Foreword by Ellen Stofan; Preface; 1. The age of wonder: learning the Earth, oceans and sky; 2. Planets and greenhouses; 3. Age of calculation; 4. Feeling the heat; 5. First contact; 6. The ice returns; 7. Mars attracts; 8. A new millennium; 9. Dune worlds; 10. Looking ahead; 11. Worlds beyond; 12. Conclusions; Glossary; Further reading; Bibliography; Index.
An accessible and engaging account of the history of climate science and exploration on Earth and other planetary bodies.
Ralph D. Lorenz is a Planetary Scientist at The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. He has worked for the European Space Agency on the Huygens probe to Titan, and has been involved in many NASA and international space projects, including Cassini, Mars Polar Lander and the Japanese Venus Climate Orbiter. He enjoys visiting exotic locations on Earth - from the Arabian Desert and Alaska to Vanuatu and New Zealand - to learn about process on other worlds, notably dust devils, sand dunes and volcanoes.
'A detailed, historical account of the development of climate
science on Earth and on neighboring planets, written by a top
researcher in the field. I myself learned a lot from this book.
Lorenz combines a thorough knowledge of the literature
on climate science with first-hand experience in planetary
exploration and a good grasp of the underlying physics. A must-read
for all those who are interested in this topic.' James Kasting,
Pennsylvania State University
'This is a wide-ranging overview of the entire history of planetary
climate research, starting with ancient Greece and finishing with
the latest solar system and exoplanet discoveries. Written by a
pioneer in outer solar system exploration, it is a very
entertaining read, full of colorful anecdotes and interesting
asides. I recommend it to anyone interested in an overview of this
fascinating topic or in space exploration generally.' Robin
Wordsworth, Harvard University, Massachusetts
'[This] book … is remarkable in many ways. As a planetary climate
specialist myself, I am impressed by Lorenz's exhaustive knowledge
and thorough understanding of climate processes … But what I like
most is the storytelling and his description of how scientists make
progress and mistakes. As a result, anyone interested in the great
history of sciences, as well as in the small but meaningful stories
of space exploration, will enjoy this text.' François Forget,
Centre national de la recherche scientifique, France
'In Exploring Planetary Climate, the story of exploration across
two millennia of human genius – from ancient Greek and Roman
writers to Arab and European Renaissance scholars to thinkers and
doers of the modern era - is outlined with breathless pace and
narrative urgency zeroing-in on Venus, Mars, Saturn's large moon
titan, and on Earth itself. The author … walks his reader through a
burgeoning historical corpus of discovery with a keen storyteller's
eye and an exciting yearning for exploration … Lorenz morphs well
from physicist into historian, while also intelligently considering
the future and the problems that continue to impair the present.'
Ben Evans, BBC Sky at Night
'… a sophisticated, but engaging account of what we know about the
climates of planets and some moons in the solar system, along with
useful discussion of how we know it.' Roger D. Launius, Quest: The
History of Spaceflight Quarterly
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