Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

This is a thread to discuss space travel and space exploration.

Here is an interesting read:

Mary Roach

Audio:



Amazon Best Books of the Month, August 2010: With her wry humor and inextinguishable curiosity, Mary Roach has crafted her own quirky niche in the somewhat staid world of science writing, showing no fear (or shame) in the face of cadavers, ectoplasm, or sex. In Packing for Mars, Roach tackles the strange science of space travel, and the psychology, technology, and politics that go into sending a crew into orbit. Roach is unfailingly inquisitive (Why is it impolite for astronauts to float upside down during conversations? Just how smelly does a spacecraft get after a two week mission?), and she eagerly seeks out the stories that don't make it onto NASA's website--from SPCA-certified space suits for chimps, to the trial-and-error approach to crafting menus during the space program's early years (when the chefs are former livestock veterinarians, taste isn't high on the priority list). Packing for Mars is a book for grownups who still secretly dream of being astronauts, and Roach lives it up on their behalf--weightless in a C-9 aircraft, she just can't resist the opportunity to go "Supermanning" around the cabin. Her zeal for discovery, combined with her love of the absurd, amazing, and stranger-than-fiction, make Packing for Mars an uproarious trip into the world of space travel. --Lynette Mong

This looks good:

Neal Thompson

Publisher's Weekly:
The 15-minute Freedom 7 flight in 1961 made astronaut Alan Shepard America's first man in space and its first hero of the space age. Later he made history by playing golf on the moon during the Apollo 14 mission. But journalist Thompson reveals another side of this all-American navy pilot with the right stuff. Although married for more than 50 years, Shepard had an eye for the prettiest girl in a room. Even longtime colleagues found him a hard man to get to know. The "Icy Commander" could be charming and helpful one minute, steely-eyed and "reaming them out" the next. Thompson traces Shepard's life from a New Hampshire childhood, when he was captivated with flying, to a lackluster career at Annapolis, where he frequently bent the rules, then his goal of becoming a jet pilot. Thompson shines a light on the very private Shepard's career between his Mercury and Apollo days, when he was earthbound by Meni¨¨re's disease, which affected his equilibrium. In retirement, Shepard amazed everyone (except probably his devoted wife, Louise) by energetically embracing philanthropic causes before succumbing to leukemia at age 74. Thompson doesn't reveal much that die-hard space junkies don't already know about Shepard's often contentious relationship with his Mercury 7 colleagues, especially John Glenn, but his is a snappily written, factual counterbalance to Tom Wolfe's sometimes poetic renderings of the heroes of the early space program. Space buffs and baby boomers who remember Shepard's gravity-escaping flight should snap it up. 16 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW.
Copyright ? Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Here are a few more title that I looked at:

Gene Kranz

James R. Hansen

Alan Shepard

Andrew Chaikin

Booklist:
*Starred Review* A historian of German rocket technology (The Rocket and the Reich, 1994), Neufeld enters the populated field of von Braun biographies with, it is safe to say, the most comprehensively researched one. Only von Braun's relatives, it seems, have denied their stories to the author, whose documentary synthesis covers the qualities that vaulted von Braun into technological leadership. Neufeld argues that von Braun's true distinction lay in organizational management. He could spot talent, motivate it with charisma, and persuade national leaders to fund his futuristic visions. That these leaders were initially those of Nazi Germany is the fulcrum of von Braun's life: Neufeld's account and assessment of von Braun's enmeshment in the Nazi system illustrates a progression arriving at party and SS membership, and involvement with forced labor. Letting readers mull the war-criminal question, Neufeld proceeds to the von Braun team's capture and transportation to the U.S. in 1945, von Braun's Christian conversion experience, and his fame in the 1950s and beyond as a space-flight proselytizer. Cautious in tone, Neufeld's judicious portrait of von Braun's outstanding qualities and his moral compromises promises to become a space-history mainstay. Taylor, Gilber

Von Hardesty

Product information:
The extraordinary saga that gripped the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War¡ªgalvanized by the Sputnik launch in 1957, and culminated by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon in 1969¡ªis chronicled in this uniquely balanced history. With a foreword written by the grandson of Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, Sergei Khrushchev, this lively and compelling account offers behind-the-scenes perspective from both sides.

Written by Smithsonian curator Von Hardesty and researcher Gene Eisman, Epic Rivalry tells the story from the American and Russian points f view and shows how each space-faring nation played a vital role in stimulating the work of the other. Scores of rare and powerful photographs recall the urgency, technical creativity, tense drama, and "parallel universes" of the two nations and their space exploration programs.

