Ben Evans Boeken

2022 marks the 45th anniversary of the Voyager probe launches. Launched into space in 1977, these twin probes explored the farthest reaches of the Solar System before venturing on a one-way journey beyond, all the while testing the bounds of science, robotic exploration and our collective imagination. This heavily revised commemorative book takes a comprehensive look at their incredible achievements, future potential and overall legacy. Chronicled herein is an epic journey to unveil the mysterious outer reaches of the Solar System for the first time. The book recounts the Voyagers’ travels through the asteroid belt and past the giant gaseous planets Jupiter and Saturn, as well as Voyager 2’s forays near the distant ice giants Uranus and Neptune. Each chapter details in full the game-changing scientific data and glorious imagery they sent back to Earth. This new edition incorporates all the new data we have learned in the nearly 20 years since its original publication, discussing how the knowledge first gleaned with Voyager has been built upon in subsequent decades by Cassini, Juno and New Horizons. The Voyager probes captured imaginations around the world; now is an opportune time to reflect on their unparalleled quest across the edges of the Solar System and the enigmatic interstellar medium beyond.

Focusing on the Space Shuttle, the narrative delves into the technical challenges that paved the way for its development as the first reusable manned spacecraft. It highlights the innovative solutions and engineering feats that contributed to its achievements, showcasing the complexities involved in its design and operation. Through this exploration, the book emphasizes the significance of perseverance and ingenuity in overcoming obstacles in space exploration.

The book explores the significant role of Spacelab in NASA's space missions from 1983 to 1998, highlighting its function as a crucial short-term laboratory. It details over a dozen missions where Spacelab's pressurized research modules facilitated hundreds of experiments across various scientific fields, including life sciences, microgravity, Earth science, astrophysics, materials processing, and fluid dynamics. This comprehensive overview showcases the advancements and discoveries made possible through Spacelab's innovative design and capabilities.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are the most successful design partnership in fashion history. Since they burst on to the scene in Milan in the eighties, their multi-million-dollar empire has become one of the dominating forces in Italian – and world – fashion. Every year, the opulent and dramatic presentations of their successful 21st-century haute couture line Alta Moda are rapturously received by the fashion press. Their theatrical style is inspired by the Sicily of Visconti's 1963 film The Leopard, by Catholic imagery, and by the Italian screen sirens like Sophia Loren and Monica Bellucci, who wear the designs captured here by Vogue's stable of photographerst. The Dolce and Gabbana woman – characterized, according to Vogue, as having 'a life that reaches beyond, complete with fantasy, turmoil and always a story'– is sensual but proper.

For more than 50 years the Formula Ford Festival has been the proving ground for ambitious racing drivers looking to make their mark. The Brands Hatch meeting was where the likes of Johnny Herbert, Damon Hill and Jenson Button first made their names, while both Michael Schumacher and Nigel Mansell never made it out of their heats. Now a club meeting, in its heyday the Festival was one of the UK's biggest motor sport events, drawing tens of thousands of spectators, and enjoying more than a decade of prime coverage on the BBC's Grandstand. From humble beginnings at a cold Snetterton, the move to Brands Hatch, the peak of the 1980s followed by a gentle decline, this book tells the story of the Festival. Drawing on exclusive contributions from some of the event's legends and prestigious alumni, it covers all the on-track action together with off-track intrigue and controversies.