This work is addressed to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in astronomy, geology, chemistry, meteorology, and the planetary sciences as well as to researchers with pertinent areas of specialization who desire an introduction to the literature across the broad interdisciplinary range of this important topic. Extensive references to the pre-spacecraft literature will be particularly useful to readers interested in the historical development of the field during this century.
John S. Lewis (born June 27, 1941) is a Professor Emeritus of planetary science at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. His interests in the chemistry and formation of the solar system and the economic development of space have made him a leading proponent of turning potentially hazardous near-Earth objects into attractive space resources.