Countdown : a history of space flight / T.A. Heppenheimer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Heppenheimer, T. A., 1947-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Space race--History.

Space race.

Astronautics and state--United States--History.

Astronautics and state.

Astronautics and state--Soviet Union--History.

Cold War--History.

Cold War.

History.

Soviet Union.

United States.

Physical Description:

x, 398 pages, 8 pages of plates : maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : John Wiley & Sons, 1997.

Summary:

"... a fascinating comparison of the people and programs, the triumphs and failures, of the two major space faring nations". -- Dale D. Meyers, Former Associate Administrator for Space Flight, NASA

A historical overview of the evolution and future of the space programs in the U.S., the former Soviet Union, and Europe

The race to put a man on the moon provided the perfect metaphor for scientific achievement, one that challenged and captured the public imagination. Yet-in addition to its science-fiction glamour, the space race served equally powerful political and social objectives. Moving beyond the much-documented heroism of the period, Countdown offers the first overview that explores the achievements and failures of all sides of the space race in their full historical context. T.A. Heppenheimer juxtaposes the U.S. and Soviet space programs, revealing what each knew of the other and describing dead ends each pursued in the race to get ahead.-- Draws on previously untapped sources recently made available in Russia-- Shows how modest the gains generated by costly space programs were and proposes viable uses of unmanned spacecraft for the future

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 363-376) and index.

ISBN:

0471144398

OCLC:

35008179