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
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.
Table of Contents
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.