Mercury Rising John Glenn John Kennedy And The New Battleground Of The Cold War

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Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War

Author : Jeff Shesol
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 1324003251
Total Pages : 416 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (24 download)

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Book Synopsis Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War by : Jeff Shesol

Download or read book Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War written by Jeff Shesol and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2021-06-01 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A riveting history of the epic orbital flight that put America back into the space race. If the United States couldn’t catch up to the Soviets in space, how could it compete with them on Earth? That was the question facing John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cold War—a perilous time when the Soviet Union built the wall in Berlin, tested nuclear bombs more destructive than any in history, and beat the United States to every major milestone in space. The race to the heavens seemed a race for survival—and America was losing. On February 20, 1962, when John Glenn blasted into orbit aboard Friendship 7, his mission was not only to circle the planet; it was to calm the fears of the free world and renew America’s sense of self-belief. Mercury Rising re-creates the tension and excitement of a flight that shifted the momentum of the space race and put the United States on the path to the moon. Drawing on new archival sources, personal interviews, and previously unpublished notes by Glenn himself, Mercury Rising reveals how the astronaut’s heroics lifted the nation’s hopes in what Kennedy called the "hour of maximum danger."

Mercury Rising

Author : Jeff Shesol
Publisher : National Geographic Books
ISBN 13 : 1324003243
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (24 download)

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Book Synopsis Mercury Rising by : Jeff Shesol

Download or read book Mercury Rising written by Jeff Shesol and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2021-06-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A riveting history of the epic orbital flight that put America back into the space race. If the United States couldn’t catch up to the Soviets in space, how could it compete with them on Earth? That was the question facing John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cold War—a perilous time when the Soviet Union built the wall in Berlin, tested nuclear bombs more destructive than any in history, and beat the United States to every major milestone in space. The race to the heavens seemed a race for survival—and America was losing. On February 20, 1962, when John Glenn blasted into orbit aboard Friendship 7, his mission was not only to circle the planet; it was to calm the fears of the free world and renew America’s sense of self-belief. Mercury Rising re-creates the tension and excitement of a flight that shifted the momentum of the space race and put the United States on the path to the moon. Drawing on new archival sources, personal interviews, and previously unpublished notes by Glenn himself, Mercury Rising reveals how the astronaut’s heroics lifted the nation’s hopes in what Kennedy called the "hour of maximum danger."

Mutual Contempt: Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the Feud that Defined a Decade

Author : Jeff Shesol
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 0393345971
Total Pages : 624 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (933 download)

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Book Synopsis Mutual Contempt: Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the Feud that Defined a Decade by : Jeff Shesol

Download or read book Mutual Contempt: Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the Feud that Defined a Decade written by Jeff Shesol and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 1998-10-17 with total page 624 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Mutual Contempt is at once a fascinating study in character and an illuminating meditation on the role character can play in shaping history."—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times Lyndon Johnson and Robert Kennedy loathed each other. Their antagonism, propelled by clashing personalities, contrasting views, and a deep, abiding animosity, would drive them to a bitterness so deep that even civil conversation was often impossible. Played out against the backdrop of the turbulent 1960s, theirs was a monumental political battle that would shape federal policy, fracture the Democratic party, and have a lasting effect on the politics of our times. Drawing on previously unexamined recordings and documents, as well as memoirs, biographies, and scores of personal interviews, Jeff Shesol weaves the threads of this epic story into a compelling narrative that reflects the impact of LBJ and RFK's tumultuous relationship on politics, civil rights, the war on poverty, and the war in Vietnam. As Publishers Weekly noted, "This is indispensable reading for both experts on the period and newcomers to the history of that decade." "An exhaustive and fascinating history. . . . Shesol's grasp of the era's history is sure, his tale often entertaining, and his research awesome."—Russell Baker, New York Review of Books "Thorough, provocative. . . . The story assumes the dimensions of a great drama played out on a stage too vast to comprehend."—Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post (1997 Critic's Choice) "This is the most gripping political book of recent years."—Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon

Author : J. Logsdon
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 0230116310
Total Pages : 535 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (31 download)

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Book Synopsis John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon by : J. Logsdon

Download or read book John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon written by J. Logsdon and published by Springer. This book was released on 2011-02-10 with total page 535 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While there are many biographies of JFK and accounts of the early years of US space efforts, this book uses primary source material and interviews with key participants to provide a comprehensive account of how the actions taken by JFK's administration have shaped the course of the US space program over the last 45 years.

