Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-222) and index.

Envisioning space. Ancient observatories ; The Ptolemaic and Copernican models of the universe ; Kepler-Newton : something new under the sun -- Beginning the Space Age. The origins of rocketry ; Robert H. Goddard and the development of American rocketry ; Wernher von Braun and the V-2 ; The popularization of space ; Considering the moon ; The lure of the Red Planet ; Concepts for missions to the moon and Mars ; The Space Age begins : Sputnik and Explorer ; The discovery of the Van Allen Radiation Belts -- Gateways to space. Antecedents of space launch : the X-15 and Dyna-soar programs ; How do we reach into space? : launch means and methods ; Mission control centers ; A suite of major nonpiloted launchers ; A suite of major human spaceflight launch vehicles ; The world's spaceports ; The Cape Canaveral launch complexes ; The Baikonur Soviet/Russian launch facility ; Three major launch sites : Kourou, Vandenberg, and Wallops ; Other worldwide launch sites ; Air- and sea-launch methods ; Human space launch emergency procedures ; Returning from space -- Orbiting the earth. Getting into orbit ; The first humans into space ; Developing more capabilities in space : long duration, EVA, and rendezvous and docking ; Swarms of satellites ; The nature of low earth orbit ; Supporting the Hubble Space Telescope in low earth orbit ; Seeking polar orbit ; Geostationary orbit ; Military satellites ; Unique constellations of satellites -- Reaching for the moon. The Cold War space race ; Launching NASA ; The geography of the moon ; Robotic exploration of the moon ; Lunar landing sites ; Lunar impacts and landings ; Robotic soft moon lander site plans ; Soviet rovers and sample return from the moon ; Americans to the moon : developing Saturn rocket technology ; The Apollo spacecraft and lunar module ; 1969 : the Apollo 11 and 12 landing sites ; Extending the stay on the moon : Apollos 14 and 15 ; Reaping a harvest of knowledge : Apollos 16 and 17 ; Post-Apollo lunar exploration -- Other terrestrial worlds. The inner solar system ; The geology of Mars ; Early missions to Mars ; Orbiting Mars ; Follow the water ; Geologic mapping of Mars ; Mars landing sites ; Landers on Mars ; Mars Exploration Rover A : Spirit ; Mars Exploration Rover B : Opportunity ; The geography of Venus ; Reaching for Venus ; Landings on Venus ; Exploring Mercury -- Across the solar system. Three zones of the solar system ; Studying the sun ; Chasing comets ; Asteroids and other objects ; In search of Jupiter ; The moons of Jupiter ; Galileo to Jupiter ; Exploring Saturn ; Cassini-Huygens goes to Saturn ; Saturn's moons ; Voyager 2 at Uranus ; The eighth planet : Neptune ; The Kuiper Belt ; Space navigation : looking to the stars ; At the edge of the solar system ; To the stars ; Looking into the past : mapping everything ; What are the possibilities of future spaceflight?