The Greatest Adventure: A History of Human Space Exploration

Description

The space race was perhaps the greatest technological contest of the 20th century. It was a thrilling era of innovation, discovery and exploration, as astronauts and cosmonauts were launched on space missions of increasing length, complexity and danger. The Greatest Adventure traces the events of this extraordinary period, describing the initial string of Soviet achievements: the first satellite in orbit; the first animal, man and woman in space; the first spacewalk; as well as the ultimate US victory in the race to land on the moon. The book then takes the reader on a journey through the following decades of space exploration to the present time, detailing the many successes, tragedies, risks and rewards of space exploration. Cover Title Page Copyright Page Contents Prologue 1. The Reality of Tomorrow 2. First Into Outer Space 3. Into Orbit 4. Stepping Into the Void 5. Tragedy on the Launch Pad 6. Eyes on the Moon 7. One Giant Leap 8. Soviet Setback and Skylab 9. Recovering the Soyuz / Salyut Missions 10. Space Shuttles and the ISS 11. Expanding the Space Frontier Epilogue: Our Future in Space References Select Bibliography Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index