Apollo 1

Author : Ryan S. Walters
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1684510945
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (845 download)

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Book Synopsis Apollo 1 by : Ryan S. Walters

Download or read book Apollo 1 written by Ryan S. Walters and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-05-25 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On January 27, 1967, astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee climbed into a new spacecraft perched atop a large Saturn rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a routine dress rehearsal of their upcoming launch into orbit, then less than a month away. All three astronauts were experienced pilots and had dreams of one day walking on the moon. But little did they know, nor did anyone else, that once they entered the spacecraft that cold winter day they would never leave it alive. The Apollo program would be perilously close to failure before it ever got off the ground. But rather than dooming the space program, this tragedy caused the spacecraft to be completely overhauled, creating a stellar flying machine to achieve the program’s primary goal: putting man on the moon. Apollo 1 is a candid portrayal of the astronauts, the disaster that killed them, and its aftermath. In it, readers will learn: How the Apollo 1 spacecraft was doomed from the start, with miles of uninsulated wiring and tons of flammable materials in a pure oxygen atmosphere, along with a hatch that wouldn’t open How, due to political pressure, the government contract to build the Apollo 1 craft went to a bidder with an inferior plan How public opinion polls were beginning to turn against the space program before the tragedy and got much worse after Apollo 1 is about America fulfilling its destiny of man setting foot on the moon. It’s also about the three American heroes who lost their lives in the tragedy, but whose lives were not lost in vain.

Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court

Author : Jeff Shesol
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 9780393079418
Total Pages : 512 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (794 download)

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Book Synopsis Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court by : Jeff Shesol

Download or read book Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court written by Jeff Shesol and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2011-03-14 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A stunning work of history."—Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of No Ordinary Time and Team of Rivals Beginning in 1935, the Supreme Court's conservative majority left much of FDR's agenda in ruins. The pillars of the New Deal fell in short succession. It was not just the New Deal but democracy itself that stood on trial. In February 1937, Roosevelt struck back with an audacious plan to expand the Court to fifteen justices—and to "pack" the new seats with liberals who shared his belief in a "living" Constitution.

Burning Down the House

Author : Julian E. Zelizer
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0698402758
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (984 download)

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Book Synopsis Burning Down the House by : Julian E. Zelizer

Download or read book Burning Down the House written by Julian E. Zelizer and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-07-07 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times Notable Book! A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice The story of how Newt Gingrich and his allies tainted American politics, launching an enduring era of brutal partisan warfare When Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, President Obama observed that Trump “is not an outlier; he is a culmination, a logical conclusion of the rhetoric and tactics of the Republican Party.” In Burning Down the House, historian Julian Zelizer pinpoints the moment when our country was set on a path toward an era of bitterly partisan and ruthless politics, an era that was ignited by Newt Gingrich and his allies. In 1989, Gingrich brought down Democratic Speaker of the House Jim Wright and catapulted himself into the national spotlight. Perhaps more than any other politician, Gingrich introduced the rhetoric and tactics that have shaped Congress and the Republican Party for the last three decades. Elected to Congress in 1978, Gingrich quickly became one of the most powerful figures in America not through innovative ideas or charisma, but through a calculated campaign of attacks against political opponents, casting himself as a savior in a fight of good versus evil. Taking office in the post-Watergate era, he weaponized the good government reforms newly introduced to fight corruption, wielding the rules in ways that shocked the legislators who had created them. His crusade against Democrats culminated in the plot to destroy the political career of Speaker Wright. While some of Gingrich’s fellow Republicans were disturbed by the viciousness of his attacks, party leaders enjoyed his successes so much that they did little collectively to stand in his way. Democrats, for their part, were alarmed, but did not want to sink to his level and took no effective actions to stop him. It didn’t seem to matter that Gingrich’s moral conservatism was hypocritical or that his methods were brazen, his accusations of corruption permanently tarnished his opponents. This brand of warfare worked, not as a strategy for governance but as a path to power, and what Gingrich planted, his fellow Republicans reaped. He led them to their first majority in Congress in decades, and his legacy extends far beyond his tenure in office. From the Contract with America to the rise of the Tea Party and the Trump presidential campaign, his fingerprints can be seen throughout some of the most divisive episodes in contemporary American politics. Burning Down the House presents the alarming narrative of how Gingrich and his allies created a new normal in Washington.