Deborah Cadbury

Booklist:
*Starred Review* Cadbury traces the development of rockets and spaceflight from German experiments before World War II to the manned moon landings, telling the story in layperson's language (though with a fine glossary appended) and in the process providing powerful biographies of the two outstanding designers, Wernher von Braun and Sergei Korolev. Korolev began as a supervisor of the efforts of German technicians captured during and after the war but later achieved outstanding results with his own designs by launching Sputnik and the first manned orbital flights. Von Braun's history included winking at the use of slave labor but also a succession of breakthroughs that led to the historic day in July 1969 when Neil Armstrong stepped out on the moon. Both Soviet and U.S. programs were plagued with failures and outright disasters that Cadbury graphically though evenhandedly describes, and Korolev literally worked himself to death. The true monument to both designers is the last two generations of manned spaceflight. Appealing to everyone from the generation who listened in high school to the early launches to high-school students today who want a keen-sighted view of the spacefaring past, this outstanding volume is likely to be one of the standards on its subject for years to come. Roland Green
Copyright ? American Library Association. All rights reserved

Thank you for the adds Bryan.

Bentley wrote: "Thank you for the adds Bryan."

I like this aspect of history. I'm not a technical kind of guy, but being an astronaut would be fun ;-)

For sure (smile); glad you liked it.

I've read both

by Jim Lovell

and

by Gene Kranz (mentioned earlier by Bryan)

They are both very interesting, although the second is a little less user-friendly for the general public. My fourth-grade son really enjoyed Lost Moon, but don't think it is a kid's book because he is extremely interested in space and had already read a 100+ page book on the Apollo program.

Oh, the Apollo book my son enjoyed so much (checked out from the library multiple times, reread and perused repeatedly after getting it for his birthday last year)

by Andrew Chaikin

I enjoyed it as well. It isn't dumbed-down for kids.

Bryan wrote: "

Booklist:
*Starred Review* A historian of German rocket technology (The Rocket and the Reich..."

Okay, another one for the to-read list. Why is it that I can add them faster than I can read them? :)

All great adds Elizabeth...the book problem is just like gaining weight - it comes on faster than it comes off (lol)

Bentley wrote: "All great adds Elizabeth...the book problem is just like gaining weight - it comes on faster than it comes off (lol)"

Oh, so apt.

I'm kind of surprised this historical fiction (fictionalized history? investigative journalism?) classic hasn't been mentioned yet. I loved both the book and the movie.

The Right Stuff

Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ blurb: From "America¡¯s nerviest journalist" (Newsweek)?a breath-taking epic, a magnificent adventure story, and an investigation into the true heroism and courage of the first Americans to conquer space. "Tom Wolfe at his very best" (The New York Times Book Review)

Movie trailer:

by Tom Wolfe

I don't think I would classify The Right Stuff as historical fiction. It does as solid a job as any book ever has of profiling the Mercury Seven and beginnings of the American space program. It's still a great book and a fabulous movie (although I feel the book is better than the movie).

Another book I've heard great things about (and have in my audio book library waiting to listen to) is Rocket Men by Craig Nelson, which details the story of Apollo XI and the first landing on the moon by Craig Nelson

Craig wrote: "I don't think I would classify The Right Stuff as historical fiction. It does as solid a job as any book ever has of profiling the Mercury Seven and beginnings of the American space program. It's..."

Let's just call it a classic!

Thanks for the recommendation on Rocket Men. I'm always looking for a good audiobook.

Robert Heinlein quote "The meek may inherit the Earth, the rest of us are going to the stars" Robert A. Heinlein

Thank you - good job.

Rocket Girl: The Story of Mary Sherman Morgan, America's First Female Rocket Scientist

by George D. Morgan (no photo)

