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The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Space by Fernand Verger and others, Cambridge University Press, 拢35, ISBN 0521773008

The Moons of Jupiter by Kristin Leutwyler, W. W. Norton, $39.95, ISBN 0393050602 Reviewed by David Hughes

THE space age is nearly 50 years old. To recover the sparkle of this 鈥渇inal frontier鈥� read The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Space. Here telecommunication, navigation, Earth observations and military applications jostle with science missions, orbits, rockets and launch sites.

Colourful schematic charts, technical diagrams, informative figures, maps and a host of space images help make this globally important subject highly accessible. Whether you are interested in the last spy satellites, the next-generation launch vehicle or the problems of searching for life on Mars, this book is an ideal place to start.

And just to underline the beauty of space imagery and the huge astronomical strides that have been made in the past few decades, turn to The Moons of Jupiter. The Galileo spacecraft 鈥� the heart of NASA鈥檚 most ambitious interplanetary mission to date 鈥� orbited Jupiter from December 1995 to September 2003. Stunningly detailed and colourful images of volcanic Io, icy Europa, cratered Callisto and aged Ganymede compete with the clouds and spots of Jupiter for the reader鈥檚 attention.