Space Shuttle Decision, 1965-1972 (History of the Space Shuttle, Volume 1) [Paperback]

T. A. Heppenheimer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2002 | Series: History of the Space Shuttle (Book 1)

Heppenheimer looks back at the shuttle's technical antecedents such as the X-15 rocket plane and rocket booster technologies, and illuminates the principal personalities involved in the space shuttle decision and their motivations. He traces NASA's evolving programme goals, the technical calculations, political maneuvering, and fiscal constraints, and explains the myriad designs that preceded the shuttle concept. In closing, he looks in detail at the circumstances leading to the politically charged development decision of 1972.

Product Details

• Paperback: 488 pages
• Publisher: Smithsonian Books (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588340147
• ISBN-13: 978-1588340146
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,004,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Technology and Budget Issues Shape the Shuttle, August 20, 2002

By 

R. B. Currier (Sunny California, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Space Shuttle Decision, 1965-1972 (History of the Space Shuttle, Volume 1) (Paperback)

I remember when the Shuttle program was being debated in the early 1970s, but at the time I viewed it as a simple pro-space (good!) vs. anti-space (bad!) argument. Partly this was my relative youth, and partly the fault of the over-simplified reporting of the time. This book provides the background--technical, financial, and political--to show that the decision was far more complex than that. And it left me with a greater appreciation of the Shuttle and both its strengths and limitations.

The book covers the difficulties NASA had in trying to figure out what to do after Apollo, when public and financial support for the space program was waning. The Vietnam war, a faltering economy, the election of Richard Nixon, the decline of the Soviet space program, and a new focus on earthbound problems all made NASA's grand plans for manned Mars missions, space stations, and moon bases financially out of reach. The days of Apollo-era blank-check budgeting for NASA had actually ended in 1966.

Eventually focusing on reducing the cost of getting payloads into space--with grander plans deferred to the future--the Shuttle program went through many possible configurations. For the technically inclined, some of the discarded shuttle concepts are fascinating. And the amount of technology that had already been developed for other programs was a surprise to me. But as important as the technical issues were, the process of getting a budget through the White House and a hostile Congress were just as difficult. The result of this meeting of technology and budget is the Shuttle that flys today.

Rather than focusing only on the final Shuttle design, the author takes us through various technology stories that defined the environment in which the Shuttle was being contemplated. Those stories include the X-15, SST, 747, L-1011, spy satellites, and the cancelled Apollo Applications program. They might seem unrelated but the author makes it clear how they all fit together.

Although easy-to-read, the author doesn't skimp on technical detail, and makes even the arcane budgeting process seem understandable. It makes many of the events I remember from that time seem less random. Even the political opponents of the space program come off as more rational (if still misguided) than in most books on the space program. (But some decisions, such as cutting a third of the Apollo missions to save less than 10% of the budget, still seem remarkably stupid.)

If you've already exhausted the available books on the glory days of NASA (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo), or want to gain an understanding of how we got where we are today, I recommend this book for a view of the transition period to the modern NASA, and the development of a technological marvel. I look forward to reading the second volume in the series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good view of the politics and technical issues, May 15, 2003

By 

Gene DiGennaro (Baltimore,Md. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Space Shuttle Decision, 1965-1972 (History of the Space Shuttle, Volume 1) (Paperback)

I finished reading this book after the loss of Columbia. It left me with a feeling that the current shuttle was the spacecraft nobody wanted except for the OMB. We have paid for inept space policy in both money and blood. This book outlines the decisions made by NASA and gives a good background as to what the aerospace industry was feeling after the heady days of the early 60's. NASA had to constantly redesign the shuttle not because of technical hurdles but mostly due to political and fiscal considerations. The tragic losses of both Challenger and Columbia are foreshadowed quite spookily in historical NASA documents of the 60's and 70's.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For the Serious Aerospace Enthusiast, March 28, 2003

By 

Ted Spitzmiller - See all my reviews

This review is from: Space Shuttle Decision, 1965-1972 (History of the Space Shuttle, Volume 1) (Paperback)

Mr. Heppenheimer has executed a masterful piece of research and writing. Combing through the wide-ranging historical aspects that led to the final configuration of the Space Shuttle, he has painstakingly reconstructed the technological, political and economic hurdles that had to be overcome to produce this modern marvel. While this first of three volumes deals with the initial decision (1965-1972), it lays the groundwork for what is to come and eagerly anticipated by the reader. It also foreshadows the tragedies that would befall the project. While its depth and tedious detail precludes casual reading for all but the serious student of aerospace technology, it provides fascinating insight into such obscure bureaucracies as the "Office of Management and Budget" (formerly BoB). Brief side excursions that examine the Boeing 747 and Supersonic transport development are easily endured although they add little to the Shuttle story.