Synopsis:
This is the extraordinary true story of America's first female rocket scientist, told by her son. It describes Mary Sherman Morgan's crucial contribution to launching America's first satellite and the author's labyrinthine journey to uncover his mother's lost legacy - a legacy buried deep under a lifetime of secrets political, technological, and personal. Blending a fascinating personal history with dramatic historical events taking place on the world stage, this compelling narrative brings long-overdue attention to a modest but brilliant woman whose work proved essential for America's early space program. In 1938, a young German rocket enthusiast named Wernher von Braun had dreams of building a rocket that could fly him to the moon. On the opposite side of the world, a young farm girl named Mary Sherman was attending high school in Ray, North Dakota. In an age when girls rarely dreamed of a career in science, Mary wanted to be a chemist. A decade later the dreams of these two disparate individuals would coalesce in ways neither could have imagined. In a vivid narrative, Morgan relates how World War II and the Cold War space race with the Russians changed the fates of both von Braun and his mother. When von Braun and other top engineers could not find a solution to the repeated failures that plagued the nascent US rocket program, North American Aviation, where Mary Sherman Morgan then worked, was given the challenge. Recognizing her talent for chemistry, company management turned the assignment over to young Mary. In the end, America succeeded in launching rockets into space, but only because of the joint efforts of the brilliant farm girl from North Dakota and the famous German scientist. While von Braun went on to become a high-profile figure in NASA's manned space flight, Mary Sherman Morgan and her contributions fell into obscurity.

I did too, Kathy. It sounds really interesting, and I love the stories of those who are not well known.

That is pretty interesting - do have some books to add to that?

Thanks Kathy

Bold They Rise: The Space Shuttle Early Years, 1972-1986

by David Hitt

Synopsis:

After the Apollo program put twelve men on the moon and safely brought them home, anything seemed possible. In this spirit, the team at NASA set about developing the Space Shuttle, arguably the most complex piece of machinery ever created. The world¡¯s first reusable spacecraft, it launched like a rocket, landed like a glider, and carried out complicated missions in between.


Bold They Rise tells the story of the Space Shuttle through the personal experiences of the astronauts, engineers, and scientists who made it happen¡ªin space and on the ground, from the days of research and design through the heroic accomplishments of the program to the tragic last minutes of the Challenger disaster. In the participants¡¯ own voices, we learn what so few are privy to: what it was like to create a new form of spacecraft, to risk one¡¯s life testing that craft, to float freely in the vacuum of space as a one-man satellite, to witness a friend¡¯s death. A ¡°guided tour¡± of the shuttle¡ªin historical, scientific, and personal terms¡ªthis book provides a fascinating, richly informed, and deeply personal view of a feat without parallel in the human story.

Wheels Stop: The Tragedies and Triumphs of the Space Shuttle Program, 1986-2011

by Rick Houston (no photo)

Synopsis:

Humanity¡¯s first reusable spacecraft and the most complex machine ever built, NASA¡¯s Space Shuttle debuted with great promise and as a dependable source of wonder and national pride. But with the Challenger catastrophe in 1986, the whole Space Shuttle program came into question, as did NASA itself, so long an institution that was seemingly above reproach. Wheels Stop tells the stirring story of how, after the Challenger disaster, the Space Shuttle not only recovered but went on to perform its greatest missions. From the Return to Flight mission of STS-26 in 1988 to the last shuttle mission ever on STS-135 in 2011, Wheels Stop takes readers behind the scenes as the shuttle¡¯s crews begin to mend Cold War tensions with the former Soviet Union, conduct vital research, deploy satellites, repair the Hubble Space Telescope, and assist in constructing the International Space Station. It also tells the heart-wrenching story of the Columbia tragedy and the loss of the magnificent STS-107 crew.

As complex as the shuttle was, the people it carried into orbit were often more so¡ªand this is their story, too. Close encounters with astronauts, flight controllers, and shuttle workers capture the human side of the Space Shuttle¡¯s amazing journey¡ªand invite readers along for the ride.

Dreams of Other Worlds: The Amazing Story of Unmanned Space Exploration

by Chris Impey

Synopsis:

Dreams of Other Worlds describes the unmanned space missions that have opened new windows on distant worlds. Spanning four decades of dramatic advances in astronomy and planetary science, this book tells the story of eleven iconic exploratory missions and how they have fundamentally transformed our scientific and cultural perspectives on the universe and our place in it.

The journey begins with the Viking and Mars Exploration Rover missions to Mars, which paint a startling picture of a planet at the cusp of habitability. It then moves into the realm of the gas giants with the Voyager probes and Cassini's ongoing exploration of the moons of Saturn. The Stardust probe's dramatic round-trip encounter with a comet is brought vividly to life, as are the SOHO and Hipparcos missions to study the Sun and Milky Way. This stunningly illustrated book also explores how our view of the universe has been brought into sharp focus by NASA's great observatories--Spitzer, Chandra, and Hubble--and how the WMAP mission has provided rare glimpses of the dawn of creation.

Dreams of Other Worlds reveals how these unmanned exploratory missions have redefined what it means to be the temporary tenants of a small planet in a vast cosmos.

