An anxious peace : a Cold War memoir / Hans Mark.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mark, Hans, 1929-2021, author.

Series:

Williams-Ford Texas A&M University military history series ; Number 161.

Williams-Ford Texas A&M University military history series ; Number 161

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mark, Hans, 1929-2021.

Mark, Hans.

United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration--Officials and employees--Biography.

United States.

Aerospace engineers--United States--Biography.

Aerospace engineers.

Cold War--Biography.

Cold War.

Aeronautics, Military--United States--History--20th century.

Aeronautics, Military.

Genre:

Autobiographies.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (690 pages).

Place of Publication:

College Station : Texas A&M University Press, [2019]

Summary:

By any measure, Hans Mark was a warrior of the Cold War. Born in Mannheim, Germany, in 1929, he spent his early childhood in Vienna before escaping the Nazi Anschluss in 1938 and eventually emigrating to the United States, settling in New York. He graduated from high school in 1947, went west to attend the University of California, Berkeley, and later earned a PhD in physics from MIT. His work in nuclear engineering soon set him on a path that would be shaped by aeronautics, space exploration, and national defense. It was through advanced technology that Mark believed the United States could win the Cold War. In An Anxious Peace , Mark recounts in detail his life as a twentieth-century "rocket man." Here is the inside story of one who--in a career spanning more than six decades--was on the technological front line, from long-range bombers to the space shuttle. Along the way, Mark reveals many never-before-told stories from life at NASA and more. Readers will revel in learning the background behind the decision to place a plaque on Pioneer 10 , a space probe that the NASA Ames Research Center designed to fly past the asteroid belt, Jupiter, and Saturn to collect data and images. Mark tells how he, Carl Sagan, and NASA insider John Naugle kept secret the addition of the now iconic 6x9-inch aluminum "message from humanity" until the probe had been launched. To this day Mark is pushing for a manned mission to Mars. One thing is sure: Hans Mark has left a major impact on academic and scientific communities that will be felt for decades to come.

Contents:

Early years, escape from Europe, and the end of World War II

The beginning of the Cold War, nuclear weapons, and graduate school at MIT

Edward Teller, the nuclear weapons laboratory at Livermore, and Cold War crises

The University of California, the Middle Eastern wars, and the war in Vietnam

1967 and 1968: years of changes, setbacks, and decisions

The NASA-Ames Research Center and the Cold War

Nelson Rockefeller, the end of the war in Vietnam, and the proliferation of nuclear weapons

The National Reconnaissance Office and the US Air Force

Long-range bombers, missiles, and a space command for the Air Force

Other duties as assigned and the election of Ronald Reagan

The interregnum and the return to NASA

The space shuttle, air force bombers, and a long-range plan for NASA

Spacelab, Columbia, and fundamental changes in Cold War policy

Defense against ballistic missiles and two important firsts in spaceflight

The space station, the president, and leaving Washington

The loss of Challenger, crucial summit meetings, and defense-related research at the University of Texas

The reunification of Germany and the collapse of the Soviet Union

Encore in Washington.

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-62349-728-0