Advances in Small Satellite Technologies: Proceedings of 1st International Conference on Small Satellites

  • P. S. R. Srinivasa Sastry,
  • C. V. Jiji &
  • D. V. A. Raghavamurthy Samba Siva Rao
SPRINGER: 2020. 544 PP. £179.99

Small satellites are enabling a revolution in the way space science is done, due to their low cost and off-the-shelf solutions. While ‘new space’ opportunities are democratizing access to space, they come with a unique set of challenges. The 1st International Conference on Small Satellites gathered experts in different aspects of small satellite technologies and applications. The section on payloads and applications, in particular, discusses some astronomical applications of small satellites. Also of interest is the section on orbit and attitude control and dynamics, as these define crucial parameters in the design of any scientific space mission.

The Little Book of Cosmology

  • Lyman Page
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS: 2020. 152 PP. £16.99

It’s no small feat, trying to describe the Universe in 152 pages. But the very aptly named Little Book of Cosmology takes this task head-on, by stripping the narrative down to its bare essentials. Lyman Page divides the story into five chapters and in them covers the basics of where we stand in the Universe, how we observe it, what it is made of and how we think it works. The cosmic microwave background takes centre stage for three of those five chapters, as it underpins our current concordance cosmological model. The last chapter is devoted to future observations that will further refine (or potentially completely overhaul) our perception of the Universe around us.