Description

This book describes eight spacecraft that among them explored the outer planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and the dwarf planet Pluto. The descriptions include intricacies and technical detail of spacecraft systems and science instruments aboard each spacecraft. The book traces history of exploration of the outer planets as well as the evolution of sophisticated spacecraft that unveiled long-sought secrets of the far-distant planets. The ingenious spacecraft reflected the best efforts of talented people working with best available technology of the day. Workarounds devised to achieve success after a critical spacecraft failure was testament to human ingenuity and perseverance. The key results of exploration by each spacecraft are given, including many spectacular photographs.

The book is a follow-on to my book "Spacecraft that Explored the Inner Planets: Venus and Mercury" that was published by Springer in 2023.