Tension City

Author : Jim Lehrer
Publisher : Random House Incorporated
ISBN 13 : 1400069173
Total Pages : 225 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Tension City by : Jim Lehrer

Download or read book Tension City written by Jim Lehrer and published by Random House Incorporated. This book was released on 2011 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The executive editor and anchor of PBS's NewsHour presents a lively analysis of political debates from the last two decades through the preparations, executions and mistakes of recent moderators and participants, offering insight into specific high-profile events and decisions.

The Price of Politics

Author : Bob Woodward
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1471133877
Total Pages : 448 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (711 download)

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Book Synopsis The Price of Politics by : Bob Woodward

Download or read book The Price of Politics written by Bob Woodward and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-09-24 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on 18 months of reporting, Woodward's 17th book is an intimate, documented examination of how President Obama and the highest profile Republican and Democratic leaders in the United States Congress attempted to restore the American economy and improve the federal government's fiscal condition over three and one half years. Drawn from memos, contemporaneous meeting notes, emails and in-depth interviews with the central players, THE PRICE OF POLITICS addresses the key issue of the presidential and congressional campaigns: the condition of the American economy and how and why we got there. Providing verbatim, day-by-day, even hour-by-hour accounts, the book shows what really happened, what drove the debates, negotiations and struggles that define, and will continue to define, the American future.

A Spy in the Archives

Author : Sheila Fitzpatrick
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0857723421
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (577 download)

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Book Synopsis A Spy in the Archives by : Sheila Fitzpatrick

Download or read book A Spy in the Archives written by Sheila Fitzpatrick and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-11-06 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moscow in the 1960s was the other side of the Iron Curtain: mysterious, exotic, even dangerous. In 1966 the historian Sheila Fitzpatrick travelled to Moscow to research in the Soviet archives. This was the era of Brezhnev, of a possible 'thaw' in the Cold War, when the Soviets couldn't decide either to thaw out properly or re-freeze. Moscow, the world capital of socialism, was renowned for its drabness. The buses were overcrowded; there were endemic shortages and endless queues. This was also the age of regular spying scandals and tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions and it was no surprise that visiting students were subject to intense scrutiny by the KGB. Many of Fitzpatrick's friends were involved in espionage activities - and indeed others were accused of being spies or kept under close surveillance. In this book, Sheila Fitzpatrick provides a unique insight into everyday life in Soviet Moscow.

Campaign of the Century

Author : Irwin F. Gellman
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300218265
Total Pages : 504 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (2 download)

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Book Synopsis Campaign of the Century by : Irwin F. Gellman

Download or read book Campaign of the Century written by Irwin F. Gellman and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2022-01-04 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This revelatory account of the 1960 presidential election between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon shatters long-held myths about one of the twentieth century's most important political events. Drawing on a wide variety of archival sources, such as FBI surveillance of Kennedy, Nixon's correspondence with Billy Graham, and the papers of Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, and many others, Irwin F. Gellman provides the first balanced history of both the general election and the jockeying within the parties that preceded it"--

Operation Moonglow

Author : Teasel E. Muir-Harmony
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781541619258
Total Pages : 367 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (192 download)

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Book Synopsis Operation Moonglow by : Teasel E. Muir-Harmony

