Bücher von Tom Lund

The bold dream of lunar exploration was a national priority for both the US and the USSR during the Cold War era. From the earliest Russian Lunik probes to the United StatesΓÇÖ successful manned flights to the surface, every attempt to visit the Moon held significant technological and political weight.This book is a lucid and accessible account of humankindΓÇÖs attempts to reach the Moon, from the perspective of an engineer who worked on the Apollo program. It describes in some technical detail the various spacecraft that were designed and launched on the first lunar explorations. Focusing primarily on the US program, it includes several chapters on Russian manned and unmanned lunar missions of the time.The moon-bound spacecraft of the 1950ΓÇÖs through to the mid-1970s were remarkable for their performance, efficiency, and ruggedness, reflecting the best engineering art of the day. The book examines how every last bit of performance was wrung out of the existing technology, with the scale and stakes of each mission escalating as every attempt brought the two competing nationsΓÇöand all of humanityΓÇöcloser to the Moon.

Energy is a treasure to be intelligently managed and developed. The modern world thrives on energy. Indeed, it has become a necessary part of our existence for heating, cooking, transportation, communications, and manufacturing of goods. This book describes important sources of energy and the abundance, strengths, and drawbacks of each. Major sources of energy covered are: ¿ Solar photovoltaic and solar thermal ¿ Wind ¿ Geothermal ¿ Hydroelectric ¿ Petroleum products ¿ Biofuels ¿ Natural gas ¿ Coal ¿ Hydrogen ¿ Nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Other associated topics treated include: ¿ Energy use by personal vehicles including gasoline, electric, hybrid gasoline-electric, natural gas, and hydrogen powered ¿ Energy use for transport of freight and passengers ¿ Energy Storage. The author draws on over 40 years experience in a wide range of engineering disciplines to tell the story of these sources of energy. Practical experience is augmented by master's degrees in electrical engineering, physics, and business administration.