The Soviet Space Race with Apollo [Paperback]

Asif A. Siddiqi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003

First published by NASA in 2000 as Challenge to Apollo, these two volumes are the first comprehensive history of the Soviet-manned space programs covering a period of thirty years, from the end of World War II, when the Soviets captured German rocket technology, to the collapse of their moon program in the mid-1970s.

The spectacular Soviet successes of Sputnik--the first Earth satellite (1957) and Yuri Gagarin--the first man in space (1961) shocked U.S. leaders and prompted President John F. Kennedy to set the goal of landing a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s. The moon race culminated with the historic landing of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon in 1969 (coincidentally the first Soviet unmanned moon probe crashed on its surface while the American astronauts were at Tranquility Base).

The epic story of the Soviet space program remained shrouded in secrecy until the unprecedented opening of top secret documents. Based almost entirely on these Russian-language sources and numerous interviews with veterans, Siddiqi's book breaks through the rumors, hearsay, and speculation that characterized books on the Soviet space program published during the Cold War years. Supplementing the text with dozens of previously classified photographs, he weaves together the technical, political, and personal history of the major Soviet space programs, providing the other side of the history of human space flight.

Editorial Reviews

Review

It is no exaggeration to say that this is one of the most important space history books ever published... -- Liftoff, Jan-Feb 2005

About the Author

Asif A. Siddiqi is a Ph.D. candidate in history at Carnegie Mellon University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Florida; 1st edition (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813026288
• ISBN-13: 978-0813026282
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #815,565 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Soviet Space Race With Apollo adds flesh to the rumours, September 19, 2003

By 

Nigel Millard (Seabrook, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Soviet Space Race with Apollo (Paperback)

For anyone who has an interest in the space race, or the Soviet space program, this book is a must read. It covers the Mishin years as chief designer, and chronicles the downfall of the soviet manned lunar orbital, and lunar landing programs, which were cancelled after the fourth failure of the N1 super booster in 1974. It also covers the Glushko era, and the formation of NPO Energia in the late 1970's.

My only critisizm of the book is that it can be heavy going in places, typical of any official NASA history text. All the known facts are recorded in print, no matter how mundane they may be. However, many of these facts are the details that serious space buffs have thirsted for, for many years. This book adds flesh to the bones of Soviet space history, and shines light into previously shady areas. Topics of particular interest are: the failure of Soyuz 1, the death of Gagarin, the crushing affects of Apollo 8, and the long and continuous string of Proton and N1 launch failures that caused the demise of the Soviet lunar program.

The Soviets eventually turned to their military Almaz program for salvation; which spawned the Salyut space station. This too turned to disater when the first occupants died aboard their Soyuz 11 re-entry vehicle. Some of the books best moments are the eye witness accounts of pivotal events in the program, reproduced from the diaries of General Nikolay Kamanin and the touching story of the N1 booster, which was so close to success before it was ultimately cancelled, dismantled, and completely destoyed by Glushko.

The book is illustrated with small black and white images, but for better photographs, of the N1 and other soviet equipment of this era, I recommend "Rocket and Space Corporation Energia: The Legacy of S. P. Korolev".

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You think you have job stress ?, February 1, 2004

By 

Alexander T. Gafford "alex" (Midland, Ga United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Soviet Space Race with Apollo (Paperback)

You think you have job stress? This book,written from Russian source material by a PhD candidate commisioned by NASA, details the huge difficulties Russian engineers had trying to accomplish what they did in the chaotic and Byzantine world of the Soviet space program. Their technical decisions are well described and their personal issues and rivalries dealt with fairly and objectively. I came away with a deep respect for the achievments of the Russians. Their technology base was thin and weak compared to that of the U.S. and they developed many innovative ways to overcome it. The two most interesting aspects to me were the way in which German missile technology was incorporated and then surpassed to start the Russian program and the coverage of the ill-fated but fascinating N1/L1 Moon program. Do be warned - this is a dense, heavily researched, and highly detailed book - not a light read !

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book fills in all the details about the Soviet side of the Moon Race..., March 24, 2006

By 

Faith (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Soviet Space Race with Apollo (Paperback)

This is an excellent and extraordinarily thorough analysis of how the Soviet space program went from the highs of Sputnik and Vostok (covered in the author's first book) to the disappointments of the failed attempts to launch a circumlunar mission or an actual manned lunar landing. If the book is a perhaps excessively detailed and not a light read, I think that's fine, because it also answers the many questions I always had of what REALLY happened during these tense years of the Soviet/American space race. The Soviet efforts were for so long shrouded in mystery and even when revelations came they seemed incomplete. I think this author's strong emphasis on original source material and exhaustive research have been well rewarded. If you want the complete story, this is a must have.