To a Distant Day: The Rocket Pioneers (Outward Odyssey: A People's History of S) (Outward Odyssey: A People's History of Spaceflight)

From Publishers Weekly When mankind first made the leap into space in the late 1950s, one commentator compared it to life crawling out of the primordial goop onto land. In this wide-ranging study, technology historian Gainor (_Arrows to the Moon: Avro's Engineers and the Space Race_) takes readers from ancient Chinese experiments with gunpowder to Robert Goddard's epiphany in his cherry tree when he was 17 and the thrilling moment Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Much of Gainor's book will be familiar to die-hard space buffs, but he has dug out shiny nuggets with which to dazzle readers, such as that the assassin of Czar Alexander II was a rocket buff and that the countdown was first used by director Fritz Lang in his film Frau im Mond (_Woman in the Moon_). Gainor overlooks some worthwhile research, such as recent revelations that 13 women almost had a chance to join the early U.S. space program. On the whole, this is a detailed, deftly written history that should appeal to all would-be rocketeers, whether launching from fields on weekend afternoons or just dreaming of space in a comfortable chair. Photos. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review “As much a story of cultural ambition and personal destiny as of scientific progress and technological history, To a Distant Day offers a thoroughly compelling account of humankind’s determined efforts—sometimes poignant, sometimes amazing, sometimes mad—to leave Earth behind.”—_Quest _ (_Quest_ 20080315) “Let us hope for as good a companion volume taking the story to the shuttle and space-station era and the emergence of space powers other than Russia and the U.S.”—Roland Green, Booklist (Roland Green Booklist 20090801) "As someone who has been teaching a course on space exploration for many years and has visited most of NASA''s space centers, I have found plenty of new and valuable material in To a Distant Day . . . . I recommend the book to all who wish to know more about the conditions, people, and discoveries between 1890 and 1960 that led to the space age."—Pangratios Papacosta, Physics Today (Pangratios Papacosta Physics Today ) "_To a Distant Day _is not simply about scientific and technical developments. It provides insight into the social and political context of the early rocket pioneers and how progress emerged amidst competing egos, political pressures, and technical challenges. . . . Insightful, instructive, and definitely worth the read."—Greg Andres, Journal of The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (Greg Andres Journal of The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada ) "Since the dawn of time, mankind has looked skyward and longed to travel the heavens, to feel the glow of distant stars, to explore the celestial bodies of our galactic neighborhood, and to venture beyond this earthly cradle. Chris Gainor''s work, To a Distant Day , tells of the engineers, the scientists, and the explorers who realized the ancient dream and ventured from Earth."—David R. Self, Technology and Culture (David R. Self Technology and Culture ) "Chris Gainor''s new book, To a Distant Day , recreates the colorful history of how rocketry came to be."—David Reneke, davidreneke.com (David Reneke davidreneke.com ) Technology & Engineering; Science; Modern; General; Astrophysics & Space Science; Astronomy; Aeronautics & Astronautics; History; World; Rocketry; Rocketry - History; Astronautics; Astronautics - History Insightful, instructive, and definitely worth the read.Greg Andres, Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada As someone who has been teaching a course on space exploration for many years and has visited most of NASAs space centers, I have found plenty of new and valuable material in To a Distant Day . . . . I recommend the book to all who wish to know more about the conditions, people, and discoveries between 1890 and 1960 that led to the space age.Pangratios Papacosta, Physics Today Although the dream of flying is as old as the human imagination, the notion of rocketing into space may have originated with Chinese gunpowder experiments during the Middle Ages. Rockets as both weapons and entertainment are examined in this engaging history of how human beings acquired the ability to catapult themselves into space. Chris Gainors irresistible narrative introduces us to pioneers such as Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Robert Goddard, and Hermann Oberth, who pointed the way to the cosmos by generating the earliest wave of international enthusiasm for space exploration. It shows us German engineer Wernher von Braun creating the V-2, the first large rocket, which, though opening the door to space, failed utterly as the wonder weapon it was meant to be. From there Gainor follows the space race to the Soviet Union and the United States, giving us a close look at the competitive hysteria that led to Sputnik, satellites, space probes, andfinallyhuman flight into space in 1961. As much a story of cultural ambition and personal destiny as of scientific progress and technological history, To a Distant Day offers a complete and thoroughly compelling account of humanitys determined effortssometimes poignant, sometimes amazing, sometimes madto leave the earth behind.
Although the dream of flying is as old as the human imagination, the notion of actually rocketing into space may have originated with Chinese experiments with gunpowder in the Middle Ages. Rockets as weapons and entertainment, whether sprung from science fiction or arising out of practical necessity, are within the compass of this engaging history of how human beings actually gained the ability to catapult themselves into space.
 
Chris Gainor's irresistible narrative introduces us to pioneers such as Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Robert Goddard, and Hermann Oberth, who pointed the way to the cosmos and created the earliest wave of international enthusiasm for space exploration. It shows us German engineer Wernher von Braun creating the V-2 , the first large rocket, which opened the door to space but failed utterly as the “wonder weapon” it was meant to be. From there Gainor follows the space race to the Soviet Union and the United States and gives us a close look at the competitive hysteria that led to Sputnik, satellites, space probes, and—finally—human flight into space in 1961. As much a story of cultural ambition and personal destiny as of scientific progress and technological history, To a Distant Day offers a complete and thoroughly compelling account of humanity’s determined efforts—sometimes poignant, sometimes amazing, sometimes mad—to leave the earth behind.

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Offers A Comprehensive History Of Humans' Attempts To Travel Into Space From Medieval Times To The Present, Exploring How The Chinese Originally Experimented With Rockets In The Middle Ages, Who Pioneered The Earliest Rockets, Why Many Early Rocket Attempts Failed, How The American Competitive Spirit Landed The First Man On The Moon, And Other Related Topics. List Of Illustrations -- Foreword -- Preface And Acknowledgments -- Acronyms And Abbreviations -- 1. Space Dreams And War Drums -- 2. Tsiolkovsky And The Birth Of Soviet Astronautics -- 3. Robert Goddard's Solitary Trail -- 4. Hermann Oberth And Early German Rocketry -- 5. Von Braun, Dornberger, And World War Ii -- 6. Rockets, Balloons, And The Right Stuff -- 7. Korolev And The First Icbm -- 8. The Military-industrial Complex -- 9. Sputniks And Muttniks -- 10. The Birth Of Nasa -- 11. Man In Space Soonest -- Epilogue: July 16, 1969 -- Sources -- Index. Chris Gainor ; Foreword By Alfred Worden. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [211]-218) And Index. Although the dream of flying is as old as the human imagination, the notion of actually rocketing into space may have originated with Chinese experiments with gunpowder in the Middle Ages. This book offers a complete account of humanity's determined efforts - sometimes poignant, sometimes amazing, sometimes mad - to leave the earth behind.