Countdown: A History of Space Flight

ISBN-13: 9780471291053 / Angielski / Miękka / 1999 / 420 str.

T. A. Heppenheimer;Heppenheimer

Opis

This work looks at at the evolution and future of the space programmes in the United States, Russia and Europe. It takes a historian's view of the Space Age. The author places the major achievements, such as Apollo, in the context of concurrent political and social developments. Using much previously unpublished information from Russia, he juxtaposes the Soviet space programme against the US program, providing insights into the space race and explaining why the two most powerful nations in the world became embroiled in a very costly and politically charged race for space. He also shows how the vast expenditure on space development over the last four decades has left only modest achievements and put the future of NASA into question. Finally, he proposes that NASA can find a valid and valuable future in the market for unmanned space craft for commercial use.

Recenzje

"A lively account of the development of space activities in the U.S. and the Soviet Union . . . as good a one–volume overview of space as exists."–Scientific American

"If you′ve already got loads of books on the history of space flight, great news: you can give them all to Oxfam . . . All you need now is this, the most comprehensive, up–to–date and best written history of space flight there is."–The Times (London)

"By far the most significant and technically insightful account of the ventures into the space environment I have seen."–Lee Atwood, former president and chairman, North American Aviation

"By far the best history of space flight I have ever read. It is detailed, lucidly written for the layman, and full of fascinating stories."–Adrian Berry, Daily Telegraph

Spis treści

Wonder–Weapons and Prison Camps: Rocketry Under Stalin and Hitler.

Ingenious Yankees: The Rise of America′s Rocket Industry.

Racing to Armageddon: The Superpowers Begin Their Missile Programs.

The Mid–1950s: Spacecraft, Planned and Imagined.

"The Russians Are Ahead of Us!": The Space Race Begins.

A Promise of Moonglow: Space in the Wake of Sputnik.

Afternoon in May: Kennedy Commits to the Moon.

High–Water Mark: The Manned Moon Race.

Lunar Aftermath: Space Stations and the Shuttle.

Electrons in the Void: The Unmanned Space Programs.

Space in the Eighties: The Efforts Falter.

Renewal and Outlook: Commerce and Cooperation in Space.

Notes.

Bibliography.

Index.

O autorze

T. A. HEPPENHEIMER, Ph.D., has written extensively on aerospace, business, and the history of technology. A frequent contributor to Discover, Forbes, Nature, Omni, and American Heritage magazines, he is the author of six previous books, including Turbulent Skies: The History of Commercial Aviation (Wiley). Dr. Heppenheimer divides his time between Fountain Valley, California, and West Palm Beach, Florida.

Blurb

T. A. Heppenheimer′s acclaimed chronicle of rockets, politics, and the pioneers who dared to reach beyond humanity′s limits.

"The most comprehensive, up–to–date, and best written history of space flight there is."–The Times (London)

"A lively account of the development of space activities in the U.S. and the Soviet Union . . . as good a one–volume overview of space as exists."–Scientific American.

"Countdown is by far the best history of space flight I have ever read. It is detailed, lucidly written for the layman, and full of fascinating stories.–Adrian Berry, Daily Telegraph.

"Science writer Heppenheimer′s readable account provides a timely historical overview of the early visionaries, the engineers, and the geopolitical forces that placed men on the moon and created today′s aerospace industry. . . . A thoughtful analysis that is highly recommended.–Library Journal.

"By far the most significant and technically insightful account of the ventures into the space environment I have seen. . . . [Heppenheimer] concentrates unerringly on key elements, both technical and managerial, in this account of man′s initial space ventures."–Lee Atwood, Former president and chairman, North American Aviation Corporation.

"Like a skilled artisan, Heppenheimer weaves social, political, scientific, technological, military, and economic threads of the history of space flight into a tapestry that reveals fascinating patterns and themes."–Publishers Weekly