- Hardcover: 511 pages
- Publisher: National Academy Press (Trade); 1 edition (Oct 17 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0309085489
- ISBN-13: 978-0309085489
- Product Dimensions: 23.7 x 16.2 x 3.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 880 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,745,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In the aftermath of the space shuttle Columbia disaster, Americans may have forgotten that for a quarter-century men and women circled Earth in space stations for as long as a year at a time. Most of these astronauts were from Russia and the Warsaw Pact countries. Zimmerman (Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8) recounts this era of space exploration, beginning with the American-Russian rivalry in the 1960s and concluding with their present-day collaboration on the International Space Station. He reminds us about the short-lived 1970s Skylab program, which was to have been followed by other U.S. space stations. Granted access to Russian archives and interviews with cosmonauts and their families, the author describes the Soviet program in great detail. The original Russian space stations, he reports, were intended primarily for propaganda and military purposes, but they also included a variety of scientific experiments and perfected the use of unmanned "freighters" to bring supplies and parts from Earth. If readers remember anything about the Russian program, it is probably the troubled final months of the Mir station, but Zimmerman describes the heroic efforts of cosmonauts to put out fires and make extended space walks to undertake complicated repairs. The Russians also conducted extensive research on the effects of living in space on the human body, research that will be invaluable for possible future travel to other planets. This book will be of interest primarily to scientists and hard-core science buffs, but it will undoubtedly be the leading book on the Russian space station program for the foreseeable future.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Space enthusiasts worried about where the manned space program is headed will take some heart from reading [this book]. ...Mr. Zimmerman shows that engineers and astronauts have the ability to survive, and even thrive in space, to conquer everything than can be thrown at them by nature and their fellows. ... Man has the ability to travel to the stars. The haunting question Mr. Zimmerman leaves us with is, does he have the will?"
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Crazed Cosmonauts out in the Cosmos!,
By
This review is from: Leaving Earth: Space Stations Rival Superpowers (Hardcover)
One of two aspects of Mr. Zimmerman's book that most reviewers seem to have missed is his recounting of the many errors, problems, and dilemmas, large and small, trivial and hazardous, that the cosmonauts encountered. Mysteriously missing antennae, fogged-over helmet visors, balky space ship hatches and no power are just some of the hardships that had to be surmounted.Another aspect of the book is the recounting of the many personality conflicts between the cosmonauts. Grueling work schedules, close quarters, and differing backgrounds of the cosmonauts drove wedges between the crew members. Oftentimes they would just stop speaking to each other. Other times, the crew member with the higher ranking would pull rank in the most inconsiderate manner. I found the examination of these weaknesses (structural and psychological) to be fascinating. They brought a human element to the book and made it a very interesting recounting. The same holds true for the examination of how politics, economics, and the fall of the Soviet government changed the Russian space program. I highly recommend this enjoyable and informative book
5.0 out of 5 stars
Leaving Earth: An exceptional book!,
By David M. Livingston "Dr. Space (The Space Show)" (Tiburon, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Leaving Earth: Space Stations Rival Superpowers (Hardcover)
Leaving Earth: Space Stations, Rival Superpowers, and the Quest for Interplanetary Travel by Robert Zimmerman is an exciting and exceptional space history book, filled with insights, well-documented research and important facts and information. Not only has Zimmerman accurately described the original Soviet space program, its evolution to the present day Russian space program that is largely more free-enterprise driven than our own space program, he shows how and explains why our own space program, as managed by NASA and Congress, looks more and more like a centrally planned government program supported by like-kind government policy. Zimmerman's research has been carefully documented and made available to the readers. His focus on space station history, the politics of manned space flight, and his subsequent analysis of both is second to none. As our current administration moves forward with its new comprehensive space policy initiative, what Zimmerman has to say takes on an even higher level of importance. I firmly believe that by reading and understanding Leaving Earth, it will be easier to move forward, to advocate quality space programs and development, and to facilitate our becoming space-faring. (Host of the radio talk show, The Space Show).
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Space History Must Read,
By
This review is from: Leaving Earth: Space Stations Rival Superpowers (Hardcover)
Having just finished this book , I must say I was greatly astonished. I have read almost everything on the American space program and what little has been written on the Soviet/Russian program. I apparently knew very little of the incredibly brave and tenacious Russian program. What a great story of risk, perseverence, personalities and achivement. This book casts their accomplishments in a whole new light. To say it again; I was astonished. Robert Zimmerman tells this story in a wonderfully readable and dynamic way. It was hard to put the book down.This is also the sad story of how NASA has become a beaurucratic do nothing agency since the glory days of Apollo and Skylab. Zimmerman also writes with an eye toward future journeys to Mars and beyond that gave me hope that someday we will really go!
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