How NASA Learned to Fly in Space

by Unknown

• ISBN13: 9781926592121
• ISBN10: 1926592123
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2010-04-27
• Publisher: Collectors Guide Pub

Summary

Recapturing an era when America's leading space explorers readily accepted risk and made momentous decisions on the fly, this recollection looks back on the history of NASA. Recognizing that the Apollo missions received the glory they deserved, this study claims that it was the program's predecessor, the Gemini program, that pushed the envelope and made a trip to the moon feasible. Emphasizing the vital elements of operating in space, this record highlights how the Gemini program taught the precise maneuvering, flawless rendezvous and docking efforts, and exceptional landings that were required from orbital flight to ensure success. Reliving a crucial period in astronautical history, this evocation sheds light on the monumental challenges posed by the "hard vacuum of space."

Author Biography

David M. Harland is a space historian. He is the author of Exploring the Moon: The Apollo Expeditions, The First Men on the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11, and NASA’s Moon Program: Paving the Way for Apollo 11.

Table of Contents

Author's preface	p. 7
Acknowledgements	p. 8
Space Race	p. 11
Shakedown Flight	p. 33
Stepping out	p. 49
'8 Days Or Bust'	p. 71
Rendezvous in Space	p. 91
First docking	p. 143
A Demanding Mission	p. 161
Orbital Operations	p. 191
Setting Records	p. 225
'The End'	p. 249
Apollo	p. 271
Glossary of technical terms	p. 283
Reading list	p. 285
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