Epic Rivalry: The Inside Story of the Soviet and American Space Race

by Von Hardesty and Gene Eisman

Book Overview

The extraordinary saga that gripped the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War-galvanized by the Sputnik launch in 1957, and culminated by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon in 1969-is chronicled in this uniquely balanced history. With a foreword written by the grandson of Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, Sergei Khrushchev, this lively and compelling account offers behind-the-scenes perspective from both sides. Written...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1426203217
• ISBN13: 9781426203213
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: National Geographic Society
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Both sides then.

In a snapshot world with nano attention spans, Epic Rivalry manages to grab and hold on. The world in 1957 was on the seam between vacuum tube and microchip, between perceived American complacency and Russian Atomic tests that dropped Strontium 90 in milk bottles across the United States. Amid the tension and fear, two clumsy stumbling giants began the race that framed the future and shapes the world view of space to this day. Von Hardesty and Gene Eisman take you back to the origins, before Sputnik, through its launch in October of 1957 and into the arms of current space. With eloquence and discernment they bring to life the voices of the electrifying story from both sides of the Iron Curtain. There is magic in these pages because what you are hearing isn't competing specifications but rather the rise and fall of mutual dreams. Noah could have floated on the flood of space books currently available. Epic Rivalry is the place to dip your oar. It's the core of the whole story. If you are old enough to remember or young enough to wonder, Epic Rivalry is your book and Hardesty and Eisman your always illuminating guides.