PDF-(EBOOK)-On The Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini (Annotated & Illustrated)

GEMINI was the intermediate manned space flight program between Americas first steps into space with Mercury and the amazing and unprecedented accomplishments achieved during the manned lunar expeditions of Apollo Because of its position between these two other efforts Gemini is probably less remembered Still it more than had its place in mans progress into this new frontier Gemini accomplishments were manyfold They included many firsts first astronautcontrolled maneuvering in space first rendezvous in space of one spacecraft with another first docking of one spacecraft with a propulsive stage and use of that stage to transfer man to high altitude first traverse of man into the Earths radiation belts first extended manned flights of a week or more in duration first extended stays of man outside his spacecraft first controlled reentry and precision landing and many more These achievements were significant in ways one cannot truly evaluate even today but two things stand out 1 it was the time when America caught up and surpassed the Soviet Union in manned space flight and 2 these demonstrations of capability were an absolute prerequisite to the phenomenal Apollo accomplishments then yet to come PROJECT Gemini is now little remembered having vanished into that special limbo reserved for the successful intermediate steps in a fastmoving technological advance Conceived and approved in 1961 the second major project in the American manned space flight program carried men into orbit in 1965 and 1966 Gemini thus kept Americans in space between the pathbreaking but limited Earthorbital missions of Project Mercury and the far more ambitious Project Apollo which climaxed in 1969 when two men first set foot on the Moon This book is a detailed history of the failures and victories of the Gemini program This version of the book includes an overview of Project Gemini and a number of photos from NASAs project files 596 pages color illustrations and photos. In High-Speed Dreams, Erik M. Conway constructs an insightful history that focuses primarily on the political and commercial factors responsible for the rise and fall of American supersonic transport research programs. Conway charts commercial supersonic research efforts through the changing relationships between international and domestic politicians, military/NASA contractors, private investors, and environmentalists. He documents post-World War II efforts at the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics and the Defense Department to generate supersonic flight technologies, the attempts to commercialize these technologies by Britain and the United States during the 1950s and 1960s, environmental campaigns against SST technology in the 1970s, and subsequent attempts to revitalize supersonic technology at the end of the century. High-Speed Dreams is a sophisticated study of politics, economics, nationalism, and the global pursuit of progress. Historians, along with participants in current aerospace research programs, will gain valuable perspective on the interaction of politics and technology. NASA Monograph in Aerospace History series, number 37. From the first Bumper V-2 launch in 1950 to the Atlas V vehicles of today, more than 55 years of Cape Canaveral history is captured in this exhaustive collection of photographs celebrating the development and evolution of one of space exploration\'s most famous and significant facilities. Detailed maps and historical aerial photographs reveal the famous launch complexes and basic infrastructure of this storied base station, while missile and rocket tests are featured in never-before-seen images with descriptive captions. The bustling daily activity of thousands of employees at the Cape is captured on film, providing a behind-the-scenes look at rocket launches. Information on the current generation of space launch vehicles, trivia on various rockets and satellites that have flown out of Cape Canaveral, and amusing anecdotes are also included. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...In 1968 the world watched as Earth rose over the moonscape, televised from the orbiting Apollo 8 mission capsule. Radioing back to Houston on Christmas Eve, astronauts recited the first ten verses from the book of Genesis. In fact, many of the astronauts found space flight to be a religious experience. To Touch the Face of God is the first book-length historical study of the relationship between religion and the U.S. space program.Kendrick Oliver explores the role played by religious motivations in the formation of the space program and discusses the responses of religious thinkers such as Paul Tillich and C. S. Lewis. Examining the attitudes of religious Americans, Oliver finds that the space program was a source of anxiety as well as inspiration. It was not always easy for them to tell whether it was a godly or godless venture.Grounded in original archival research and the study of participant testimonies, this book also explores one of the largest petition campaigns of the post-war era. Between 1969 and 1975, more than eight million Americans wrote to NASA expressing support for prayer and bible-reading in space. Oliver’s study is rigorous and detailed but also contemplative in its approach, examining the larger meanings of mankind’s first adventures in the heavens. How does one go about organizing something as complicated as a strategic-missile or space-exploration program? Stephen B. Johnson here explores the answer—systems management—in a groundbreaking study that involves Air Force planners, scientists, technical specialists, and, eventually, bureaucrats. Taking a comparative approach, Johnson focuses on the theory, or intellectual history, of systems engineering as such, its origins in the Air Force\'s Cold War ICBM efforts, and its migration to not only NASA but the European Space Agency.Exploring the history and politics of aerospace development and weapons procurement, Johnson examines how scientists and engineers created the systems management process to coordinate large-scale technology development, and how managers and military officers gained control of that process. Those funding the race demanded results, Johnson explains. In