purchased a Celestron StarSeeker telescope (basically a NexStar80) so wanted to read more about computerized telescopes. Michael Covington's book is very good. He starts by saying "Welcome to amateur astronomy". The first part of the book then goes on to discuss telescopes in general, such as the different types (ie, refractors, reflectors and catadioptric) and much very helpful general information about observational astronomy. Things like celestial coordinates, how a telescope works, etc. Too much to put in this review but I found the information extremely helpful. The second section is about astrophotography including simple ways to do astrophotography without a lot of expensive equipment. This author also has a book on Astrophotography which I haven't read. He refers to it several times in this section of this book. The last section describes in quite a bit of detail the operation of 3 computerized telescopes, the Meade LX200, Celestron NexStar 5 and 8 and two Meade telescopes with Autostar, the ETX 90 and the LX 90. All of these telescopes are now outdated as both Meade and Celestron have newer models. However, what is said in this section would apply to the newer models to a large extent. Overall I enjoyed reading this book and obtained a lot of useful information and recommendations to start my budding career in amateur photography. One further note; there is another book by Michael Swanson that deals with just the Celestron NexStar telescopes. I have this book also but haven't finished reading it. If you are just interested in computerized telescopes in general, I would recommend the one in this review. If you have or are interested in a Celestron, then I would suggest the Michael Swanson book; actually I would recommend both. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Written by Peter Wlasuk, an astronomer at the Florida International University, Observing the Moon is a definitive work. An invaluable reference book for anyone seriously interested in the Moon and its geology, it is also a perfect companion for practical amateur astronomers. Detailed and extensively illustrated chapters catalog most of the interesting lunar features visible in modest telescopes. They are preceded by a crash course in modern lunar geology and followed by chapters on photographic and CCD imaging, drawing and lunar topography. A CD-ROM accompanies the book and contains a gallery of lunar images. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Don't Waste Your Money, There are Better Books, and Cheaper
Wlasuk's book, _Observing the Moon_ is OK if you have nothing else, but there are better references available, for less money.His illustrations are so-so and his explanations somewhat hard to follow.In many cases, his descriptions of lunar features are not illustrated, so one cannot see what he is describing.A better book for the serious lunar astronomer is Ernest Cherrington's _Exploring the Moon With Binoculars and Small Telescopes_, available on Amazon.com for about 1/3 the price of Wlasuk's book.

A primer for observing our nearest neighhbor
Peter Wlasuk takes us on a tour of the moon and shows us how to see the sights. The one thing that disappointed me was that the included CD-ROM was PC-only. It mostly contains a collection of TIFF formatted images and PDF files, very easy to adapt for multiple platforms.

Correction to review
The first list review is for a different book. Same title, different author (Gerald North).

Some of the most fascinating phenomena on the moon's surface
Gerald North is a prominent and accessible lunar expert who draws upon his experience and expertise in Observing The Moon: The Modern' Astronomer's Guide to provide the reader with some of the most fascinating phenomena on the moon's surface, including practical information on how to find them and explore them. North also offers useful viewing advice that will prove invaluable for both the novice stargazer and the dedicated moonwatcher. He also discusses telescopes, cameras, computer hardware and software for every budget range as he guides the reader in getting the maximum out of his or her available equipment. Observing The Moon includes everything a backyard astronomer needs to know about shooting photos of the moon, addressing time exposures, high-resolution photography and slow films, as well as the optimal processing techniques, equipment and types of film to use. A virtual travel guide to the moon, Observing The Moon is a "must" for personal, professional, academic, and community library astronomy reference collections.

A Moon Observer's Handbook
Wlasuk's book is a useful reference for amateur observers and contains specific information about many lunar surface features. Illustrations are clear although some of the photography (b&w only) is inferior compared to other similar books.The book contains several observer report templates and are especially useful if the amateur is hunting for so-called Transient Lunar Phenomena, most likely venting of volcanic gas.A CD-ROM (termed a 'lunar atlas') is included.However, several features I wanted to look out were not on the CD! (I.e., the important volcanic crater Aristarchus--possibly still an active area of vulcanism on the Moon). I personally did not agree with the orthodox recounting of how the Moon formed.Fission is still a workable hypothesis.And it is clear the Apollo missions created more questions than answers about the Moon. One unresolved question not mentioned in this book is the tektite controversy.Some evidence (Apollo 12 specimen and Apollo 16 volcanic glasses) points to at least one type of tektite found on Earth as being lunar in origin.Despite these points, I still recommend this volume for your favorite "lunatic." : ) ... Read more

Product Description

A personal account of the evolution of millimeter-wave astronomy at the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory. The author recounts the behind-the-scenes activities of the staff from the beginnings at Kitt Peak to the closing of the Tuscon offices.

