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

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. __________ "Далёкий день: Пионеры ракетостроения". Увлекательное повествование о родоначальниках ракетной техники - калужском учителе Константине Циолковском, американце Роберте Годдарде, немцах Германе Оберте и Вернере фон Брауне, российском немце Фридрихе Цандере, советском конструкторе Сергее Королёве и других. 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. 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. Title Page......Page 4 Copyright Page......Page 5 Table of Contents......Page 8 List of Illustrations......Page 9 Foreword......Page 12 Preface and Acknowledgments......Page 16 Acronyms and Abbreviations......Page 22 1. Space Dreams and War Drums......Page 28 2. Tsiolkovsky and theBirth of Soviet Astronautics......Page 45 3. Robert Goddard’s Solitary Trail......Page 63 4. Hermann Oberth andEarly German Rocketry......Page 80 5. Von Braun, Dornberger,and World War II......Page 97 6. Rockets, Balloons, and the Right Stuff......Page 116 7. Korolev and the First ICBM......Page 136 8. The Military-Industrial Complex......Page 153 9. Sputniks and Muttniks......Page 171 10. The Birth of NASA......Page 190 11. Man in Space Soonest......Page 209 Epilogue: July 16, 1969......Page 234 Sources......Page 238 Index......Page 246 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.