An Anxious Peace: A Cold War Memoir (Volume 162) (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series)

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. Cover 1 Title 5 Copyright 6 Dedication 7 Contents 9 Acknowledgments 11 1. Early Years, Escape from Europe, and the End of World War II 15 2. The Beginning of the Cold War, Nuclear Weapons, and Graduate School at MIT 48 3. Edward Teller, the Nuclear Weapons Laboratory at Livermore, and Cold War Crises 88 4. The University of California, the Middle Eastern Wars, and the War in Vietnam 134 5. 1967 and 1968: Years of Changes, Setbacks, and Decisions 155 6. The NASA–Ames Research Center and the Cold War 178 7. Nelson Rockefeller, the End of the War in Vietnam, and the Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons 251 8. The National Reconnaissance Office and the US Air Force 293 9. Long-Range Bombers, Missiles, and a Space Command for the Air Force 338 10. Other Duties as Assigned and the Election of Ronald Reagan 387 11. The Interregnum and the Return to NASA 430 12. The Space Shuttle, Air Force Bombers, and a Long-Range Plan for NASA 448 13. Spacelab, Columbia, and Fundamental Changes in Cold War Policy 493 14. Defense against Ballistic Missiles and Two Important Firsts in Spaceflight 522 15. The Space Station, the President, and Leaving Washington 565 16. The Loss of Challenger, Crucial Summit Meetings, and Defense-Related Research at the University of Texas 597 17. The Reunification of Germany and the Collapse of the Soviet Union 631 18. Encore in Washington 641 Index 657 Hans 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.