Download or read book Operation Moonglow written by Teasel E. Muir-Harmony and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "On July 20th, 1969, over half of the world's population tuned in to witness the first lunar landing, waiting with bated breath as Neil Armstrong ventured outside the cabin door of Apollo 11 and declared "that's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." As the most expensive civilian scientific and technological program in American history, Project Apollo symbolized the unmatched prestige of American space exploration. Yet despite appearances, the project was never just about winning the Space Race, advancing scientific progress, or even conquering the final frontier. Instead, the ambitions of Project Apollo would ultimately reveal that the American government was more interested in establishing its superiority much closer to home. In Operation Moonglow, Smithsonian curator Teasel Muir-Harmony explores how and why the moon landing became one of the most decisive geopolitical events of the 20th century. In the wake of the Soviet Union's pioneering launch of Sputnik in 1957 and a humiliating defeat at the Bay of Pigs four years later, President John F. Kennedy approached a budget-wary Congress with Project Apollo, an unconventional proposal that had the potential to restore America's tarnished geopolitical standing. With Cold War tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States approaching an all-time high, Kennedy argued that ramping up the space program would inspire global confidence in American excellence -- and might even persuade people in developing countries to pick American "freedom" over Soviet "tyranny." Following the successful return of Apollo 11, its illustrious crew embarked on a diplomatic tour around the world, celebrating the mission as an accomplishment for all of humanity. Meanwhile, the accompanying American officials used the trip as an opportunity to conduct secret meetings with influential heads of state, leveraging the space program's global popularity to advance American values and interests. More than just a history of spaceships, astronauts, and moon rocks, Operation Moonglow is a history of geopolitical maneuvering, of propaganda and public diplomacy, and -- above all -- of the intricate relationship between scientific innovation and national identity. Featuring first-hand accounts by Apollo astronauts, original interviews with USIA and NASA staff, and never-before-seen archival materials, Operation Moonglow is the definitive account of the Apollo mission -- and a fascinating look at how the Space Race shaped the contours of globalization and global interdependence"--

Speeches that Changed the World

Author : Simon Sebag Montefiore
Publisher : Quercus
ISBN 13 : 1623650992
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (236 download)

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Book Synopsis Speeches that Changed the World by : Simon Sebag Montefiore

Download or read book Speeches that Changed the World written by Simon Sebag Montefiore and published by Quercus. This book was released on 2015-05-12 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comprehensively updated with many new speeches including Earl Spencer's lament to "The extraordinary and irreplaceable Diana", Nikita Khrushchev's secret speech of 1956 signalling the beginning of the end of Stalinist Russia, Patrick Pearse's rousing funeral oration that fanned the flames of the Easter Rising, Kevin Rudd's historic apology to Australia's mistreated Aborigines and Barack Obama's momentous US election night victory speech. Alongside these are the finest war cries of Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King's prophetic "I have a dream" and "I've seen the promised land" speeches, the inspiring words of JFK and impassioned pleas from Nelson Mandela-the first at his trial in 1964 and the second on his election as president of South Africa in 1994. In addition are historic speeches from Elizabeth I, Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, Abraham Lincoln, Emmeline Pankhurst, Mahatma Gandhi, Vladimir Lenin, Neville Chamberlain, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Charles de Gaulle, General George S. Patton, J Robert Oppenheimer, Mao Zedong, Malcolm X, Richard M. Nixon, Pope John Paul II, Vaclav Havel, Elie Wiesel, Mikhail Gorbachev and many other great historical figures. Speeches that Changed the World presents over 50 momentous and thought-provoking speeches from throughout history. Complete with a potted biography of each speaker, and telling the story of why each oration was significant and what happened as a result, this is a gripping history of the world told through its greatest and most impassioned speeches.

Space Habitats and Habitability

Author : Sandra Häuplik-Meusburger
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030697401
Total Pages : 266 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (36 download)

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Book Synopsis Space Habitats and Habitability by : Sandra Häuplik-Meusburger

Download or read book Space Habitats and Habitability written by Sandra Häuplik-Meusburger and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-05-31 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores creative solutions to the unique challenges inherent in crafting livable spaces in extra-terrestrial environments. The goal is to foster a constructive dialogue between the researchers and planners of future (space) habitats. The authors explore the diverse concepts of the term Habitability from the perspectives of the inhabitants as well as the planners and social sciences. The book provides an overview of the evolution and advancements of designed living spaces for manned space craft, as well as analogue research and simulation facilities in extreme environments on Earth. It highlights how various current and future concepts of Habitability have been translated into design and which ones are still missing. The main emphasis of this book is to identify the important factors that will provide for well-being in our future space environments and promote creative solutions to achieving living spaces where humans can thrive. Selected aspects are discussed from a socio-spatial professional background and possible applications are illustrated. Human factors and habitability design are important topics for all working and living spaces. For space exploration, they are vital. While human factors and certain habitability issues have been integrated into the design process of manned spacecraft, there is a crucial need to move from mere survivability to factors that support thriving. As of today, the risk of an incompatible vehicle or habitat design has already been identified by NASA as recognized key risk to human health and performance in space. Habitability and human factors will become even more important determinants for the design of future long-term and commercial space facilities as larger and more diverse groups occupy off-earth habitats. The book will not only benefit individuals and organizations responsible for manned space missions and mission simulators, but also provides relevant information to designers of terrestrial austere environments (e.g., remote operational and research facilities, hospitals, prisons, manufacturing). In addition it presents general insights on the socio-spatial relationship which is of interest to researchers of social sciences, engineers and architects.

