The Cambridge Dictionary of Space Technology by Mark Williamson, Cambridge
University Press, £27.95, ISBN 0521660777
SPACE is in fashion. Russia’s Mir made headlines around the world when it
plunged through the atmosphere into the Pacific last month. The International
Space Station (ISS) is being assembled in orbit. TV stations and telecoms
companies become daily more dependent on satellites to deliver entertainment and
carry data. But they are vulnerable: collisions with space debris could shut
down their services. And the working life of a satellite depends on the fuel
efficiency of the thrusters that keep it in position. Luxembourg company
SES/ASTRA…
