Synopses & Reviews
Satellites as they cross the night sky look like moving stars, which can be accurately tracked by an observer with binoculars as well as by giant radars and large cameras. These observations help to determine the satellite's orbit, which is sensitive to the drag of the upper atmosphere and to any irregularities in the gravity field of the Earth. Analysis of the orbit can be used to evaluate the density of the upper atmosphere and to define the shape of the Earth. Desmond King-Hele was the pioneer of this technique of orbit analysis, and this book tells us how the research began, before the launch of Sputnik in 1957. For thirty years King-Hele and his colleagues at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, developed and applied the technique to reveal much about the Earth and air at a very modest cost. In the 1960s the upper-atmosphere density was thoroughly mapped out for 100 to 2000 km, revealing immense variation of density with solar activity and between day and night. In the 1970s and 1980s a picture of the upper-atmosphere winds emerged, and the profile of the pear-shaped Earth was accurately charted. The number of satellites now orbiting the earth is over 5000. This book is the story of how this inexpensive research of their orbits developed to yield a rich harvest of knowledge about the Earth and its atmosphere, in a scientific narrative that is enlivened with many personal experiences.
Review
"...a first-class cocktail of science and life." David W. Hughes, Nature"For the reader interested in the man or the topic, the book is quite indispensable. The intimate, personal and very readable style makes it a good read for anyone interested in the history of post-war British science." F.W. Taylor, The Times Higher"...we have the author's personal, sometimes witty, and always engaging account of the research performed at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE)...I would recommend this book either for the meteorologist with a special interest in space science or a historical bent, or, conversely, for the space scientist who enjoys meteorology as an avocation." Charles P. Arnold, Jr., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society"...valuable and well worth reading...a tour de force...I recommend the book...to those who would like to follow the development of a new mutidisciplinary area of science from its beginnings to its successful achievements..." J.M. Anthony Danby, American Scientist"...King-Hele's writing style is simple and lucid...The author is to be highly commended for the numerous pictures and diagrams which illustrate this book, for they are an immense help in explaining difficult concepts like the influence of air drag on orbit decay or the 'pear shaped' Earth." Peter Wlasuk, The Strolling Astronomer
Synopsis
The story of how small changes in satellite orbits have led to great changes in our views of the Earth and atmosphere is told in this narrative from the pioneer of this orbit analysis technique.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 230-234) and index.
Table of Contents
Preface; Prologue, 1948-1953; 1. Prelude to space, 1953-1957; 2. The real thing, 1957-1958; 3. Full speed ahead, 1958-1960; 4. Sailing through the sixties, 1961-1969; 5. Into the realm of resonance, 1970-1979; 6. On the shelf, 1980-1988; 7. Out of the fray, 1988-1991; References; Index.