Ronald Reagan and the Space Frontier

Description

When Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980, limits on NASA funding and the lack of direction under the Nixon and Carter administrations had left the U.S. space program at a crossroads. In contrast to his predecessors, Reagan saw outer space as humanity’s final frontier and as an opportunity for global leadership. His optimism and belief in American exceptionalism guided a decade of U.S. activities in space, including bringing the space shuttle into operation, dealing with the 1986 Challenger accident and its aftermath, committing to a permanently crewed space station, encouraging private sector space efforts, and fostering international space partnerships with both U.S. allies and with the Soviet Union. Drawing from a trove of declassified primary source materials and oral history interviews, John M. Logsdon provides the first comprehensive account of Reagan’s civilian and commercial space policies during his eight years in the White House. Even as a fiscal conservative who was hesitant to increase NASA’s budget, Reagan’s enthusiasm for the space program made him perhaps the most pro-space president in American history. Front Matter ....Pages i-xvi A Cowboy Comes to Washington (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 1-11 Getting Started (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 13-23 First Decisions (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 25-41 An Initial Reagan Space Policy (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 43-55 SIG (Space) Gets Started (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 57-70 Space Shuttle Issues: Round One (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 71-85 The Next Logical Step (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 87-100 Debates and Disagreement (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 101-119 The Space Station Decision (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 121-139 “Follow Our Dreams to Distant Stars” (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 141-148 Together in Orbit: Round One (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 149-169 Space Commercialization (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 171-192 Commercializing Earth Orbit (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 193-209 Space Shuttle Issues: Round Two (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 211-225 Finishing the First Term (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 227-240 Changing of the Guard (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 241-252 Shuttle Wars (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 253-270 Challenger (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 271-287 Recovering from the Accident (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 289-305 Correcting a Policy Mistake (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 307-323 The Home Stretch (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 325-340 Together in Orbit: Round Two (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 341-360 The Quest for Leadership (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 361-377 The Reagan Space Legacy (John M. Logsdon)....Pages 379-394 Back Matter ....Pages 395-419