Into That Silent Sea: Trailblazers of the Space Era, 1961-1965 (Outward Odyssey: A People's History of Spaceflight)

It was a time of bold new technology, historic moments, and international jousting on the final frontier. But it was also a time of human drama, of moments less public but no less dramatic in the lives of those who made the golden age of space flight happen. These are the moments and the lives that Into That Silent Sea captures, a book that tells the intimate stories of the men and women, American and Russian, who made the space race their own and gave the era its compelling character. These pages chronicle a varied and riveting cavalcade of human stories, including a look at Yuri Gagarin’s harrowing childhood in war-ravaged Russia and Alan Shepard’s firm purchase on the American dream. It also examines the controversial career of cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, and the remarkable struggle and ultimate disappointment of her American counterparts. It tries to uncover the truth behind the allegations that shadowed Gus Grissom and Scott Carpenter and then allows the reader to share the heart-stopping suspense of Alexei Leonov’s near-fatal first space walk. Through dozens of interviews and access to Russian and American official documents and family records, the authors bring to life the experiences that shaped the lives of the first astronauts and cosmonauts and forever changed their world and ours. (20060427) It was a time of bold new technology, historic moments, and international jousting on the final frontier. But it was also a time of human drama, of moments less public but no less dramatic in the lives of those who made the golden age of space flight happen. These are the moments and the lives that

Into That Silent Sea captures, a book that tells the intimate stories of the men and women, American and Russian, who made the space race their own and gave the era its compelling character.

These pages chronicle a varied and riveting cavalcade of human stories, including a look at Yuri Gagarin’s harrowing childhood in war-ravaged Russia and Alan Shepard’s firm purchase on the American dream. It also examines the controversial career of cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, and the remarkable struggle and ultimate disappointment of her American counterparts. It tries to uncover the truth behind the allegations that shadowed Gus Grissom and Scott Carpenter and then allows the reader to share the heart-stopping suspense of Alexei Leonov’s near-fatal first space walk. Through dozens of interviews and access to Russian and American official documents and family records, the authors bring to life the experiences that shaped the lives of the first astronauts and cosmonauts and forever changed their world and ours.

A History Of Early Space Flight Focuses On The Careers Of Both American Astronauts And Soviet Cosmonauts And Includes Coverage Of Other Persons Who Worked In Support Roles. First To Fly -- Lighting The Candle -- The Pursuit Of Liberty -- Flight Of The Eagle -- To Rise Above -- Heavenly Twins -- The Two Wallys -- A Change Of Attitude -- A Seagull In Flight -- Stepping Into The Void. Francis French And Colin Burgess ; With A Foreword By Paul Haney. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [385]-397). Contents......Page 10 Foreword......Page 12 Introduction......Page 26 1. First to Fly......Page 32 2. Lighting the Candle......Page 68 3. The Pursuit of Liberty......Page 107 4. Flight of the Eagle......Page 130 5. To Rise Above......Page 158 6. Heavenly Twins......Page 202 7. The Two Wallys......Page 229 8. A Change of Attitude......Page 278 9. A Seagull in Flight......Page 320 10. Stepping into the Void......Page 363 References......Page 416