2009 Outstanding Academic Title, Choice The launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 ushered in an exciting era of scientific and technological advancement. As television news anchors, radio hosts, and journalists reported the happenings of the American and the Soviet space programs to millions of captivated citizens, words that belonged to the worlds of science, aviation, and science fiction suddenly became part of the colloquial language. What’s more, NASA used a litany of acronyms in much of its official correspondence in an effort to transmit as much information in as little time as possible. To translate this peculiar vocabulary, Paul Dickson has compiled the curious lingo and mystifying acronyms of NASA in an accessible dictionary of the names, words, and phrases of the Space Age. Aviators, fighter pilots, and test pilots coined the phrases “spam in a can” (how astronauts felt prelaunch as they sat in a tiny capsule atop a rocket booster); “tickety-boo” (things are fine), and “the Eagle has landed” (Neil Armstrong’s famous quote when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon). This dictionary captures a broader foundation for language of the Space Age based on the historic principles employed by the Oxford English Dictionary and Webster’s New Third International Dictionary. Word histories for major terms are detailed in a conversational tone, and technical terms are deciphered for the interested student and lay reader. This is a must-own reference for space history buffs.

The field of engineering is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary, and there is an ever-growing need for engineers to investigate engineering and scientific resources outside their own area of expertise. However, studies have shown that quality information-finding skills often tend to be lacking in the engineering profession. Using the Engineerin

With the encroachment of the Internet into nearly all aspects of work and life, it seems as though information is everywhere. However, there is information and then there is correct, appropriate, and timely information. While we might love being able to turn to Wikipedia® for encyclopedia-like information or search Google® for the thousands of links on a topic, engineers need the best information, information that is evaluated, up-to-date, and complete. Accurate, vetted information is necessary when building new skyscrapers or developing new prosthetics for returning military veterans While the award-winning first edition of Using the Engineering Literature used a roadmap analogy, we now need a three-dimensional analysis reflecting the complex and dynamic nature of research in the information age. Using the Engineering Literature, Second Edition provides a guide to the wide range of resources available in all fields of engineering. This second edition has been thoroughly revised and features new sections on nanotechnology as well as green engineering. The information age has greatly impacted the way engineers find information. Engineers have an effect, directly and indirectly, on almost all aspects of our lives, and it is vital that they find the right information at the right time to create better products and processes. Comprehensive and up to date, with expert chapter authors, this book fills a gap in the literature, providing critical information in a user-friendly format.

It is a pleasure to present this work, which has been well received in German-speaking countries through four editions, to the English-speaking reader. We feel that this is a unique publication in that it contains valuable material that cannot easily-if at all-be found elsewhere. We are grateful to the authors for reading through the English version of the text, and for responding promptly (for the most part) to our queries. Several authors have supplied us, on their own initiative or at our suggestion, with revised and updated manuscripts and with supplementary English references. We have striven to achieve a translation of Handbuch for Sternfreunde which accurately presents the qualitative and quantitative scientific principles con tained within each chapter while maintaining the flavor of the original Ger man text. Where appropriate, we have inserted footnotes to clarify material which may have a different meaning and/or application in English-speaking countries from that in Germany. When the first English edition of this work, Astronomy: A Handbook (translated by the late A. Beer), appeared in 1975, it contained 21 chapters. This new edition is over twice the length and contains 28 authored chap ters in three volumes. At Springer's request, we have devised a new title, Compendium of Practical Astronomy, to more accurately reflect the broad spectrum of topics and the vast body of information contained within these pages.

The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary is an authoritative and accessible reference useful to scholars and enthusiasts alike. This dictionary is an essential tool for professionals involved in the aerospace industry and flight, and for anyone who must read and understand the technical literature of the aerospace industry and about specific air and space craft. It is also an ideal reference for engineering and physics students encountering a subject replete with technical jargon and acronyms. Bill Gunston, one of the most widely read and respected aviation writers, has added more than 5,000 new terms and acronyms to this carefully updated volume. Terms used in the dictionary reflect the diverse and international nature of the aerospace industry and include brief explanations of aerospace materials and organizations. Gunston has scrupulously avoided terms specific to manufacturers, airlines, and armed forces in an effort to encourage clear communication and understanding among professionals.