One Small Step: Astronauts In Their Own Words - Hardcover

Whitehouse, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1849160678 ISBN 13: 9781849160674

Publisher: Quercus Publishing, 2009

Synopsis

Here is the most up-to-date history of man in space, researched by a NASA insider from astronaut interviews, diaries and speeches, with many revelations appearing in print for the first time, and even including material from top secret documents from the former Soviet Union.

Astronauts shows space travel as its not been seen before and those who read it will be shocked at the reality of the dangers and failings of the space missions and full of admiration for the courage of those who travelled into space. There are surprises in these pages even to those who closely follow space exploration. Together, the diverse accounts reveal the astronauts' tales of courage and fear, and provide an authoritative and unique history of space exploration, from the missions of Laika, Yuri Gagarin and Alan Shepard and John Glenn, to Columbia, the International Space Station and SpaceShipOne, via the Vostok, Soyuz, Gemini and Apollo missions and the moon landings.

Packed with extraordinary facts and anecdotes, Astronauts includes the story of how Korolev managed to get a man with curvature of the spine, ulcers, gastritis and missing fingers to be selected as a cosmonaut, alongside an account of how soviet agents tried to stop the launch of Apollo 8. Here too are comments from a space shuttle commander highlighting the terror induced by a space shuttle launch, as well as the reasons NASA did not want Buzz Aldrin to be the first to step onto the lunar surface. The CD includes: The Sputnik announcement; Yuri Gagarin speaking in orbit; The Alan Shepard launch; J. F. Kennedy's speech to Congress; Valentina Tereshkova speaking in orbit; Neil Armstrong stepping onto the lunar surface; Apollo 13: 'Houston. We've got a problem'.

About this title

Product Description

Here is the most up-to-date history of man in space, researched by a NASA insider from astronaut interviews, diaries and speeches, with many revelations appearing in print for the first time, and even including material from top secret documents from the former Soviet Union.

From the Back Cover

Here is the extraordinary story of the manned exploration of space. From the perils of a rocket launch to the euphoria of setting foot onto an unknown world, astronauts reveal what it is really like to journey into space. Researched from NASA and Soviet archives, One Small Step contains many astounding revelations, including: How Soviet agents tried to stop the launch of Apollo 8; Fresh insights into the true dangers of the spacewalk to rescue the Skylab space station; A remarkable account of how the Russians sent a cosmonaut with missing fingers into space; And why NASA did not want Buzz Aldrin to be the first man to step onto the Moon. Shocking, uplifting, and always dramatic, this is a truly compelling first-hand history of space exploration - told through the words of those who were there. With a 70-minute CD of more than 40 archive recording, including: Radio Moscow's Sputnik announcement, Yuri Gagarin speaking to ground control, Alan Shepard's launch commentary, John Glenn, Valentina Tereshkova - the first woman in space, Neil Armstrong stepping onto the lunar surface, and Apollo 13's legendary 'Houston - we've had a problem' distress call.

About this edition

• Publisher: Quercus Publishing
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1849160678
• ISBN 13: 9781849160674
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 208