An ideal resource for lecturers, this book provides a comprehensive review of experimental space astronomy. The number of astronomers whose knowledge and interest is concentrated on interpreting observations has grown substantially in the past decades; yet, the number of scientists who are familiar with and capable of dealing with instrumentation has dwindled. All of the authors of this work are leading and experienced experts and practitioners who have designed, built, tested, calibrated, launched and operated advanced observing equipment for space astronomy. This book also contains concise information on the history of the field, supported by appropriate references. Moreover, scientists working in other fields will be able to get a quick overview of the salient issues of observing photons in any one of the various energy, wavelength and frequency ranges accessible in space. This book was written with the intention to make it accessible to advanced undergraduate and graduate students.

This work reflects preoccupations with the threats posed to our environment due to climatic factors, major and natural hazards of all kinds and demographic influences. Topics covered include land surface processes, coastal zones and atmospheric risks.

The book focuses on photonic devices and systems for space applications and critically reviews the most promising research advances in the field of photonic technologies, which may have a significant impact on the performance of space systems.Photonics is emerging as a crucial enabling technology having the potential of enhancing many space systems, including the links for on-board data handling, the high-resolution measurement systems, and the processing units. The book discusses this subject with a special emphasis on the new guided-wave devices with high performance, low cost and size.Most of the scientific content of the book is novel and it is devoted to academic and industrial researchers working on the field.

This book describes prominent technological achievements within a very successful space science mission: the Herschel space observatory. Focusing on the various processes of innovation it offers an analysis and discussion of the social, technological and scientific context of the mission that paved the way to its development. It addresses the key question raised by these processes in our modern society, i.e.: how knowledge management of innovation set the conditions for inventing the future? In that respect the book is based on a transdisciplinary analysis of the programmatic complexity of Herschel, with inputs from space scientists, managers, philosophers, and engineers. This book is addressed to decision makers, not only in space science, but also in other industries and sciences using or building large machines. It is also addressed to space engineers and scientists as well as students in science and management.

IR and THz technologies are widely used in security screening and surveillance, astronomy, spectroscopy, biomedicine, food and package inspection, detection of concealed weapons, vision through camouflage, etc. There are increasing demands for the fast transmission of large amounts of data. THz radiation penetrates dielectric materials like plastics, ceramics or cardboard allowing contact-free testing. Medical imaging technologies can provide guidance for surgeons in delimiting the margins of tumors, help clinicians to visualize diseased areas, etc. Keywords: THz and IR Detectors, THz and IR Sources, Superconducting Photon Detectors, Superconducting THz Detectors, Graphene-based Detectors, THz Sensors with Metamaterials, Photoconductive Antenna Detectors, Imaging, Communication, Spectroscopy, Sensing, Security Screening, Surveillance, Astronomy, Biomedicine, Food Inspection, Package Inspection, Concealed Weapons Detection, Transmission of Large Amounts of Data, Non-destructive Testing, Contact-free Testing, Medical Imaging Technologies.

Advances made by physicists in understanding matter, space, and time and by astronomers in understanding the universe as a whole have closely intertwined the question being asked about the universe at its two extremesâ€"the very large and the very small. This report identifies 11 key questions that have a good chance to be answered in the next decade. It urges that a new research strategy be created that brings to bear the techniques of both astronomy and sub-atomic physics in a cross-disciplinary way to address these questions. The report presents seven recommendations to facilitate the necessary research and development coordination. These recommendations identify key priorities for future scientific projects critical for realizing these scientific opportunities.

Optical Payloads for Space Missions is a comprehensive collection of optical spacecraft payloads with contributions by leading international rocket-scientists and instrument builders. Covers various applications, including earth observation, communications, navigation, weather, and science satellites and deep space exploration Each chapter covers one or more specific optical payload Contains a review chapter which provides readers with an overview on the background, current status, trends, and future prospects of the optical payloads Provides information on the principles of the optical spacecraft payloads, missions’ background, motivation and challenges, as well as the scientific returns, benefits and applications