The Man Who Ran the Moon: James E. Webb, NASA, and the Secret History of Project Apollo

by Piers Bizony (no photo)

Synopsis:

Journalist Bizony's excellent corrective to NASA's mythologized history takes an unflinching look at how James Webb, a North Carolina farm boy turned Washington insider, ran his end of the space race as NASA's administrator under presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Presiding over the agency during its build-up to the Apollo moon mission, Webb grew the agency into a research and development behemoth by leaning heavily on the old boy network: he called in favors, brokered backroom deals, bullied those who weren't in lockstep with his vision and commandeered vast sums of federal budget money-all the while driven, Bizony contends, by "pure-hearted ideals."

Bizony shows both the spectacular successes and failures leading up to the Apollo lunar landing and discusses success's cost in terms of dollars, human life and political ambition. The book closes with a chapter detailing the crippling blows dealt to NASA by the Nixon administration, a time period that saw the beginning of the space shuttle project. Hampered by budget restrictions, NASA engineers had to design a "dangerously imperfect piece of technology" that later resulted in two famous disasters. Bizony laments the militarizing of NASA under Reagan and the "wavering" public support for expanding the space program, but this firebrand of a book should rekindle interest.

Final Countdown: NASA and the End of the Space Shuttle Program

by Pat Duggins (no photo)

Synopsis:

The Space Shuttle was once the cornerstone of the U.S. space program. However, each new flight brings us one step closer to the retirement of the shuttle in 2010. Final Countdown is the riveting history of NASA's Space Shuttle program, its missions, and its impending demise. It also examines the plans and early development of the space agency¡¯s next major effort: the Orion Crew Exploration Capsule.

Journalist Pat Duggins, National Public Radio's resident "space expert," chronicles the planning stages of the shuttle program in the early 1970s, the thrills of the first flight in 1981, construction of the International Space Station in the 1990s, and the decision in the early 2000s to shut it down.

As a rookie reporter visiting the Kennedy Space Center hangar to view the Challenger wreckage, Duggins was in a unique position to offer a poignant eyewitness account of NASA's first shuttle disaster. In Final Countdown, he recounts the agency's struggle to rebound after the Challenger and Columbia tragedies, and explores how politics, scientific entrepreneurship, and the human drive for exploration have impacted the program in sometimes unexpected ways.

Duggins has covered eighty-six shuttle missions, and his twenty-year working relationship with NASA has given him unprecedented access to personnel. Many spoke openly and frankly with him, including veteran astronaut John Young, who discusses the travails to get the shuttle program off the ground. Young's crewmate, astronaut Bob Crippen, reveals the frustration and loss he felt when his first opportunity to go into space on the first planned space station was taken away.

As the shuttle program winds down, more astronauts may face similar disappointments. Final Countdown is a story of lost dreams, new hopes, and the ongoing conquest of space.

John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon

by John M. Logsdon (no photo)

Synopsis:

On May 25, 1961, President John Kennedy declared: ¡°I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth.¡± Over his remaining time in the White House, JFK actively involved himself in space decisions and several times reviewed his decision to go to the Moon, each time concluding that the benefits of being the leader in space outweighed the massive costs of the lunar landing enterprise. Logsdon traces the evolution of JFK's thinking and policy up until his assassination, which brought to an end his reexamination of the program's goal and schedule and his hope to collaborate, rather than compete, with the Soviet Union in going to the Moon. This study, based on extensive research in primary documents and archival interviews with key members of the Kennedy administration, is the definitive examination of John Kennedy¡¯s role in sending Americans to the Moon.

Eisenhower's Sputnik Moment: The Race for Space and World Prestige

by Yanek Mieczkowski (no photo)

Synopsis:

In a critical Cold War moment, Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency suddenly changed when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world's first satellite. What Ike called "a small ball" became a source of Russian pride and propaganda, and it wounded him politically, as critics charged that he responded sluggishly to the challenge of space exploration. Yet Eisenhower refused to panic after Sputnik¡ªand he did more than just stay calm. He helped to guide the United States into the Space Age, even though Americans have given greater credit to John F. Kennedy for that achievement.

