Product Description

In vivid and stunning detail this book captures every aspect of the astonishing developments that have taken place in space exploration over the last six decades. From the invention of rocket power and the launch of the first Earth-orbiting satellite, Sputnik, it traces the development of space exploration with a collection of remarkable images. Among the events captured are the momentous flight of Yuri Gagarin, the first human to orbit the Earth in Vostok 1 in April, 1961; the early Mercury spaceflights, which saw the Americans achieve their goals of putting astronauts into orbit; the flight of Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space; the first spacewalks; the Gemini missions, and the Apollo 11 mission when Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Moon. The book goes on to cover the development of space stations in the 1970s which culminated in a new era of collaboration with the link up of Apollo and Soyuz; the missions of the US Space Shuttle and the Russian Mir Space Station. There are also many images from unpiloted missions and craft including the incredible images brought to us by the Hubble Space Telescope. With more than 300 images this is a remarkable book about a pivotal, and hugely exciting period in history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #778037 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Review
A book that captures every aspect of the astonishing developments that have taken place in space exploration over the last six decades. From the invention of rocket power and the launch of the first Earth-orbiting satellite, Sputnik, it traces the development of space exploration with a collection of remarkable images. Among the events captured as the momentous flight of Yuri Gagarin, the first human to orbit the Earth in Vostok 1 in April, 1961, the early Mercury spaceflights, which saw the Americans achieve their goals of putting astronauts into orbit; the flight of Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space; the first spacewalks; the Gemini missions, and the Apollo 11 mission when Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon. The book goes on to cover the development of space stations in the 1970s which culminated in a new era of collaboration with the link up of Apollo and Soyuz; the missions of the US space shuttle and the Russian Mir Space Station. there are also many images from unpiloted missions and craft including the incredible images brought to the world by the Hubble Space Telescope.

About the Author
Andrew Chaikin is one of the world's foremost space historians. He is the author of the best-selling A Man on the Moon, which was made into a multi-award winning television series From the Earth to the Moon, produced by Tom Hanks. He is Executive Editor of Space.com and is also the author of Air and Space, The National Air and Space Museum Story of Flight, produced by the Smithsonian Museum.

Customer Reviews

Space: The Finest Book of the Frontier
I truely feel that this book is fantastic. It covers the history of space exploration from the earliest rocket tests and theories to up to date missions - and what's more it is all done in photographs. A fine photographic account of the men involved, the sacrifices made and all the many achievements done in space by mankind.

Andrew Chaikin has done it again and in great style. This is an exceptional book and is ideal as an accompaniment to 'Full Moon' by Michael Light. Andrew is one of the greatest historians of space exploration around today.

With a great and incisive foreward by the legend that is Captain James Lovell (Project Gemini and Apollo 8 + 13 astronaunt), this book is a must for anyone interested in the exploration of space and for anyone who wants to learn more about it.

Dominated by great pictures. Succint but authoritative text.
This book has a good pedigree: author Andrew Chaikin previously wrote the highly-regarded 'A Man on The Moon', widely held to be the best review of the Apollo missions. The format of this softback is large - 11 inches square - on glossy paper and packed with mainly colour photographs. Indeed, with such a wide subject and more photos than text, there isn't an awful lot of reading here. However, Chaikin is a genuine expert and his descriptions of early test flights, the race to the moon, the planetary probes and latterly the Shuttle programme are succinct, accurate and written in a style which will appeal widely.

Each of those topics benefits from a selection of some of the best solar system exploration photos available and these occupy the majority of the book. In one sense, the book might better be titled 'Near Space' as its emphasis is on our solar system and missions which have explored it; only a brief section about Hubble looks beyond. However, this reliable and good quality publication educates and entertains.