Encyclopédie visuelle de l'exploration de l'espace

A wide-ranging illustrated encyclopedia tracing the history of space exploration, from the pioneers (Tsiolkovsky, Goddard, Oberth) to projected futures. Its twenty-one chapters cover rockets, launch centres, human spaceflight, application and scientific satellites, lunar and planetary probes, the Apollo programme and orbital stations, then speculative prospects (orbital factories, solar power satellites, space colonies, interstellar craft). The chapter on launch centres surveys the facilities and programmes of every spacefaring nation, the United States, the USSR, Europe (ELDO/ESA, the Kourou base), Japan, China and India. Edited by Kenneth Gatland with a foreword by Arthur C. Clarke, the book is distinguished by its many colour technical cutaways and data tables, and closes with an illustrated chronology, the "space diary".