Krafft Ehricke's Extraterrestrial Imperative (Apogee Books Space Series) [Paperback]

Krafft Ehricke (Author), Marsha Freeman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1894959914 | ISBN-13: 978-1894959919 | Publication Date: February 1, 2009

A summation of Krafft Ehricke’s work on encouraging the exploration of space, this account offers biographic information on the man himself; encompasses details of his new, innovative ideas; and portrays his thoughts on the importance and value of space travel for society. Providing an understanding of the early history of the space pioneers, what they helped accomplish, and how Ehricke's vision came to fruition, this reference details the continuing need for a creation of a long-term vision for the exploration of space. Historic and yet topical, this resource also includes many of Ehricke’s original works, many of which were previously out of print.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Krafft Ehricke was an aeronautical engineer who worked with the Von Braun Rocket Team in the 1940s. A member of the International Aerospace Hall of Fame, he was also an advisor to NASA and the U.S. Air Force, he played a major role in the success of U.S. space programs. Marsha Freeman is author of hundreds of articles on the U.S. space program which have been published in 21st Century Science & Technology magazine, Acta Astronautica, Executive Intelligence Review magazine, Fusion Magazine, Quest Magazine, and Space World magazine. She is the author of Challenges of Human Space Exploration and How We Got to the Moon: The Story of the German Space Pioneers. She lives in Leesburg, Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 302 pages
• Publisher: Collector's Guide Publishing, Inc. (February 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894959914
• ISBN-13: 978-1894959919
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,207,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Welcome compilation, but disappointing presentation, May 23, 2010

By 

James A. Vedda (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Krafft Ehricke's Extraterrestrial Imperative (Apogee Books Space Series) (Paperback)

The author has done a great service by compiling a generous sampling of the writings of one of the 20th century's greatest thinkers and technical contributors in the exploration and development of space. Ehricke, who died in 1984, was a brilliant futurist and prolific writer, but his work is hard to find because very little has been preserved in books or other widely available sources. The majority is in the form of conference papers, magazine and journal articles, congressional testimony, and public speeches. This book gives 21st century readers an opportunity to experience Ehricke's genius.
Unfortunately, the organization and presentation of the book leave much to be desired. The first 96 pages of the book give a dry and disjointed biography of Ehricke. It's divided into 20 short sections that include numerous photos and charts. Much of the discussion previews Ehricke's writings that will appear later, raising the question as to why the author didn't write introductions to each of her subject's selected works, which would have been a better place for this material. Also, there are a couple of places where the author goes off on tangents to insert commentary on current (post-2000) events.
The remainder of the book presents the Ehricke selections, most of which have not been reformatted in any way - they are direct copies of the original items. In one sense, this is good because we see them as they looked when they first appeared. However, the book is a smaller format than the original papers and magazines, so many readers will find much of the text too small for comfortable reading. This is likely to cause readers to skip a significant portion of what's here, which would be a shame.
As a long-time admirer of Ehricke, I've been hoping that a collection like this would appear. But as presented, I can't give this one high marks. It fills a niche for me, but is not likely to draw in general readers who need a more readable story of the man and his work.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Krafft Erichke's Extraterrestrial Imperative, April 15, 2009

By 

Peter Thorpe (Asheville, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Krafft Ehricke's Extraterrestrial Imperative (Apogee Books Space Series) (Paperback)

Although we have been is space for 50 years, there are only a few space visionaries that have mattered in all of that time. Krafft Erichke is one of them. This book is a wonderful collection of his writings, along with an extensive biographical profile. Krafft looks like the happiest of visionaries to me...just look at the photos of him (!), or, better yet, check out his writings and his many illustrations of his vision for settling our Solar System. His enthusiasm is almost unparalleled, and his science and engineering are spot on.

Oh, and while at General Dynamics he basically invented the Atlas Centaur, the powerhorse that got the U.S. space program off the ground. He also added heavily to the idea of settling our Solar System, which is the next big step for us humans. The settlers will probably name something big after him (a Lunar colony?) but until then, remember the name Krafft Erichke!