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... The Heavens and the Earth: A Political History of the Space Age

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The political history of the space age in _...The_Heavens_and_the_Earth_ provides a fascinating glimpse of the considerations taken within the Eisenhower administration and the Khrushchev regime regarding the orbital realm. Unlike other authors issuing paeans to Kennedy for his expensive though successful challenge of a manned lunar program, Professor McDougall renders a more sympathetic assessment of Eisenhower's reluctance to commit federal resources to open-ended and prestige-focused stunts. The hesitance in launching the first orbital satellite, although politically disastrous, was prudently based on concerns that foreign countries might object to orbital overflights by potential reconnaissance vehicles. With the Soviet Union launching the first satellite _Sputnik_, such criticism would be rendered moot, although this triumph enabled Khrushchev to persuasively promote Soviet hegemony and stoke American fears of missile delivery for nuclear explosives.

Most Americans have forgotten that Eisenhower advocated "open skies" to reduce the potential of overreacting to a perceived threat due to insufficient or faulty mobilization information, as well as reduce military expenditures (comparatively higher than today). Khrushchev, hoping to obscure both intentions and especially the capabilities of Soviet military power projection for preserving options in diplomatic and domestic intimidation. The United States wanted more open information so as to avoid a future "Pearl Harbor" and the Russians wanted to maintain their eastern-European gains without obligation to show their economic weakness and armed force limitations. Although sharing the information with the citizenry was an ultimate preference (now available thanks to LandSat, SPOT and other orbiting cameras), Eisenhower directed the first reconnaissance satellites as the Discovery series to look behind the Iron Curtain.

Kennedy responded to Khrushchev's overtures by upping the stakes, federalizing research towards attention-grabbing endeavors with an eye towards employing technological problem-solving ultimately to social engineering against poverty and racism. Neither Kennedy nor Johnson appeared to realize that engineering solutions and welfare statism address not only different problem categories, but their agents differ -- engineers tend to focus on the measurable and quantitative, whereas social workers (unless flaking for larger budgets) appeal to a more ethereal empathy with their charges. Professor McDougall shows the underlying hubris behind these policies, and how this was integrated into the manned (and unmanned) programs for NASA.

Although there were notable forerunners, spaceflight historiography came of age with the 1985 publication this book by Walter McDougall. It received Pulitzer Prize and a host of other well-deserved awards with its analysis of the origins and conduct of the space race. This book explores the Cold War rivalry in race with the preparations for and launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, through the race to the Moon in the 1960s. The author argues that the mandate to complete Apollo on Kennedy's schedule prompted the space program to become identified almost exclusively with high-profile, expensive, human spaceflight projects. This was because Apollo became a race against the Soviet Union for recognition as the world leader in science and technology and by extension in other fields as well.

McDougall juxtaposes the American effort of Apollo with the Soviet space program and the dreams of such designers as Sergei P. Korolev to land a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon. The author recognizes Apollo as a significant engineering achievement but concludes that it was also enormously costly both in terms of resources and the direction to be taken in state support of science and technology. In the end, NASA had to stress engineering over science, competition over cooperation, civilian over military management, and international prestige over practical applications. Not all agree with McDougall's arguments, but since the publication of "the Heavens and the Earth..." historians have been striving to equal its scintillating analysis, stellar writing, and scope of discussion.

I purchased this book when it first came out 20 years ago. At the time, it was very controversial. Author McDougall suggested that President Eisenhower actually wanted the Soviet Union to be the first to launch an earth satellite because that would establish the legal principle of "freedom of space." This principle was vital for the interests of the United States, which at the time was moving full speed ahead to develop reconnaissance satellites. Allowing the Soviets to go first would solidify the idea that one nation's satellites could freely pass through the skies of another nation. If the Soviets established such a principle, they would be unlikely to protest when OUR satellites began to overfly their territory. As later books based on newly declassified sources have confirmed, McDougall's analysis of Eisenhower's motives turned out to be right on target. The only thing the President underestimated was the intensity of the American public's reaction to the Soviet's "Sputnik I." Detailed and comprehensive, this book remains one of the best single-volume histories of the early years of the Space Age.

This is the best political history written about the space program to date. McDougall's book is masterfully researched and written. This is what scholarship is all about! As a doctoral student in space policy, I have found this book to be an incredible reference guide in my studies.

McDougall's genius lies in his ability to decifer the true reasons (political, social, and economic) behind the space race. The amazing thing is that he did so before most of the classified documents regarding the opening years of the American space program were released. Almost all of his assumptions have been proven true as those documents have become available to the public.

I would highly recommend this book to any true student of the history of the space program.

Being a so-called 'Child of Apollo.' I read this book expecting few new insights to the space program's formulative period. Gee, was I ever wrong! This book is filled with nuggests of historic information that provides the reader with greater context and historic analysis than any other book on the topic I have yet to read. Any student of history, political science, or space advocate should read this book carefully to be well-grounded in the Apollo Era. McDougall did an outstanding job in relating to the reader details of the context of the American and Soviet space programs throughout the 50's and 60's. Knowledge of the space age would be totally incomplete without having read this book! I highly recommend it. It is no wonder that this book won McDougall the 1986 Pulitzer Prize.

The Cold War between the US and USSR was fought on multiple fronts. One of the most exciting was the Space Race; first to space, first man in space, first woman in space, and of course, the race to the moon. This is the subject of this book. Unlike other books on the similar topic, the emphasis here is on the internal politics within each nation that occurred as a result of this competition. Due to the lack of availability of data from the USSR, this book focuses on the US side, and examines the politics of the Eisenhower, Kennedy and later administrations.

The book examines the various facets of the US space program, touching on subjects such as the formation of NASA, the space shuttle program, the battle between those who wanted to spend money on NASA and those who did not, the doling out of pork-barrel projects as part of funding for NASA, and the dichotomy between military and civilian control and influence. Overall, a great story book and a great textbook for use in history classes.

This book is fantastic. The book studies, in depth, the the reasons and processes that led to and the decisions that were made during that time. This author does a terrific job of holding the readers attention while explaining the detailed history. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Phenomenal! McDougall covers the full breadth of the most influential factors, giving insight to the obvious, and depth to the obscure but important forces moving the space age forward.

Unlike one of the reveiwers below, I did not approach this book looking for an outer space shoot-em-up action movie. McDougall provides clever and original insights into the the politics of space. Coupled with his lucid writing style, this book elucidates many of American and Soviet motivations for space programs. This book is thoroughly original, insightful, and poses some excellect questions for future research. This book recounts the political history of the space race, and McDougall need not apologoze for not including Obi-Wan Kinobi.

Another fine work from Walter Mcdougall. This is the most thorough treatment of the political history of the space race available, and for those who find it dry, I suggest that you not read too often, lest your brain break down. This is fine historical research, told in fluid prose, which makes highly original proposals for future research in the area. Like the reviewer below said, it is not MTV, and for that, McDougall need not pologize. Of course, if you know the correct spelling of "Obi Wan's" last name, or are upset that you cannot understand the big words, then perhaps you should avoid books without pictures altogether -- i.e., it is no surprise that you think this book is dry.