In Eisenhower's Sputnik Moment, Yanek Mieczkowski examines the early history of America's space program, reassessing Eisenhower¡¯s leadership. He details how Eisenhower approved breakthrough satellites, supported a new civilian space agency, signed a landmark science education law, and fostered improved relations with scientists. These feats made Eisenhower¡¯s post-Sputnik years not the flop that critics alleged but a time of remarkable progress, even as he endured the setbacks of recession, medical illness, and a humiliating first U.S. attempt to launch a satellite. Eisenhower¡¯s principled stands enabled him to resist intense pressure to boost federal spending, and he instead pursued his priorities¡ªa balanced budget, prosperous economy, and sturdy national defense. Yet Sputnik also altered the world¡¯s power dynamics, sweeping Eisenhower in directions that were new, even alien, to him, and he misjudged the importance of space in the Cold War¡¯s "prestige race." By contrast, Kennedy capitalized on the issue in the 1960 election, and after taking office he urged a manned mission to the moon, leaving Eisenhower to grumble over the young president¡¯s aggressive approach.

Offering a fast-paced account of this Cold War episode, Mieczkowski demonstrates that Eisenhower built an impressive record in space and on earth, all the while offering warnings about America¡¯s stature and strengths that still hold true today.

Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries that Ignited the Space Age

by Matthew Brzezinski

Synopsis:

In Red Moon Rising, Matthew Brzezinski recounts the dramatic behind-the-scenes story of the fierce battles on earth that preceded and followed the launch of Sputnik on October 4, 1957. He takes us inside the Kremlin, the White House, secret military facilities, deep-cover safe houses, and the halls of Congress to bring to life the Russians and Americans who feared and distrusted their compatriots at least as much as their superpower rivals.

Drawing on original interviews and new documentary sources, Brzezinski tells a story rich in the paranoia of the time. The combatants include three U.S. presidents, survivors of the gulag, corporate chieftains, ambitious apparatchiks, rehabilitated Nazis, and a general who won the day by refusing to follow orders. The true story of the birth of the space age has never been told in such dramatic detail, and Red Moon Rising brings it vividly and memorably to life.

The Race: The Complete True Story of How America Beat Russia to the Moon

by James Schefter (no photo)

Synopsis:

In 1963, a young reporter for Time-Life named James Schefter was given a dream job: cover America's race to the moon. Since the astronauts were under contract to Life for their stories, Schefter was given complete access to the biggest players at NASA. But at the time, his primary role was to excite the public about the new, expensive, experimental space program, and he couldn't write about everything he saw. In The Race, he does.

From drunken astronaut escapades to near disasters to ferocious political battles, the race to the moon was anything but the smooth process it appeared. There were vicious fights between the engineers, feuds and practical jokes, near-fatal accidents, and dozens of brave, smart, and colorful characters pulling off the greatest exploration in the history of humankind. Like Undaunted Courage and D-Day, this is a tale of achieving the extraordinary against extraordinary odds. As incredible as the "official" story of the space program is, the true, behind-the-scenes tale is more thrilling, more entertaining, and ultimately more ennobling.

The First Space Race: Launching the World's First Satellites

by Matt Bille (no photo)

Synopsis:

The First Space Race reveals the inside story of an epic adventure with world-altering stakes. From 1955 to 1958, American and Soviet engineers battled to capture the world¡¯s imagination by successfully launching the world¡¯s first satellite. The race to orbit featured two American teams led by rival services¡ªthe Army and the Navy¡ªand a Soviet effort so secret that few even knew it existed. This race ushered in the Space Age with a saga of science, politics, technology, engineering, and human dreams.

Before 1955, the concept of an artificial satellite had been demonstrated only on paper. The first nation to transform theory into practice would gain advantages in science, the Cold War propaganda contest, and the military balance of power. Visionaries such as America¡¯s Wernher von Braun and Russia¡¯s Sergey Korolev knew these fields of endeavor would be affected by the launch of a satellite. Moved by patriotism, inquisitiveness, and pride, people on both sides of the Iron Curtain put forth heroic efforts to make that first satellite possible.

Some aspects of this story, like the Navy¡¯s NOTSNIK satellite project, are almost unknown. Even some details of well-known programs, such as the appearance of America¡¯s pioneering Explorer 1 satellite and the contributions made by its rival, Project Vanguard, are generally misremembered. In this book, authors Matt Bille and Erika Lishock tell the whole story of the first space race. They trace the tale from the origins of spaceflight theory and through the military and political events that engendered the all-out efforts needed to turn dreams into reality and thus shape the modern world.

A Ball, a Dog, and a Monkey: 1957 - The Space Race Begins

by Michael D'Antonio (no photo)

Synopsis:

A Ball, a Dog, and a Monkey tells the remarkable story of America's first efforts to succeed in space, a time of exploding rockets, national space mania, Florida boomtowns, and interservice rivalries so fierce that President Dwight Eisenhower had to referee them.

