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Keep Watching the Skies!: The Story of Operation Moonwatch and the Dawn of the Space Age Hardcover - 2008

Name: Keep Watching the Skies! The Story of Operation Moonwatch and the Dawn of the Space Age
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Author: Mccray, W. Patrick
ISBN: 9780691128542

by W. Patrick McCray

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From the publisher

When the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, thousands of ordinary people across the globe seized the opportunity to participate in the start of the Space Age. Known as the "Moonwatchers," these largely forgotten citizen-scientists helped professional astronomers by providing critical and otherwise unavailable information about the first satellites. In Keep Watching the Skies!, Patrick McCray tells the story of this network of pioneers who, fueled by civic pride and exhilarated by space exploration, took part in the twentieth century's biggest scientific endeavor. Around the world, thousands of teenagers, homemakers, teachers, amateur astronomers, and other citizens joined Moonwatch teams. Despite their diverse backgrounds and nationalities, they shared a remarkable faith in the transformative power of science--a faith inspired by the Cold War culture in which they lived. Against the backdrop of the space race and technological advancement, ordinary people developed an unprecedented desire to contribute to scientific knowledge and to investigate their place in the cosmos. Using homemade telescopes and other gadgets, Moonwatchers witnessed firsthand the astonishing beginning of the Space Age. In the process, these amateur scientists organized themselves into a worldwide network of satellite spotters that still exists today. Drawing on previously unexamined letters, photos, scrapbooks, and interviews, Keep Watching the Skies! recreates a pivotal event from a perspective never before examined--that of ordinary people who leaped at a chance to take part in the excitement of space exploration.

From the rear cover

"Eagerly peering into the predawn skies of October 1957, amateur scientists kept watch for a glimpse of a faint dot in the sky: Sputnik! Patrick McCray tells us who these people were and how their observations helped Operation Moonwatch become a rousing success for Fred Whipple and the scientists of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Keep Watching the Skies! highlights this unique alliance of amateur and professional scientists at the dawn of the Space Age. If you are among those who remember the thrill of the first satellites--even more so if you are not--you need to read this book."--Robert P. Kirshner, author of The Extravagant Universe

"Patrick McCray has produced a gem! With the aid of meticulous research, he has unearthed the story of Operation Moonwatch and some of the forgotten heroes of the early years of the Space Age. They were the worldwide citizen-scientists who monitored the orbits of the early satellites. He has brought the era alive. A great read for scientists, engineers, historians--and anyone interested in the Space Age."--John Zarnecki, Open University

"A unique and valuable cultural history of what was the largest collaboration between amateur and professional scientists in history, this book will interest anyone who wishes to know more about the early days of the Space Age."--Charles Whitney, professor emeritus of astronomy, Harvard University

"Keep Watching the Skies! makes a compelling case for the importance of an aspect of the early space race that has largely been ignored: Operation Moonwatch. In contrast to the top-down approach that has dominated histories of the space race, this book gives us a bottom-up view, and it promises to be received as a major contribution to the history of science and technology."--Robert Smith, author of The Space Telescope: A Study of NASA, Science, Technology, and Politics

Details

Title Keep Watching the Skies!: The Story of Operation Moonwatch and the Dawn of the Space Age
Author W. Patrick McCray
Binding Hardcover
Pages 344
Volumes 1
Language ENG
Publisher Princeton University Press
Date 2008-04-21
Features Bibliography, Dust Cover, Index, Table of Contents
ISBN 9780691128542 / 0691128545
Weight 1.33 lbs (0.60 kg)
Dimensions 9.18 x 6.46 x 0.95 in (23.32 x 16.41 x 2.41 cm)
Themes
- Chronological Period: 1950's
- Chronological Period: 20th Century
Library of Congress subjects Space race - United States - History, Astronomy - United States - History - 20th
Library of Congress Catalog Number 2007941755
Dewey Decimal Code 520.973

Media reviews

Citations

Library Journal, 05/12/2008, Page 0

About the author

W. Patrick McCray is professor of history at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of Giant Telescopes: Astronomical Ambition and the Promise of Technology.

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Keep Watching the Skies! The Story of Operation Moonwatch and the Dawn of the Space Age

by Mccray, W. Patrick

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Keep Watching the Skies!: The Story of Operation Moonwatch and the Dawn of the Space Age

by McCray, W. Patrick

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Princeton University Press, 2008. First Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good. 9x6x1. light shelf wear and usage markings. book is internally clean and neat. excellent binding. may require extra postage. [SK]. Our orders are shipped using tracked courier delivery services.