This New Ocean; The Story of the First Space Age

New York: Random House, 1998. First Edition [stated], presumed first printing. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. xviii, 723, [9] pages. Illustrations. Notes. Sources. Index. DJ has slight wear and soiling. Publisher's ephemera laid in. This comprehensive account of the space age is based on 175 interviews with Russian and American scientists and engineers, on archival documents, and on nearly three decades of reporting on aviation and space. William E. Burrows is an American author and journalism professor emeritus. He is also Director Emeritus of the Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program at New York University. He is the author of twelve books and numerous articles in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, Foreign Affairs, Harvard Magazine, Harper's and other publications. Burrows was the only non-scientist on the National Research Council's Near-Earth Object Survey and Detection Panel. In recognition of his distinguished career and expertise, a Main Belt asteroid has been named after him, and he is a recipient of the American Astronautical Society John F. Kennedy Astronautics Award, among other honors. This New Ocean is based on 175 interviews with Russian and American scientists and engineers; on archival documents, including formerly top-secret National Intelligence Estimates and spy satellite pictures; and on nearly three decades of reporting. The impressive result is this fascinating story--the first comprehensive account--of the space age. Here are the strategists and war planners; engineers and scientists; politicians and industrialists; astronauts and cosmonauts; science fiction writers and journalists; and plain, ordinary, unabashed dreamers who wanted to transcend gravity's shackles for the ultimate ride. The story is written from the perspective of a witness who was present at the beginning and who has seen the conclusion of the first space age and the start of the second.