When the Soviet Union launched the first orbital satellite, Sputnik I, Americans panicked. The Soviets had nuclear weapons, the Cold War was underway, and now the USSR had taken the lead in the space race. Members of Congress and the press called for an all-out effort to launch a satellite into orbit. With dire warnings about national security in the news almost every day, the armed services saw space as the new military frontier. But President Eisenhower insisted that the space effort, which relied on military technology, be supervised by civilians so that the space race would be peaceful. The Navy's Vanguard program flopped, and the Army, led by ex-Nazi rocket scientist Wernher von Braun and a martinet general named J. Bruce Medaris (whom Eisenhower disliked), took over. Meanwhile, the Soviets put a dog inside the next Sputnik, and Americans grew more worried as the first animal in space whirled around the Earth.

Throughout 1958 America went space crazy. UFO sightings spiked. Boys from Brooklyn to Burbank shot model rockets into the air. Space-themed beauty pageants became a national phenomenon. The news media flocked to the launchpads on the swampy Florida coast, and reporters reinvented themselves as space correspondents. And finally the Army's rocket program succeeded. Determined not to be outdone by the Russians, America's space scientists launched the first primate into space, a small monkey they nicknamed Old Reliable for his calm demeanor. And then at Christmastime, Eisenhower authorized the launch of a secret satellite with a surprise aboard.

A Ball, a Dog, and a Monkey memorably recalls the infancy of the space race, a time when new technologies brought ominous danger but also gave us the ability to realize our dreams and reach for the stars.

Dark Side of the Moon: Wernher von Braun, the Third Reich, and the Space Race

by Wayne Biddle (no photo)

Synopsis:

A stunning investigation of the roots of the first moon landing forty years ago. This illuminating story of the dawn of the space age reaches back to the reactionary modernism of the Third Reich, using the life of "rocket scientist" Wernher von Braun as its narrative path through the crumbling of Weimar Germany and the rise of the Nazi regime. Von Braun, a blinkered opportunist who could apply only tunnel vision to his meteoric career, stands as an archetype of myriad twentieth century technologists who thrived under regimes of military secrecy and unlimited money. His seamless transformation from developer of the deadly V-2 ballistic missile for Hitler to an American celebrity as the supposed genius behind the golden years of the U.S. space program in the 1950s and 1960s raises haunting questions about the culture of the Cold War, the shared values of technology in totalitarian and democratic societies, and the imperatives of material progress.

This New Ocean: The Story of the First Space Age

by William E. Burrows (no photo)

Synopsis:

This New Ocean is based on 175 interviews with Russian and American scientists and engineers; on archival documents, including formerly top-secret National Intelligence Estimates and spy satellite pictures; and on nearly three decades of reporting. The impressive result is this fascinating story--the first comprehensive account--of the space age. Here are the strategists and war planners; engineers and scientists; politicians and industrialists; astronauts and cosmonauts; science fiction writers and journalists; and plain, ordinary, unabashed dreamers who wanted to transcend gravity's shackles for the ultimate ride. The story is written from the perspective of a witness who was present at the beginning and who has seen the conclusion of the first space age and the start of the second.

Wow! Jerome, thanks. That ought to keep us space readers busy for a while. Nice additions.

No problem, Kathy, I didn't even know we had this thread.

Wonders will never cease - even for space travel and new books (smile) - thanks Jerome and Kathy.

Encounter in Rendlesham Forest: The Inside Story of the World's Best-Documented UFO Incident

by Nick Pope

Synopsis:

Roswell was only the beginning! An in-depth look at the Rendlesham Forest UFO Incident, the world's most sensational and compelling series of UFO encounters

In 1980, a UFO was tracked on military radar in Rendlesham Forest, England. It landed near two of the most strategically important military bases in NATO, and was approached by military witnesses who touched the hull. This explosive new book tells the full story of this incident, which is set to become better-known than Roswell. Written by Nick Pope, an international bestselling author and former government UFO investigator, working closely with John Burroughs and Jim Penniston, the two officers at the heart of the encounters, this book reveals the first-hand witnesses' full stories for the first time and is supported by numerous formerly-classified documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. The inside story of these events and their aftermath will change people¡¯s perceptions about the UFO mystery and about the true role played by government, the military and the intelligence agencies.

Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight

by Jay Barbree

Synopsis:

Much has been written about Neil Armstrong, America¡¯s modern hero and history¡¯s most famous space traveler. Yet shy of fame and never one to steal the spotlight Armstrong was always reluctant to discuss his personal side of events. Here for the first time is the definitive story of Neil¡¯s life of flight he shared for five decades with a trusted friend ¨C Jay Barbree.

Working from 50 years of conversations he had with Neil, from notes, interviews, NASA spaceflight transcripts, and remembrances of those Armstrong trusted, Barbree writes about Neil¡¯s three passions ¨C flight, family, and friends. This is the inside story of Neil Armstrong from the time he flew combat missions in the Korean War and then flew a rocket plane called the X-15 to the edge of space, to when he saved his Gemini 8 by flying the first emergency return from Earth orbit and then flew Apollo-Eleven to the moon¡¯s Sea of Tranquility.

Together Neil and Jay discussed everything, from his love of flying, to the war years, and of course his time in space. The book is full of never-before-seen photos and personal details written down for the first time, including what Armstrong really felt when he took that first step on the moon, what life in NASA was like, his relationships with the other astronauts, and what he felt the future of space exploration should be.

As the only reporter to have covered all 166 American astronaut flights and moon landings Jay knows these events intimately. Neil Armstrong himself said, ¡°Barbree is history¡¯s most experienced space journalist. He is exceptionally well qualified to recall and write the events and emotions of our time.¡± Through his friendship with Neil and his dedicated research, Barbree brings us the most accurate account of his friend¡¯s life of flight, the book he planned for twenty years.

Sputnik: The Shock of the Century

by Paul Dickson

Synopsis:

On October 4, 1957, as Leave It to Beaver premiered on American television, the Soviet Union launched the space age. Sputnik, all of 184 pounds with only a radio transmitter inside its highly polished shell, became the first man-made object in space; while it immediately shocked the world, its long-term impact was even greater, for it profoundly changed the shape of the twentieth century.

In Sputnik, Paul Dickson chronicles the dramatic events and developments leading up to and emanating from Sputnik's launch. Supported by groundbreaking, original research and many recently declassified documents, Sputnik offers a fascinating profile of the early American and Soviet space programs and a strikingly revised picture of the politics and personalities behind the facade of America's fledgling efforts to get into space.

Mars Up Close: Inside the Curiosity Mission

by Fay Weldon

Synopsis:

With images never published before, many with surprising colors and landscapes that make you want to spend your next vacation on Mars, this is the one and only book written in consultation with NASA scientists that explains everything, detail by detail and moment by moment, about the most ambitious space expedition the human race has ever undertaken. Mars Up Close combines inside stories, fascinating facts, up-to-date maps, accessible science, eye-popping pictures, and visions of a future not that far away thanks to the groundbreaking success of NASA's Curiosity mission. Renowned science journalist Marc Kaufman spent two years embedded with the engineers and scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, cheering on the rover's spine-tingling landing, learning the backstory of anticipated findings, and witnessing the inescapable frustrations that come from operating a $2.5-billion multitasking robot on a planet 35 million miles from Earth. For pop science, space, and technology lovers, Mars Up Close takes you inside the mission and onto the surface of Mars. As an added special feature, this book contains embedded Augmented Reality coding: Download NASA's free app and bring the Curiosity rover and other Mars spacecraft into 3-D reality right on its pages!

Mars Rover Curiosity: An Inside Account from Curiosity's Chief Engineer

(no image) Mars Rover Curiosity: An Inside Account from Curiosity's Chief Engineer by Rob Manning (no photo)

Synopsis:

The firsthand account of the trials and tribulations of engineering one of the most complex pieces of space technology, the Mars Rover Curiosity, by its chief engineer Rob Manning

In the course of our enduring quest for knowledge about ourselves and our universe, we haven't found answers to one of our most fundamental questions: Does life exist anywhere else in the universe? Ten years and billions of dollars in the making, the Mars Rover Curiosity is poised to answer this all-important question.

In Mars Rover Curiosity: An Inside Account from Curiosity's Chief Engineer, Rob Manning, the project's chief engineer, tells of bringing the groundbreaking spacecraft to life. Manning and his team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, tasked with designing a lander many times larger and more complex than any before, faced technical setbacks, fights over inadequate resources, and the challenges of leading an army of brilliant, passionate, and often frustrated experts.