response, development organizations created what few expected and what even fewer wanted—a bureaucracy for innovation. To begin to understand this apparent contradiction in terms, we must first understand the exacting nature of space technologies and the concerns of those who create them. The Cambridge Illustrated History of Astronomy traces the history of astronomy as a science, describing in detail the various discoveries that have led to our current beliefs about space and the universe. It shows how speculations based on sky-gazing have formed part of the essential mythology of societies from the earliest times reveals astronomy to be an exacting and serious science evolving in tandem with geometry and mathematics and describes the contributions made by great thinkers such as Pythagoras, Galileo, Descartes, and Newton. From the moon’s formation, to its potential for future exploration, this richly illustrated volume presents 100 milestones in lunar history.   With dazzling images on every spread, and illuminating text by astrobiologist Dr. David Warmflash, Moon: An Illustrated History chronologically presents 100 milestones in the Moon’s development and exploration. Starting 4.5 billion years ago when the Moon formed, this stunning volume moves from the hypotheses of the Moon’s formation (4.5 billion years ago) to sixth-century BCE predictions of solar eclipses, from the twentieth-century Space Race between the US and the Soviet Union to private space companies and possible future lunar colonies. Find out about lunar calendar systems and cults in the Bible how lunar brightness was used to estimate stellar distances how advancing telescopes in the seventeenth century allowed us to eye the Moon more closely how author Jules Verne inspired the Father of Astronautics the originals of the Saturn V Moon Rocket the Apollo missions, and so much more. This new book covers every nuclear delivery system the United States ever deployed. With few exceptions, each weapon and system is illustrated by either color or black and white photographs. Each weapon also comes with specifications and a history of its development, deployment and retirement (if retired). Originally designed in 1952 as an anti-submarine warfare platform for the U.S. Navy, almost two-thousand Sikorsky H-34s have served on every continent with the armed forces of twenty-five countries - from combat in Algeria, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and throughout southeast Asia, to saving flood victims, recovering astronauts, fighting fires, and carrying presidents, military H-34s have met every challenge handed them. With continuing post-military service, the number of countries which the H-34 has called home has swelled to nearly fifty. Revitalized with turbine engines, it has yet to fade from sight. Whether lifting construction material or supporting police departments, the DC-3 of helicopters will still be flying on its fiftieth anniversary. The most detailed account of the H-34 to appear, Lennart Lundh\'s Sikorsky H-34 reflects over a decade of research. It takes the reader through the H-34 from nose to tail, and across its service from Argentina to Vietnam. Few of the photographs have been published before, and many are drawn from private collections. A special feature is the chapter of impressions and anecdotes from fourteen H-34 crew members. It\'s called the Raptor. The F-22 will be the U.S. Air Force\'s premier fighter for the first decades of the 21st century. Like other expensive military programs, the F-22 endured continuous scrutiny throughout its development - the aircraft that evolved was worth the wait. The F-22 is definitely top gun - it is more agile than current U.S. aircraft, has stealth capability, and is flexible in both air-to-air and air-to-ground attack missions. The Raptor is planned to start operational service with the U.S. Air Force in the year 2004, and when on-line, will provide a capability far beyond that of any other fighter aircraft. This new book covers every nuclear delivery system the United States ever deployed. With few exceptions, each weapon and system is illustrated by either color or black and white photographs. Each weapon also comes with specifications and a history of its development, deployment and retirement (if retired). Originally designed in 1952 as an anti-submarine warfare platform for the U.S. Navy, almost two-thousand Sikorsky H-34s have served on every continent with the armed forces of twenty-five countries - from combat in Algeria, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and throughout southeast Asia, to saving flood victims, recovering astronauts, fighting fires, and carrying presidents, military H-34s have met every challenge handed them. With continuing post-military service, the number of countries which the H-34 has called home has swelled to nearly fifty. Revitalized with turbine engines, it has yet to fade from sight. Whether lifting construction material or supporting police departments, the DC-3 of helicopters will still be flying on its fiftieth anniversary. The most detailed account of the H-34 to appear, Lennart Lundh\'s Sikorsky H-34 reflects over a decade of research. It takes the reader through the H-34 from nose to tail, and across its service from Argentina to Vietnam. Few of the photographs have been published before, and many are drawn from private collections. A special feature is the chapter of impressions and anecdotes from fourteen H-34 crew members. It\'s called the Raptor. The F-22 will be the U.S. Air Force\'s premier fighter for the first decades of the 21st century. Like other expensive military programs, the F-22 endured continuous scrutiny throughout its development - the aircraft that evolved was worth the wait. The F-22 is definitely top gun - it is more agile than current U.S. aircraft, has stealth capability, and is flexible in both air-to-air and air-to-ground attack missions. The Raptor is planned to start operational service with the U.S. Air Force in the year 2004, and when on-line, will provide a capability far beyond that of any other fighter aircraft. .. . Most people think of a tall, thin, round vehicle. . They . think of a rocket that launches into space. .. . "Rocket" can mean a type of . engine. The . word also can mean a vehicle that uses that engine..