Seize the High Ground

Author : James A. Walker
Publisher : Government Printing Office
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 380 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (31 download)

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Book Synopsis Seize the High Ground by : James A. Walker

Download or read book Seize the High Ground written by James A. Walker and published by Government Printing Office. This book was released on 2003 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "[Seize the high ground is a] narrative history of the Army's aerospace experience from the 1950s to the present. The focus is on ballistic missile defense, from the early NIKE-HERCULES missile program through the SAFEGUARD acquisition site allowed by the 1972 ABM Treaty to the more advanced 'Star Wars' concepts studies toward the end of the century. [What is] covered is not only the technological response to the threat but the organizational and tactical development of the commands and units responsible for the defense mission"--CMH website.

The Last American Hero

Author : Alice L. George
Publisher : Chicago Review Press
ISBN 13 : 9781641605960
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (59 download)

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Book Synopsis The Last American Hero by : Alice L. George

Download or read book The Last American Hero written by Alice L. George and published by Chicago Review Press. This book was released on 2022-07-05 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On February 20, 1962, John Glenn became a national star. That morning at Cape Canaveral, a small-town boy from Ohio took his place atop a rocket and soared into orbit to score a victory in the heavily contested Cold War. The television images were blurry black-and-white phantoms. The cameras shook as the rocket moved, but by the end of the day, one thing was clear: a new hero rode that rocket and became the center of the world's attention for the four hours and fifty-five minutes of his flight. From that day forward, Glenn restively wore the hero label. Refusing to let that dramatic day define his life, he went on to become a four-term US senator--and returned to space at the age of seventy-seven. He was a creation of the media, in some ways, but he was also a product of the Cold War. At a time when increasingly cynical Americans need heroes, his aura burns brightly in American memory.

Across the Airless Wilds

Author : Earl Swift
Publisher : HarperCollins
ISBN 13 : 0062986554
Total Pages : 466 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (629 download)

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Book Synopsis Across the Airless Wilds by : Earl Swift

Download or read book Across the Airless Wilds written by Earl Swift and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-07-06 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "THRILLING. ... Up-end[s] the Apollo narrative entirely." —The Times (London) A "brilliantly observed" (Newsweek) and "endlessly fascinating" (WSJ) rediscovery of the final Apollo moon landings, revealing why these extraordinary yet overshadowed missions—distinguished by the use of the revolutionary lunar roving vehicle—deserve to be celebrated as the pinnacle of human adventure and exploration. One of The Wall Street Journal's 10 Best Books of the Month 8:36 P.M. EST, December 12, 1972: Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt braked to a stop alongside Nansen Crater, keenly aware that they were far, far from home. They had flown nearly a quarter-million miles to the man in the moon’s left eye, landed at its edge, and then driven five miles in to this desolate, boulder-strewn landscape. As they gathered samples, they strode at the outermost edge of mankind’s travels. This place, this moment, marked the extreme of exploration for a species born to wander. A few feet away sat the machine that made the achievement possible: an electric go-cart that folded like a business letter, weighed less than eighty pounds in the moon’s reduced gravity, and muscled its way up mountains, around craters, and over undulating plains on America’s last three ventures to the lunar surface. In the decades since, the exploits of the astronauts on those final expeditions have dimmed in the shadow cast by the first moon landing. But Apollo 11 was but a prelude to what came later: while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin trod a sliver of flat lunar desert smaller than a football field, Apollos 15, 16, and 17 each commanded a mountainous area the size of Manhattan. All told, their crews traveled fifty-six miles, and brought deep science and a far more swashbuckling style of exploration to the moon. And they triumphed for one very American reason: they drove. In this fast-moving history of the rover and the adventures it ignited, Earl Swift puts the reader alongside the men who dreamed of driving on the moon and designed and built the vehicle, troubleshot its flaws, and drove it on the moon’s surface. Finally shining a deserved spotlight on these overlooked characters and the missions they created, Across the Airless Wilds is a celebration of human genius, perseverance, and daring.