Florida's Space Coast: The Impact of NASA on the Sunshine State

by William Barnaby Faherty

Florida's
Space Coast tells
the compelling story of America's half century in space exploration from the
successful launch of the first two-stage rocket in 1950 through the space
shuttle missions of 2000. Told from the unique viewpoint of the people who
built the Spaceport, this book shows how the space program transformed the east
central Florida coast from a traditional citrus production and tourist area to
one of the most influential high-tech centers in the nation.

Cape Canaveral was chosen as a missile launch site
because of its many geographical advantages. However, in the early years of the
space program, the area was far from an ideal place for NASA employees to raise
their families. NASA brought in thousands of space-related workers, who,
besides sending machines and people into space, had to meet the challenge of
moving their families from urban environs to a rural southern county. This book
engagingly recounts the parallel stories of the establishment of America's
space program and its impact on the development of Brevard County.

A volume in the
Florida History and Culture series, edited by Raymond Arsenault and Gary R.
Mormino

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 081302563X
• ISBN13: 9780813025636
• Release Date: December 2002
• Publisher: University Press of Florida
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.8" x 8.7"