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OverviewAmbassadors from Earth reminds us that our first mad scrambles to reach orbit, the moon, and the planets were littered with enough histrionics and cliff-hanging turmoil to rival the most far-out sci-fi film. But it all really happened! Drawing on original interviews with key players and bolstered by previously unpublished photographs, journal excerpts, and primary source documents, Jay Gallentine delivers a quirky and unforgettable look at the lives and legacy of the people who conceived, built, and guided our first unmanned spacecraft and planetary probes. From the Sputnik and Explorer satellites of the late 1950s, to the thrilling Voyager ""Grand Tour"" of the '70s and '80s, they yielded some of the most celebrated successes and spectacular failures of the space age. Confessed one participant, ""We were making it up as we went along."" Gallentine fearlessly clambers to the bottom of a surprisingly bitter controversy over who first developed the technique of using gravity to steer a spacecraft. Also of special note are his candid discussions with James Van Allen, the discoverer of the rings of planetary radiation that now bear his name. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Jay GallentinePublisher: University of Nebraska Press Imprint: University of Nebraska Press Dimensions: Width: 15.20cm , Height: 3.30cm , Length: 22.90cm Weight: 0.726kg ISBN: 9780803249233ISBN 10: 0803249233 Pages: 520 Publication Date: 01 June 2014 Audience: General/trade , General/trade , General , General Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In Print  This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us. Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Aboard the Glacier 2. Problem Child 3. The Convict 4. Light Fuse, GET AWAY 5. New Moon 6. Let's Make a Deal 7. The Creators and the Makers 8. Storming the Sea of Dreams 9. Moving at the Speed of Design 10. Job Number MA-11 11. The Science and the Cyclist 12. Get off the Bus 13. Swing in Time 14. The Meeting and the Mechta 15. Think like Gravity 16. Didn't They Get It? 17. The Death and the Funeral 18. One Hundred Percent Failure 19. Three-Problem Shipley 20. Pete and Al's Little Field Trip 21. Irradiated Plans 22. Embarking 23. Get It 24. Instant Science 25. Circles of Gold 26. Last Light 27. Continuum Sources IndexReviewsAn intriguing and essential read on the history of unmanned space programs and especially the tug-of-war between the United States and the Soviet Union for space supremacy in the late 1950s and the decade of the 1960s. -Dale A. Stirling, Journal for the History of Discoveries -- Dale A. Stirling * Journal for the History of Discoveries * This book provides a wonderful way of renewing interest in the pioneering contributions of the robotic space programs pursued by the United States and the Soviet Union. -De Witt Douglas Kilgore, Quest -- De Witt Douglas Kilgore * Quest * Utilising original interviews with key players, bolstered by never-before-seen photographs, journal excerpts, and primary source documents, Gallentine delivers a quirky and unforgettable look at the lives and legacy of the Americans and Soviets who conceived, built, and guided those unmanned missions to the planets and beyond. -Philip Corneille, Spaceflight -- Philip Corneille * Spaceflight * [Ambassadors from Earth] offers an accessible account of the U.S. and Soviet planetary missions of the Space Race era, as well as the more widespread efforts of more recent times. -Roger Launius, Air & Space Magazine -- Roger Launius * Air & Space Magazine * Ambassadors is written in an accessible and engaging style, introducing readers to behind-the-scenes players most of us have never heard of. -Russell Lewis, NPR -- Russell Lewis * NPR * Many space buffs, especially young ones, should find this a satisfying narrative. -Publishers Weekly * Publishers Weekly * An exciting, engrossing tale of the early days of space flight--capturing the human drama with its inside look at the competitors in the space race reaching for the Moon, Venus, Mars and beyond. It's like listening to the stories of the sailors on Captain Cook's voyages as they discovered new worlds. --Louis Friedman, executive director, the Planetary Society--Louis Friedman (12/15/2008) Many space buffs, especially young ones, should find this a satisfying narrative. -Publishers Weekly Ambassadors is written in an accessible and engaging style, introducing readers to behind-the-scenes players most of us have never heard of. -Russell Lewis, NPR [Ambassadors from Earth] offers an accessible account of the U.S. and Soviet planetary missions of the Space Race era, as well as the more widespread efforts of more recent times. -Roger Launius, Air & Space Magazine Utilising original interviews with key players, bolstered by never-before-seen photographs, journal excerpts, and primary source documents, Gallentine delivers a quirky and unforgettable look at the lives and legacy of the Americans and Soviets who conceived, built, and guided those unmanned missions to the planets and beyond. -Philip Corneille, Spaceflight This book provides a wonderful way of renewing interest in the pioneering contributions of the robotic space programs pursued by the United States and the Soviet Union. -De Witt Douglas Kilgore, Quest An intriguing and essential read on the history of unmanned space programs and especially the tug-of-war between the United States and the Soviety Union for space supremacy in the late 1950s and the decade of the 1960s. -Dale A. Stirling, Journal for the History of Discoveries Many space buffs, especially young ones, should find this a satisfying narrative. -Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly Ambassadors is written in an accessible and engaging style, introducing readers to behind-the-scenes players most of us have never heard of. -Russell Lewis, NPR -- Russell Lewis NPR [Ambassadors from Earth] offers an accessible account of the U.S. and Soviet planetary missions of the Space Race era, as well as the more widespread efforts of more recent times. -Roger Launius, Air & Space Magazine -- Roger Launius Air & Space Magazine Utilising original interviews with key players, bolstered by never-before-seen photographs, journal excerpts, and primary source documents, Gallentine delivers a quirky and unforgettable look at the lives and legacy of the Americans and Soviets who conceived, built, and guided those unmanned missions to the planets and beyond. -Philip Corneille, Spaceflight -- Philip Corneille Spaceflight This book provides a wonderful way of renewing interest in the pioneering contributions of the robotic space programs pursued by the United States and the Soviet Union. -De Witt Douglas Kilgore, Quest -- De Witt Douglas Kilgore Quest An intriguing and essential read on the history of unmanned space programs and especially the tug-of-war between the United States and the Soviet Union for space supremacy in the late 1950s and the decade of the 1960s. -Dale A. Stirling, Journal for the History of Discoveries -- Dale A. Stirling Journal for the History of Discoveries """Many space buffs, especially young ones, should find this a satisfying narrative.""—Publishers Weekly ""Ambassadors is written in an accessible and engaging style, introducing readers to behind-the-scenes players most of us have never heard of.""—Russell Lewis, NPR ""[Ambassadors from Earth] offers an accessible account of the U.S. and Soviet planetary missions of the Space Race era, as well as the more widespread efforts of more recent times.""—Roger Launius, Air & Space Magazine ""Utilising original interviews with key players, bolstered by never-before-seen photographs, journal excerpts, and primary source documents, Gallentine delivers a quirky and unforgettable look at the lives and legacy of the Americans and Soviets who conceived, built, and guided those unmanned missions to the planets and beyond.""—Philip Corneille, Spaceflight ""This book provides a wonderful way of renewing interest in the pioneering contributions of the robotic space programs pursued by the United States and the Soviet Union.""—De Witt Douglas Kilgore, Quest ""An intriguing and essential read on the history of unmanned space programs and especially the tug-of-war between the United States and the Soviet Union for space supremacy in the late 1950s and the decade of the 1960s.""—Dale A. Stirling, Journal for the History of Discoveries" Author InformationJay Gallentine is a film and video engineer with a lifelong interest in space exploration. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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