Customer Reviews (1)

Good read for certain people
Covers by anecdote the events, decisions made during the formation of NRAO's Tucson operation - just like the title says.Nontechnical, but does use jargon that might not make sense to those not already familiar with electronics and astronomy.Informal writing style.There are photographs, clear enough though not spectacular, in grayscale only. There are few facts (budgets, technical specs, etc) but does tell names of participants of meetings and events.

Each chapter covers some aspect of running the operation - getting reliable electricity, creating software to run the dish, etc. Things are not told strictly chronologically, as each topic is followed through time before picking up another topic in the next chapter.This could lead to a bit of confusion if you read this book in an on-and-off manner.Some chapters are very short, just a few pages.

It's all a juicy read for anyone already interested in radio astronomy, histor of the NRAO and NSF, and the administration of scientific facilities.It isn't the most enlightening book on the culture of scientists.Good pleasure read for professional and those exploring careers. I'm starting a job soon at NRAO at another location, so have a close interest in stories in this book.If you're interested in learning the physics of radio astronomy, or the engineering of the dishes, there are other books of more utility. ... Read more

Product Description
Contains graduate-level problems with presented solutions and covers topics in radio astronomy. Examples from all branches of radio astronomy throughout. Softcover. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not really useful
I bought this book together with Tools of Radio Astronomy Fifth Edition, and I must say I am a bit disappointed. Roughly one half of the exercises in this book are also at the end of each chapter in "Tools", and the latter provides some new exercises as well that have not been included in this book. Moreover, references to formulae and figures have not been updated to the 5th edition of "Tools", so that when you read "Use eq. (4.5) of Tools" you are not sure where to look at.

Sure, unlike "Tools" this book includes the solutions of every problem, but the exercises are either plain applications of formulae (like e.g. "Given eq. NNN in Tools, calculate the temperature of...") or derivations of well-known models and formulae (like Planck's derivation of the blackbody's brightness) which can be found in a lot of other textbooks (and with more detail!). I would have been happy to see more exercises on "real" data, like e.g. asking the user to retrieve some published paper and justify the results reported in it.

Given the small size of the book (roughly 160 pages) and its relatively high price, I would *not* advise peoply to buy it -- it is enough to have the 5th edition of "Tools". ... Read more

Product Description
Author has brought together the experience of small telescope users to provide an insightful look into just what is possible. Written for newcomers to astronomy and experts. Softcover. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not what it say's on the tin.
Another collection essays by a number of people that purports to be "by" Stephen Tonkin. "Edited by", and inexpertly at that, would be more accurate. Please don't buy this book.

Interesting Book
This book has some interesting and intriguing ideas for owners of any telescope, not just ones that are 5 inches or less, as suggested by the book.I own an 8 inch Celestron Nexstar 8se, and I found the techniques for observation as suggested in the book to be very useful.

Ten telescope essays plus one
This book is a collection of essays on experiences using small telescopes for observing the heavens. The discussions range from 60mm refractors thru 5 in. "go to" scopes, including a home made 4 in. Newtownian. There is also a short essay on radio astronomy which seems out of place in this text. This book would have been served by better organization. Some of the essays have good insights on observing with these small telescopes, but it pays to look through all the essays, even for those not dealing with the specific telescope one owns or is interested in.This book was published with beginners in mind, but the organization of the book may leave a beginner confused. This is a bit below the average of books in the "Practical Astronomy" series, but a good starting point for owners of telescopes 5 in. in diameter and smaller. The "Radio Telescope" essay, though out of place in this text, gives an insight into non-visual astronomy open to the amatuer astronomer. ... Read more

Product Description
The meeting marked an opportunity to look back on a successful decade of results from the ROSAT, ASCA, RXTE and BeppoSAX missions. The two topics covered at the meeting were: (1) x-ray binaries and (2) AGN and the x-ray background. X-ray binaries provide a natural laboratory for probing the extreme environments of black holes and neutron stars. The meeting was organized jointly by ITESRE/CNR and NASA/GSFC, with support from ASI. The meeting itself proved to be very timely and gave an excellent summary of the past discoveries as well as the science challenges awaiting the new missions that would dominate the first decade of the 21st century. ... Read more