Les satellites artificiels

Charles-Noël Martin
Year1965
PublisherPresses Universitaires de France
PlaceParis
LanguageFR
Pages127
SeriesQue sais-je ?, n° 813
Rating★★★☆☆ (3/5)
AudienceGeneral, Student
LevelBeginner
Keywords
space physicsartificial satelliteProject Vanguardspace raceSputnik Programmecommunication satelliteProject Mercury
ThemesSpace Race, Human Spaceflight

A thoroughly revised second edition of the 1958 "Que sais-je?" classic. Martin abandons the chronological narrative of the first launches to adopt a thematic plan spanning seven years of the space age (1957–1965): orbital mechanics, physical evolution of satellites, orbital injection techniques illustrated by the Vanguard and Saturn rockets, a survey of landmark satellites (Sputniks, Vanguard I "Grapefruit," Echo, West Ford, Elektron), and (the central contribution over the first edition) a chapter covering scientific satellites, telecommunications relays (Telstar, Relay, Syncom), and the first crewed spaceflights, from Gagarin to the spacewalks of Leonov and Ed White in 1965.

📖 Editorial Review

Seven years after the first edition (long out of print), Charles-Noël Martin delivered in 1965 a complete overhaul of his pocket manual. In the interim, the scale of achievements had changed entirely: from seven satellites in December 1958 to some four hundred by 1965, averaging a launch every six days. Martin drew …