24 cm, 398, illus., notes, bibliography, index, usual library markings, DJ in plastic sleeve.

24 cm, 398, illus., notes, bibliography, index, usual library markings, DJ in plastic sleeve.

24 cm. x, 398, [4] pages. Illustrations. Notes. Bibliography. Index. DJ has

24 cm. x, 398, [4] pages. Illustrations. Notes. Bibliography. Index. DJ has some wear, soiling, and small tears and chips. T. A. Heppenheimer's acclaimed chronicle of rockets, politics, and the pioneers who dared to reach beyond humanity's limits. "The most comprehensive, up-to-date, and best written history of space flight there is."-The Times "A lively account of the development of space activities in the U.S. and the Soviet Union...as good a one-volume overview of space as exists."-Scientific American. "Countdown is by far the best history of space flight I have ever read. It is detailed, lucidly written for the layman, and full of fascinating stories. -Adrian Berry, Daily Telegraph. "Science writer Heppenheimer's readable account provides a timely historical overview of the early visionaries, the engineers, and the geopolitical forces that placed men on the moon and created today's aerospace industry....A thoughtful analysis that is highly recommended. -Library Journal. "By far the most significant and technically insightful account of the ventures into the space environment I have seen....Heppenheimer] concentrates unerringly on key elements, both technical and managerial, in this account of man's initial space ventures."-Lee Atwood, Former president and chairman, North American Aviation Corporation. "Like a skilled artisan, Heppenheimer weaves social, political, scientific, technological, military, and economic threads of the history of space flight into a tapestry that reveals fascinating patterns and themes."-Publishers Weekly. Thomas A. Heppenheimer (born Jan. 1, 1947; died Sept. 9, 2015, age 68) was a major space advocate and researcher in planetary science, aerospace engineering, and celestial mechanics. His books are on the recommended reading list of the National Space Society. Thomas A. Heppenheimer held a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan, and was an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He held research fellowships in planetary science at California Institute of Technology and at the Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg, Germany. He had been a free-lance writer since 1978. He has written extensively on aerospace, business and government, and the history of technology. He was a frequent contributor to American Heritage and its affiliated publications, and to Air & Space. He had also written for the National Academy of Sciences, and contributed regularly to Mosaic of the National Science Foundation. He has written some 300 published articles for more than two dozen publications. He also has written twelve hardcover books. Three of them-Colonies in Space (1977), Toward Distant Suns (1979), and The Man-Made Sun (1984)-have been alternate selections of the Book-of-the-Month Club. His Turbulent Skies (1995), a history of commercial aviation, is part of the Technology Book Series of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. It also has been produced as a four-part, four-hour Public Broadcasting System television series, "Chasing the Sun." Under contract to NASA, Heppenheimer has written that agency's authorized history of the space shuttle. NASA SP-4221, The Space Shuttle Decision: NASA's Search for a Reusable Space Vehicle (1999), explains the Shuttle's origins and early development. In addition to internal NASA discussions, this work details the debates in the late 1960s and early 1970s among policymakers in Congress, the Air Force, and the Office of Management and Budget over the roles and technical designs of the Shuttle. Examining the interplay of these organizations with sometimes conflicting goals, the author not only explains how this space launch vehicle came into being, but also how politics can interact with science, technology, national security, and economics in national government.