Paolo Ulivi and David M. Harland authored robotic exploration volume

According to Springer and the Internet Archive, Paolo Ulivi and David M. Harland’s 579‑page volume, released by Springer on September 16, 2014, provides a comprehensive reference on robotic solar system exploration. The 2015th edition, printed in English, carries ISBN-10 1461448115 and ISBN-13 978-1461448112. According to the Internet Archive, this volume documents unmanned solar system exploration missions dating back to the 1950s, and it covers spacecraft technology, including descriptions of vehicles, their mission architectures, and the instruments they carry.

Scientific findings appear alongside details of how mission managers managed missions, and the chapter divisions include “The decade of Halley,” “The era of flagships,” and “Faster, cheaper, better.” These divisions organize the history of robotic exploration into distinct periods.

The book’s modern era coverage spans missions launched between 2004 and 2013, including Deep Impact, the MESSENGER Mercury orbiter, the New Horizons Pluto flyby and the Juno Jupiter orbiter. The Rosetta and Curiosity missions receive detailed treatment through the end of 2013. Mars missions launched since 2005 receive coverage, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Phoenix lander and the Fobos-Grunt mission. The book also outlines future Mars exploration plans.

The work includes the first complete published account of the Chinese Chang’e 2 asteroid flyby mission. The volume covers the European BepiColombo Mercury orbiter, an upcoming mission. It also describes proposed missions to revisit intriguing moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

According to the Internet Archive, bibliographical references and indexes appear in the volume. According to Springer and the Internet Archive, its combination of technical descriptions, scientific results, management details, and future concepts makes it a comprehensive reference for those studying robotic solar system exploration.