Tag Archives: Soviet Union

Wednesday’s Book Review: “US Presidents and the Militarization of Space, 1946—1967″


US Presidents and the Militarization of Space, 1946—1967. By Sean Kalic. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2012. I was quite pleased when Sean Kalic’s book, US Presidents and the Militarization of Space, 1946—1967, appeared in the Centennial of Flight … Continue reading

Posted in History, Space | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Wednesday’s Book Review: “Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries that Ignited the Space Age”


Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries that Ignited the Space Age. By Matthew Brzezinski. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2007. The fiftieth anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, sparked the publication of … Continue reading

Posted in Cold War Competition, Earth Science, History, Politics, Science, Space | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Chronology of Space Anniversaries for 2013


Many people have asked what anniversaries are upcoming in 2013 in space history. Here is a quick list. Are there items that I should add to this accounting? 1923—90 years ago December: Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen (The Rocket into … Continue reading

Posted in Apollo, Cold War Competition, History, International Space Station, Lunar Exploration, Personal, Politics, Science, Space, Space Shuttle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

New Study Available: “Toward a History of the Space Shuttle: An Annotated Bibliography Part 2, 1992–2011″


Twenty years ago I compiled with Aaron Gillette an annotated bibliography of the Space Shuttle program entitled Toward a History of the Space Shuttle. We intended it as a starting point for serious historical investigation into the program’s history. At … Continue reading

Posted in History, Politics, Science, Space, Space Shuttle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

NASA’s Space Shuttle and the Department of Defense


During the 1970s, the Space Shuttle became the “sine qua non” of NASA, intended as it was to make spaceflight routine, safe, and relatively inexpensive. Although NASA wanted the shuttle for its purposes, the Department of Defense (DOD) agreed to … Continue reading

Posted in aeronautics, aviation, History, Politics, Science, Space, Space Shuttle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Announcing a New Book: “Coming Home: Reentry and Recovery from Space”


Dennis R. Jenkins and I have just published a new book,  Coming Home: Reentry and Recovery from Space, issued as NASA Special Publication-2011-593. It’s available now, free as a downloadable a PDF here. One of the most difficult tasks with which … Continue reading

Posted in aeronautics, Apollo, Cold War Competition, History, International Space Station, Space, Space Shuttle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wednesday’s Book Review: “America’s Space Sentinels: DSP Satellites and National Security”


America’s Space Sentinels: DSP Satellites and National Security. By Jeffrey T. Richelson. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1999. ISBN 0-7006-0942-3. Figures. Tables. Notes. Bibliographic Essay. Index. Pp. xix, 329. $35.00. Although now more thana decade old, this book is still … Continue reading

Posted in Applications Satellites, Cold War Competition, History, Politics, Space | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Announcement of Space Policy and History Forum #4


Falling Back to Earth: A First Hand Account of the Great Space Race and the End of the Cold War Space Policy and History Forum #4 Presented by Dr. Mark Albrecht, Board of Trustees, USSpace LLC Abstract: Mark Albrecht will … Continue reading

Posted in History, Politics, Science, Space | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Wednesday’s Book Review: “Soviet Robots in the Solar System: Mission Technologies and Discoveries”


Soviet Robots in the Solar System: Mission Technologies and Discoveries. By Wesley T. Huntress Jr. and Mikhail Ya. Marov. Chichester, UK: Springer Praxis, 2011. Paperback, 467 pp., illustrations, ISBN 978-1-4419-7897-4. $44.95. It seems hard to believe now, but once there … Continue reading

Posted in History, Lunar Exploration, Politics, Science, Space | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Would Apollo Have Been Successful had Kennedy Served Two Terms as President?


The assassination of John F. Kennedy looms large in the history of the United States during the middle part of the twentieth century, no doubt, but what role did it play in the unfolding of the history of spaceflight? If … Continue reading

Posted in Apollo, Cold War Competition, History, Personal, Politics, Science, Space | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments