Advances in Geophysics

Geodesy: The Concepts, Second Edition focuses on the processes, approaches, and methodologies employed in geodesy, including gravity field and motions of the earth and geodetic methodology. The book first underscores the history of geodesy, mathematics and geodesy, and geodesy and other disciplines. Discussions focus on algebra, geometry, statistics, symbolic relation between geodesy and other sciences, applications of geodesy, and the historical beginnings of geodesy. The text then ponders on the structure of geodesy, as well as functions of geodesy and geodetic theory and practice. The publication examines the motions, gravity field, deformations in time, and size and shape of earth. Topics include tidal phenomena, tectonic deformations, actual shape of the earth, gravity anomaly and potential, and observed polar motion and spin velocity variations. The elements of geodetic methodology, classes of mathematical models, and formulation and solving of problems are also mentioned. The text is a dependable source of data for readers interested in the concepts involved in geodesy.

divIn the decades since the mid-1970s, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, has led the quest to explore the farthest reaches of the solar system. JPL spacecraft—Voyager, Magellan, Galileo, the Mars rovers, and others—have brought the planets into close view. JPL satellites and instruments also shed new light on the structure and dynamics of earth itself, while their orbiting observatories opened new vistas on the cosmos. This comprehensive book recounts the extraordinary story of the lab's accomplishments, failures, and evolution from 1976 to the present day. This history of JPL encompasses far more than the story of the events and individuals that have shaped the institution. It also engages wider questions about relations between civilian and military space programs, the place of science and technology in American politics, and the impact of the work at JPL on the way we imagine the place of humankind in the universe./DIV