Worlds Beyond The Thrill of Planetary Exploration as told by Leading Experts

Leading planetary scientists give personal accounts of their work, and their desire to understand and explore worlds beyond our own.

With the development of space-travel, we have begun to explore worlds beyond Earth. Ten planetary scientists have come together to describe their favourite planet, what they have discovered, and what drives them to explore. Each tells a personal story, ranging across the breadth of the solar system - from hellish Mercury to the snows of Pluto; from telescopic to robotic exploration; from adventures in Antarctica to painting planetary landscapes; from the frustrations of failure to the joys of success. Worlds Beyond is the third in a series of extraordinary books bringing together leading space scientists to describe their work. Our Worlds was the first of its kind in revealing the inner motivations of planetary scientists. In Our Universe, leading astronomers and cosmologists explored the vastness of the Universe itself. Now with Worlds Beyond we return to our home - the solar system - to visit those fascinating new worlds beyond our own.

Introduction Alan Stern; 1. Dateline: the planets J. Kelly Beatty; 2. Planetary science with a paintbrush in hand William K. Hartmann; 3. Chasing new meteorites, or finding Heaven on Earth Michael Zolensky; 4. Mercury: the inner frontier Robert G. Strom; 5. Return to the Moon! Harrison H. Schmitt; 6. Making moons Robin M. Canup; 7. To rove on the Red Planet Matthew P. Golombek; 8. To the asteroids and beyond! Richard P. Binzel; 9. Titan: a moon with an atmosphere Christopher P. McKay; 10. Seasons at the edge of night Alan Stern.

A fascinating collection of personal essays by leading planetary scientists, taking us from hellish Mercury to the snows of Pluto, and from robotic exploration to reporting planetary science. A highly illustrated, wonderfully entertaining journey, leaving Earth to visit some of the worlds beyond.

Alan Stern is director of the Space Studies Department of the Southwest Research Institute, and Principal Investigator of NASA's Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission, New Horizons.