A Dictionary of Space Technology

Space technology, since its birth in the late 1950's, has changed almost beyond all recognition. This dictionary has been compiled with the aim of providing a convenient source of reference to some of the most important aspects of this developing technology. It was decided by the author that this book should be a dictionary rather than an encyclopedia. In other words, the emphasis is on defining the meaning of a word or a phrase, and in some cases giving notes on its derivation and usage, rather than providing large amounts of background information. The entries have been written with the intention of enhancing the understanding of the subject, both for the practising specialist and the interested layman. To this end the dictionary icludes terms at all levels of sophistication: from the academic to the trivial: from the precision of engineering terminology to the frivolity of jargon. The entries in this dictionary are arranged in alphabetical order. To assist the reader in research on a given topic, related entries are highlighted in the text and other important entries are included as a "see also". In an attempt to cover the fundamentals of space technology, the dictionary includes material which could be placed under the following headings: spacecraft technology; communications technology; propulsion technology; launch vehicles; manned spacecraft; space shuttle; space centres and organisations; orbits; propellants; materials; physics and astronomy. To facilitate the use of the dictionary, a classified list of all the dictionary entries under these headings is included at the end of the book.