This open access book on the history of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory covers the scientific discoveries and technical innovations of late 20th century radio astronomy with particular attention to the people and institutions involved. The authors have made extensive use of the NRAO Archives, which contain an unparalleled collection of documents pertaining to the history of radio astronomy, including the institutional records of NRAO as well as the personal papers of many of the pioneers of U.S. radio astronomy. Technical details and extensive citations to original sources are given in notes for the more technical readers, but are not required for an understanding of the body of the book. This book is intended for an audience ranging from interested lay readers to professional researchers studying the scientific, technical, political, and cultural development of a new science, and how it changed the course of 20th century astronomy.

The answers to some of the most fundamental questions in science lie between the stars, in molecular clouds that serve as celestial laboratories. Disentangling the chemistries in extraterrestrial environments can provide clues about how planets form and shed light on problems in terrestrial chemistry that are difficult to investigate in the lab, and even the origins of life. Astrochemistry takes you on a tour of the molecular universe through time and space, starting with the emergence of matter about 13.8 billion years ago. From there, the tour visits the interstellar medium, with an emphasis on molecular clouds where stars are born. It then goes through different evolutionary stages of stars and planets – and the chemistry that emerges alongside them – before ending in our own solar system, where you will learn about chemical delivery by objects such as comets and meteorites.

In making the invisible universe visible, radio telescopes allow astronomers to see through our local universe of nearby stars to view a distant universe. Radio astronomy has provided tremendous insights into the composition, physical characteristics, and evolution of objects in the universe and revealed completely new, unanticipated phenomena. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) has greatly contributed to this scientific revolution. The book traces the story of radio astronomy from its accidental beginnings in the 1930s to the present, describes the development of NRAO instrumentation, and focuses on the considerable contributions made by the scientists using the NRAO instruments. This unique insight into the evolution of a truly modern science is written in a style that anyone with an interest in astronomy can understand and enjoy, and also provides technical information that professionals in astronomy, computer science, and electrical engineering will find useful.