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New planetary encyclopedia has definite JPL flavor
By MARK WHALEN

   JPL scientist Jim Shirley and colleagues have completed a 
comprehensive reference book that is being noted among the best 
in its class.
   The volume, Encyclopedia of Planetary Sciences, is part of 
publisher Chapman & Hall's "Earth Science" series. It is close 
to 1,000 pages in length and is packed with almost 500 articles 
submitted by 214 contributors, bolstered by numerous maps, 
planetary images, charts and tables. 
   Of note is the fact that more than 30 of those authors are 
current, former or retired JPL scientists, all of whom have 
extensive experience in authoring scientific articles for 
publication.
   "We included a diversity of viewpoints, and some difference 
of opinion," said Shirley, the book's co-editor, who works on 
Galileo's Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS). He noted 
that separate articles cover all major lunar and planetary 
missions since the days of JPL's Lunar Orbiter, Ranger and 
Surveyor missions of the 1960s. 
   Although the book's manuscript was submitted for publication 
prior to Galileo's Jupiter orbit insertion in late 1995, there 
are major articles on both the Galileo and Cassini missions.
   According to Shirley, the difference between his work and 
prior encyclopedic efforts to chronicle planetary science is the 
large number of articles. Most other books include only a few 
dozen articles at most, he said.
   "We have limited the length of the major articles to about 
5,000 words," Shirley said. "This allowed us to provide at least 
10 times more content than any previous book that looks at the 
solar system or planetary science as a whole." He pointed to the 
book's comprehensive coverage of asteroids, meteorites, fields 
and particles; processes such as impact cratering and planetary 
accretion; and of techniques of remote sensing, image processing 
and celestial mechanics.
   The standard articles are about 2,000 words in length. A 
third category in the encyclopedia covers definitions of 
geological, astronomical, physical and meteorological terms that 
range up to about 500 words. Also in this category are nearly 
100 biographical entries on pioneering scientists.
   Shirley, who noted with humor that the effort was a 
"hellishly time-consuming project," wanted to reach a wide 
readership, not just scientists. For example, he said, "We tried 
to make the book accessible for a high school student who might 
wonder how JPL produces such amazing images of planets."
   The volume has been favorably reviewed in science journals. 
New Scientist magazine noted that the book "provides 
comprehensive and concise coverage of the whole gamut of 
planetary science in a form that will be of great use to 
professionals, students and interested general readers.
   "When it comes to the planets, their characteristics, 
interrelations and environment, this is the book of the decade," 
declared the review's author.
   Although the manuscript was completed more than two years 
ago, Shirley is not overly concerned that the book will rapidly 
become out of date. "The users of encyclopedia articles need a 
clear summary of the basic facts, together with a good list of 
references for further study. The latest interpretations, on the 
other hand, may become stale with time. Encyclopedia articles 
should help move the reader rapidly up the learning curve."

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