David Baker Books

Is there life on Mars? This age-old question has prompted many missions to Mars, with the most recent rover, Curiosity, having safely landed in August 2012 amid a blaze of publicity. This manual covers the development, design and engineering of three generations of Mars rover: Sojourner, which landed in 1997, was the size of a microwave; Spirit and Opportunity, both the size of a shopping cart, followed in 2004; and Curiosity is the size of a car, with a design life of two years. Learn how these machines work as well as what they have found and hope to discover - and look forward to the possibility that humans may yet set foot on the Red Planet.

A sweeping achievement from a poet whose rhythms are as alive to the roll and tang of syllables on the tongue as they are to the circulation of blood and sap (Rosanna Warren, Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Prize citation).

In this eagerly anticipated book, renowned space historian and author David Baker turns his attention to the Saturn I and IB rockets. Although considered as merely a 'stepping stone' from the Mercury and Gemini programs to the mighty Saturn V and the Apollo missions that put the first humans on the Moon, the Saturn I and IB rockets actually played a far more significant role in NASA's manned space effort. As the first American 'heavy lift' rocket , Wernher von Braun's Saturn I traced its lineage right back to his WWII V2 rocket, through Redstone to the Jupiter and Juno projects that lead to the Saturn vehicles. In describing this often-overlooked historical background, the story of the transition of the space program from the US Army to the (then) newly-formed NASA, and the evolution from launching men and satellites on modified missiles, to flying purpose-built space rockets, is also uncovered. The first Saturn I flew in 1961 and it remained in service until 1975, flying the first manned Apollo mission, testing stages for the Moon flights and launching 'Skylab' astronauts among other accomplishments. Illustrated throughout with NASA technical drawings and photographs, many previously unpublished, this absorbing book also includes a description of each mission flown by the Saturn I and IB.

A complete support package to help you train and assess your Cambridge First (FCE) students with confidence.

The Hubble Space Telescope is an international venture primarily between the USA and Europe. With views of the cosmos, this book inspires the generation of enthusiasts to study the night sky through simple telescopes.

By 1858, construction on a new railroad from Mobile, Alabama, to Cairo, Illinois, had intersected the Fulton/Pontotoc Road near an area called Gum Pond. That location contained large numbers of tupelo gum trees, and the intersection became known as Tupelo. Many merchants in surrounding communities, like Harrisburg and Richmond, realized that the intersection was going to be a prime area for commerce and began disassembling buildings that housed places of business and relocating them to Tupelo. By the beginning of the Civil War, there were two stores, two hotels, two saloons, and a temporary depot fronting the railroad just south of present-day Main Street. During the Civil War, Tupelo became a major location for shipping grain and livestock to the Confederate army. It also served as headquarters for the Confederate Army of the West and a rest and recreation area for Confederate armies.

Unofficially named the 'Peacemaker', the Convair B-36 is a legend of the Cold War. With six powerful radial engines and four turbojets paired in pods, the B-36 was America's 'Big Stick' that could subdue would-be aggressors with unrestrained nuclear retribution at a level unmatched by any other aircraft or air force of the time.

A perfect introduction for students and laypeople alike, providing you with all the concepts you need to know to understand the fundamental issues. Filled with helpful diagrams, photographs, further reading, and easily digestible features on the development of electrical and mechanical engineering, this book makes getting to grips with the subject as easy as possible. It includes the development of machines and materials, forces and how they are manipulated, gearing, and principles of movement and reliability.

Describes the origin of the reusable launch vehicle concept during the 1960s, its evolution into a viable flying machine in the early 1970s, and its subsequent design, engineering, construction and operation.