Astrophysics and Space Science Library

The First Space Scientist

By: Alv Egeland (Editor), William J. Burke (Editor)

Write A Review

Hardcover | 1 October 2005

At a Glance

Hardcover
240 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
24.13 x 15.88 x 0.64

Hardcover

$379.01

or 4 interest-free payments of $94.75 with

or

Ships in 5 to 7 business days

At the beginning of the 20th century, Kristian Birkeland (1867-1917), a Norwegian scientist of insatiable curiosity, addressed questions that had vexed European scientists for centuries. Why do the northern lights appear overhead when the earth's magnetic field is disturbed? How are magnetic storms connected to disturbances on the sun? To answer these questions Birkeland interpreted his advance laboratory simulations and daring campaigns in the Arctic wilderness in the light of Maxwell's newly discovered laws of electricity and magnetism. Birkeland's ideas were dismissed for decades, only to be vindicated when satellites could fly above the earth's atmosphere.

Faced with depleting stocks of Chilean saltpeter and the consequent prospect of mass starvation, Birkeland showed his practical side, inventing the first industrial scale method to extract nitrogen-based fertilizers from the air. Norsk Hydro, one of modern Norway's largest industries, stands as a living tribute to his genius.

Hoping to demonstrate what we now call the solar wind, Birkeland moved to Egypt in 1913. Isolated from his friends by the Great War, he yearned to celebrate his 50th birthday in Norway. The only safe passage home, via the Far East, brought him to Tokyo, where he passed away in the late spring of 1917.

Industry Reviews

The book is written with scientists in mind and follows Lucy Jago's successful biography... I recommend Kristian Birkeland: The First Space Scientist to any physicist who is interested in the history of space science.

-Hans C. Stengaek-Nielsen, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, in Physics Today

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $89.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.

Defective items

If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.

For more info please visit our Help Centre.

More in Historiography

Servus

The moving, enthralling true story of slavery in the Roman Empire by acclaimed ancient historian Emma Southon

Paperback

RRP $34.99

$28.75

18%
OFF

Claiming Land, Claiming Water

Borders and the People Who Crossed Them in the Early Modern Atlantic

Hardcover

RRP $150.00

$145.75

M.N. Pokrovskii and the Origins of Soviet Historiography : Historical Materialism - James D. White

$36.75

26%
OFF

A Global History of Historiography - Kenneth Mcallister

$34.75

15%
OFF

The Histories

Paperback

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF

Knowing What We Know

How we acquire, retain and communicate knowledge from ancient times to the era of big data

Paperback

RRP $24.99

$21.75

13%
OFF

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Penguin Classics

Paperback

RRP $35.00

$28.75

18%
OFF

The End of History and the Last Man

Paperback

RRP $27.99

$23.75

15%
OFF

Deep History

Country and Sovereignty

Paperback

RRP $49.99

$40.75

18%
OFF

Beyond The Broken Years

Australian military history in 1000 books

Paperback

RRP $39.99

$33.75

16%
OFF

Fifty Key Thinkers on History

3rd edition

Paperback

RRP $86.99

$68.75

21%
OFF

The Library of Lost Maps

Hardcover

RRP $49.99

$38.75

22%
OFF

The Killing of History

How Literary Critics and Social Theorists Are Murdering Our Past

Paperback

RRP $29.99

$25.99

13%
OFF

The Neverending Empire

The Infinite Impact of Ancient Rome

Paperback

RRP $34.99

$28.75

18%
OFF

The Ever-Changing Past

Why All History Is Revisionist History

Paperback

RRP $30.95

$25.75

17%
OFF

A History of Britain in Ten Enemies

Paperback

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF

Community Oral History Toolkit

Paperback

RRP $75.99

$71.75

The Foucauldian Mind

Routledge Philosophical Minds

Hardcover

RRP $399.00

$341.75

14%
OFF

Writing the History of Disabilities : Agency, Intersections, Concepts - Monika Baar

$246.75

13%
OFF

Decontesting Historical Consciousness

Routledge Approaches to History

Hardcover

RRP $305.00

$263.75

14%
OFF

Acknowledgements
Introduction: Tempora mutant et nos cum illis mutamur
Background and Education
At the 19th Century's End
Union of Norway and Sweden
The Royal Frederik University in Kristiania
Early Investigation of the Aurora and Geomagnetism
A New Abel
The Birkeland Family
High School and University Education
Postgraduate Research in France, Switzerland and Germany
Geomagnetic and Solar System Research
Aurora in a Vacuum Chamber
Electromagnetic Wave Experiments
Early Laboratory Simulations
Birkeland's Offices and Laboratories at the University
Terrella as Anode Experiments
The Norwegian Auroral Expeditions
Birkeland's First Expeditions
Arctic Expedition of 1902 - 1903
Classification of Geomagnetic Disturbances
The Permanent Station at Haldde Mountain
Controversies with the British School
The Universe in a Vacuum Chamber
Terrella as Cathode Experiments
Sunspots and the Solar Magnetic Field
Comet Tails
Saturn's Rings
Zodiacal Light
Conflicts with Carl St++rmer
Fast Switches and Electromagnetic Cannons
In as Little as Four Years
Plasma Torch and Nitrogen Fixation
Foundation of Norsk Hydro
Conflict with Sam Eyde
Marcus Wallenberg
Other Technical Applications
Birkeland the Man
As Seen in His Own Time
Teacher and Experimenter
Birkeland as a Popular Author
Positions and Honors
Nominations for the Nobel Prize
Consummatus in brevi, explevit tempora multa
Birkeland's Health
Marriage and Divorce
Sojourn in Egypt
Death in Tokyo
Many Friends
Birkeland's Will
Birkeland's Heritage
From Small Acorns
Science Education in Norway
Influence on Solar-Terrestrial Research
In Memoriam
Kristian Birkeland Research Fund
Birkeland Symposium
Birkeland Lecture Series
The Norwegian 200 Kroner Banknote
Birkeland's Scientific Publications
Archives and Unpublished Sources
Patents
Letters
Bibliography
Index of Names
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Astrophysics and Space Science Library

The First Space Scientist

At a Glance

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

Other Editions and Formats

Paperback

More in Historiography

Servus

The moving, enthralling true story of slavery in the Roman Empire by acclaimed ancient historian Emma Southon

Claiming Land, Claiming Water

Borders and the People Who Crossed Them in the Early Modern Atlantic

M.N. Pokrovskii and the Origins of Soviet Historiography

Historical Materialism

Surveying the Wild Abyss

Unravelling settler memory

A Global History of Historiography

The Houses of History

A Critical Reader in History and Theory : 2nd Edition

The Histories

Knowing What We Know

How we acquire, retain and communicate knowledge from ancient times to the era of big data

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Penguin Classics

The End of History and the Last Man

Deep History

Country and Sovereignty

Beyond The Broken Years

Australian military history in 1000 books

Fifty Key Thinkers on History

3rd edition

The Library of Lost Maps

The Killing of History

How Literary Critics and Social Theorists Are Murdering Our Past

The Neverending Empire

The Infinite Impact of Ancient Rome

The Ever-Changing Past

Why All History Is Revisionist History

A History of Britain in Ten Enemies

Community Oral History Toolkit

The Foucauldian Mind

Routledge Philosophical Minds

Writing the History of Disabilities

Agency, Intersections, Concepts

Writing the History of Disabilities

Agency, Intersections, Concepts

Through the Past to the Future

From Georg Simmel and Max Weber to the Twenty-First Centuryâs Public Intellectuals

Decontesting Historical Consciousness

Routledge Approaches to History

This product is categorised by