Calculated Risk: The Supersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom (Purdue Studies in Aeronautics and Astronautics) - Hardcover

Leopold, George

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1557537453 ISBN 13: 9781557537454

Publisher: Purdue University Press, 2016

Synopsis

Unlike other American astronauts, Virgil I. ""Gus"" Grissom never had the chance to publish his memoirs―save for an account of his role in the Gemini program―before the tragic launch pad fire on January 27, 1967, which took his life and those of Edward White and Roger Chaffee. The international prestige of winning the Moon Race cannot be understated, and Grissom played a pivotal and enduring role in securing that legacy for the United States. Indeed, Grissom was first and foremost a Cold Warrior, a member of the first group of Mercury astronauts whose goal it was to beat the Soviet Union to the moon. Drawing on extensive interviews with fellow astronauts, NASA engineers, family members, and friends of Gus Grissom, George Leopold delivers a comprehensive survey of Grissom's life that places his career in the context of the Cold War and the history of human spaceflight. Calculated Risk: The Supersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom adds significantly to our understanding of that tumultuous period in American history.

About this title

About the Author

George Leopold is a veteran technology journalist and science writer who has covered the nexus between technology and policy for over thirty years. Leopold has written extensively about U.S. manned spaceflight, including the Apollo and space shuttle programs. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the New Scientist, and a variety of other science and technology publications. He resides in Reston, Virginia, USA.

Edition details

• Publisher: Purdue University Press
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1557537453
• ISBN 13: 9781557537454
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 300