Fundamentals of electric circuits, 6th ed.

Abstract

In keeping with our focus on space for covers for our book, we have chosen the NASA Voyager spacecraft for the sixth edition. The reason for this is that like any spacecraft there are many circuits that play critical roles in their functionality. The beginning of the Voyager 1 and 2 odyssey began on August 20, 1977, for Voyager 2 and on September 5, 1977, for Voyager 1. Both were launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Voyager 1 was launched on a faster orbit so it eventually became the first man-made object to leave our solar system. There is some debate over whether it has actually left the solar system, but it certainly will at some point in time. Voyager 2 and two Pioneer spacecraft will also leave the solar system at some point in time. Voyager 1 is still functioning and sending back data, a truly significant achievement for NASA engineers. The design processes that make the Voyager operate so reliably are based on the fundamentals discussed in this textbook. Finally, space is vast so that Voyager 1 will fly past other solar systems; the odds of actually coming into contact with something are so remote that it may virtually fly through the universe forever! For more about Voyager 1, go to NASA’s website: www.nasa.gov/.