Project Mercury: NASA's First Manned Space Programme (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration) (Hardcover)

~ John Catchpole (Author)
Key Phrases: antenna canister, manned satellite vehicle, manned satellite programme, Mercury Atlas, Soviet Union, Cape Canaveral (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews:

"John Catchpole’s new account of this pioneering project is most welcome. Catchpole’s account is not so much a chronological history … as it is a description of the project and its various elements – though of course there is a lot of historical material in it. … So all in all you get a lot for your money in these 485 pages … . this is a very good book … ." (David Maclennan, Liftoff, Issue 219, 2004)

"This book describes the first US manned space program in sufficient detail, using not only NASA sources but also alternative sources. He has gathered all the information from the diverse places, sorted it out for us and has produced a history in sufficient detail … . A number of appendices provide some useful additional information, including … a number of useful tables. … And it contains some quite historic photos which I have not seen before. An extremely useful book, definitely worth the money." (Jos Heyman, News Bulletin of the Astronautical Society of Western Australia, Vol. 27 (2), 2001)

"It’s a good read for the space buff and certainly fills in a lot of interesting background … . The production quality is good, with clear printing, good illustrations some of which I’ve never seen before and about the correct number of them to offset the text. … it’s quite easy to read and … it kept my attention pretty much to the end. … It does fill a gap by providing technical background, and some interesting asides … ." (John Davies, The Observatory, Vol. 122 (1167), 2002)

Product Description

The fascinating story behind the development of the first American manned space program and its associated infrastructure. Softcover.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 485 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (September 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852334061
• ISBN-13: 978-1852334062
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,212,125 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Reads like a text book., April 15, 2009

By	Robert A. Waltemate (Long Beach, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I was looking for more of a story, but there is a lot of information and history in this book.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, March 10, 2006

By	Wilfred A. Roberge "rocketdude1979" (Wareham/Fort Devens, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Like all of Springer Paxis Books I knew I had to have this one and I was not dissapointed in this one. The book covers all aspects of the program from launch vehicles to launch facilities as well as the astronauts themselves!! It goes into the design studies and concepts, as well as the selection process for the astronauts.