The Pre-Astronauts: Manned Ballooning on the Threshold of Space (Bluejacket Paperback Series) [Paperback]

Craig Ryan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 2003 | Series: Bluejacket Books

In the 1950s and early 1960s a small fraternity of daring, brilliant men made the first exploratory trips into the upper stratosphere, reaching the edge of outer space in tiny capsules suspended beneath plastic balloons. This book tells the story of these tenacious men as they labored on the cusp of a new age, seeing things that no one had ever seen and experiencing conditions no one was sure they could survive.

Mostly U.S. Air Force and Navy officers, among them doctors, physicists, meteorologists, engineers, astronomers, and test pilots, they struggled with meager budgets, bureaucratic politics, and one another. It is a thrilling story of tremendous personal sacrifice and great risk for the promise of adventure and the opportunity to uncover a few precious aspects of the universe. Capt. Joseph Kittinger, for example, rode a balloon up to 103,000 feet in an open gondola and then stepped out and freefell to Earth, becoming the only person to break the sound barrier without a vehicle. Lt. Col. David Simons stayed aloft for a full day and night in a primitive pressurized capsule to become one of the first to see the curvature of the planet. In this work, Craig Ryan masterfully captures the drama of their spectacular achievements and those of many of the other space pioneers who made America's stratospheric balloon programs possible. 344 pages. 20 photographs. Line drawings. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Paperback. 6 x 9 inches.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Here is the Naval Institute Press at its best, offering a superb, thorough history of a subject most other publishers would ignore. Ryan's book is a complete accounting of the U.S. efforts at manned stratospheric ballooning between World War II and the first manned spaceflights of Project Mercury--missions that included not only scientific and would-be record-setting flights, but also high-altitude parachute jumps and airborne telescopic surveys. Ryan also provides capsule histories of modern manned ballooning and skydiving and vivid portraits of men and women who, on shoestring budgets, risked and sometimes lost their lives while gathering much of the research essential to eventually achieving manned spaceflight. In all, Ryan gives aviation and space buffs an absolute feast of information. Roland Green --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"An absolute feast of information." -- Booklist

"Comprehensive..." -- Air and Space

"Craig Ryan superbly narrates harrowing moments experienced by the balloonists." -- The Houston Chronicle

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press (March 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591147484
• ISBN-13: 978-1591147480
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #812,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling and well-paced history of a vital program., December 21, 1999

By 

Joseph T. Reeves - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pre-Astronauts: Manned Ballooning on the Threshold of Space (Hardcover)

Mr. Ryan corrects a long-standing error in our history of the space program by chronicling the manned ballooning programs that occurred before NASA, and still continued to explore the limits of man's endurance while NASA was still finding its niche.

While scientists debated the limits of man's endurances to high gravity stress, a group of underfunded doctors and test pilots in New Mexico were pushing these limits on their own. While forgotten to most Americans who have learned to revere Shepherd, Glenn, and Aldrin, the contributions of Stapp, Kittenger, and the others made the space program possible. While others were focusing on rockets, these people used the relatively cheap balloons to send men high enough to determine if manned space travel was even possible.

Mr. Ryan's narration is brisk, but yet detailed enough to give you an appreciation for the risks these people took. The events are exciting and groundbreaking, and Mr. Ryan does them justice with his narrative style.

As an Air Force member, I was stationed at Holloman AFB, NM (the site of most of these events) 15 years ago and had heard of these programs and what these scientists and pilots accomplished. I have been looking for a history of these programs ever since, and Mr. Ryan has provided it.

Highly recommended.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Joe W. Kittinger, Jr -- Biggest Balls Ever!, July 10, 2000

By 

M. Scott Walters "-mscott-" (Ithaca, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pre-Astronauts: Manned Ballooning on the Threshold of Space (Hardcover)

Craig Ryan's history of high-altitude manned ballooning is one of the most compelling books I have ever read. Taking place on the fledgling edge of the space age, this is the true story of men who, on an almost non-existent budget, originated the hitherto unknown fields of space medicine and safety. Dr. Stapp and the men and women who worked with him pioneered new technology and conducted valuable research that, in the end, was largely lost to history -- research and technology that might have saved lives in the Apollo 1 and Challenger disasters. This book is a tribute to their almost-unknown accomplishments and a reminder never to let something so valuable be lost or forgotten.

And if you don't care for the science side of the story, just as incredible are the tales of personal courage. This book also tells the story of Joe Kittinger, who stepped out of an open balloon gondola in his pressure suit nearly 20 MILES above the surface of the Earth and parachuted safely to the ground after almost 5 minutes of freefall (a feat never since equalled or exceeded). Personally, Mr. Kittinger gets my vote for the biggest balls ever. You have to admire the man who was the first person ever to break the sound barrier... WITHOUT a vehicle!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly written, a great story of Courage in the Unknown, July 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Pre-Astronauts: Manned Ballooning on the Threshold of Space (Hardcover)

Craig Ryan takes us on a thrill ride of great adventure, daring and courage of aerospace feats that most people on the face of this Earth never knew happened. Having grown up in the forties and fifties and having read about these balloon exploits firsthand in Life, Post, and Time, Mr. Ryan has allowed me, through vivid detail, excellent research and great writing, to re-live a part of my life as if it where happening all over again. This book is for anyone interested in the history of aerospace development, human courage and true-action adventure.