Customer Reviews

The MIR Space Station: A Precursor to Space Colonization

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In the 1970s and 1980s, those of us who were interested in long duration spaceflight could read about Skylab or hunt for information about the Russian experience in space. Occasionally, interesting snippets filtered through the iron curtain, but for the most part information was piece-meal and it was difficult separating fact from fiction. Since the end of the cold war, much more information on the Russian experience in space has become available, and David M. Harland has organized this into an informative and enjoyable book. His work is comprehensive, accurate, and entertaining without sliding across the line that separates responsible scholarship from sensationalistic journalism. Mr. Harland takes us on a well-organized tour through a succession of Salyut and Mir space stations, and leaves us anticipating the International Space Station (ISS). This tour includes detailed explanations of much of the technology and informative commentary on the cosmonauts' life in space. This profusely illustrated book (including pictures of doomed crews and wary Russians watching President Ronald Reagan's televised "Star Wars" speech) gave me a new appreciation for the Russian/Soviet space programs, and impressed upon me how the cosmonauts' determination, skill, and above all ability to improvise made it possible for Russia to establish a continuing human presence in space. This book is essential for anyone who is interested in the history of humans in space or who is looking for lessons to apply to the ISS.

A comprehensive and detailed account of the development and operation of the Mir Space Station, right up to the events surrounding the Progress collision crisis. Although I feel it placed too much emphasis on the Soviet precursors to Mir and too little on any technical description of the station itself, it's a book I would recommend to anybody interested in spaceflight or Soviet/Russian aerospace technology.