Description
Book SynopsisHow One Man Masterminded the Soviet Drive Beat America to the Moon. "Fascinating... packed with technical and historical detail for the space expert and enthusiast alike... Great stuff!"-New Scientist "In this exceptional book, James Harford pieces together a most compelling and well-written tale... Must reading.
Trade Review"In this exceptional book, James Harford pieces together a most compelling and well-written tale . . . must reading."-Space News
"A fascinating and perceptive history of the Russian space program.... Avid space enthusiasts will find this story a necessary addition to their knowledge of space exploration."-Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., former Director of Flight Operations, NASA
"His erudite and meticulously researched charting of the life and times of Korolev provides unique insights. . . . This is a fascinating book . . . for the space expert and enthusiast alike. Great stuff."-New Scientist
Table of ContentsPreface ix
A Note about Russian Names xvi
Abbreviations xvii
Prologue The Anonymous Chief Designer 1
Chapter
1 Kibalchich to Korolev 8
2 Growing Up in Ukraine: Broken Family, Bolsheviks, Gliders 16
3 To Moscow: Tupolev, Tukhachevsky, First Rockets 29
4 The Gulag and Sharaga Years 49
5 The German V-2: Bedrock Technology 64
6 The World's First ICBM: Aimed at the USA 91
7 Sputnik: No Big Deal to Khrushchev-At First 121
8 Unmanned Firsts: Hitting the Moon and Venus 139
9 Gagarin First, Shepard an Anti-climactic Second 159
10 Voskhod: A "Circus Act" 180
11 Spy Sats and Com Sats 190
12 The Organization: Korolev Up and Down 201
13 The Technology: Simple but Reliable 219
14 The Party, the Paranoia 230
15 Racing Apollo: The Odds Were Enormous 246
16 The End of Anonymity: Burial in the Kremlin Wall 276
17 After Korolev: Demise of the Circumlunar and Lunar Landing Missions 286
18 Ironic Epilogue 313
Appendix A Chronology of the Moon Race, 1957-1974 324
Notes 340
Bibliography 372
Index 377