Manning's fascinating personal account--which includes information from his exclusive interviews with leading Curiosity scientists--is packed with tales of revolutionary feats of science, technology, and engineering. Readers experience firsthand the disappointment at encountering persistent technical problems, the agony of near defeat, the sense of victory at finding innovative solutions to these problems, the sheer terror of staking careers and reputations on a lander that couldn't be tested on Earth, and the rush of triumph at its successful touchdown on Mars on August 5, 2012. This is the story of persistence, dedication, and unrelenting curiosity.

The Copernicus Complex: Our Cosmic Significance in a Universe of Planets and Probabilities

by Caleb Scharf (no photo)

Synopsis:

A groundbreaking revision of the Copernican principle

Though the concept of ¡°the universe¡± suggests the containment of everything, the latest ideas in cosmology hint that our universe may be just one of a multitude of others¡ªa single slice of an infinity of parallel realities.

In The Copernicus Complex, the renowned astrophysicist and author Caleb Scharf takes us on a cosmic adventure like no other, from tiny microbes within the Earth to distant exoplanets and beyond, asserting that the age-old Copernican principle is in need of updating. As Scharf argues, when Copernicus proposed that the Earth was not the fixed point at the center of the known universe (and therefore we are not unique), he set in motion a colossal scientific juggernaut, forever changing our vision of nature. But the principle has never been entirely true¡ªwe do live at a particular time, in a particular location, under particular circumstances. To solve this conundrum we must put aside our Copernican worldview and embrace the possibility that we are in a delicate balance between mediocrity and significance, order and chaos.

Weaving together cutting-edge science and classic storytelling, historical accounts and speculations on what the future holds, The Copernicus Complex presents a compelling argument for what our true cosmic status is, and proposes a way forward for the ultimate quest: to determine life¡¯s abundance not just across this universe but across all realities.

I just finished this fascinating look at rocket engineer Wehrner Von Braun's life. If you're on the younger side, you may not know the name. But if you're a boomer who followed the space race at all, he was likely the only non-astronaut that you were familiar with. In the late 1950s and early '60s, he was the PR face of NASA while he led a group of German scientists and engineers in creating the rockets that would eventually propel the Apollo missions to the moon.

Neufeld is the Chair of the Space History division at the Smithsonian, so I'm inclined to believe he has the right sources and knows how to use them. He doesn't shy away from Von Braun's Nazi Germany background as the engineer behind the V-2 rockets that bombed England in the late years of WWII. More importantly, Neufeld points to the likelihood that Von Braun was aware of and took advantage of slave labor in concentration camps to build his rockets. The evidence is sketchy, and it's hard to say what Von Braun could have done about the situation anyway, so Neufeld stops before leveling serious accusations. He makes what facts are known available to us in as neutral a manner as possible.

I have to admit, though, that as I read this book, a clever little song kept running through my head - one that my older sister introduced me to in the mid 1960s by a Harvard math professor turned part-time satirical songwriter, Tom Lehrer. I've attached a link here.



by Michael J. Neufeld (no photo)

Thanks Dave.
Although for some reason your youtube link did not work for me.

Kathy wrote: "Thanks Dave.
Although for some reason your youtube link did not work for me."

That's odd. I tested it when I first posted it, but it must have become corrupted. I believe I've fixed it now if you want to try again.

Yes, thanks. It is fine now. Weird things happen.

An upcoming book:
Release date: December 1, 2014

Rockets and Revolution: A Cultural History of Early Spaceflight

by Michael G. Smith (no photo)

Synopsis:

Rockets and Revolutionoffers a multifaceted study of the race toward space in the first half of the twentieth century, examining how the Russian, European, and American pioneers competed against one another in the early years to acquire the fundamentals of rocket science, engineer simple rockets, and ultimately prepare the path for human spaceflight.

Between 1903 and 1953, Russia matured in radical and dramatic ways as the tensions and expectations of the Russian revolution drew it both westward and spaceward. European and American industrial capacities became the models to imitate and to surpass. The burden was always on Soviet Russia to catch up¡ªenough to achieve a number of remarkable ¡°firsts¡± in these years, from the first national rocket society to the first comprehensive surveys of spaceflight. Russia rose to the challenges of its Western rivals time and again, transcending the arenas of science and technology and adapting rocket science to popular culture, science fiction, political ideology, and military programs.

While that race seemed well on its way to achieving the goal of space travel and exploring life on other planets, during the second half of the twentieth century these scientific advances turned back on humankind with the development of the intercontinental ballistic missile and the coming of the Cold War.