Korolev: How One Man Masterminded the Soviet Drive to Beat America to the Moon

by James Harford

Book Overview

Das erste Buch in englischer Sprache, das das sowjetische Raumfahrtprogramm im Detail analysiert und die Geschichte seines charismatischen Begründers Sergei Korolev erzählt. Verfolgt wird die sowjetische Raumfahrt zwischen den drei iger und siebziger Jahren, die Korolev bis zu seinem Tod im Jahr 1966 dominierte. In eindrucksvoller Weise beschreibt der Autor den riesigen militärisch-industriell-universitären Komplex, der begabte Wissenschaftler und...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471327212
• ISBN13: 9780471327219
• Release Date: March 1999
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

The other side...

Go beyond the Propaganda with this book.Massively documented, dense and well written, this book is a treasure to anyone interested in the space race, the men and women behind it, the politics involved, between nations, ideologies, and especially between individuals.With "Korolev", you follow the rise and fall (to the Gulag), and rise(!) of the man that took on himself to beat the Americans, fighting against the Party, the lack of interest from his leaders, his enemies, and of course, some technological problems. It's hard to comprehend what could have motivated anyone to work during this troubled era with such devotion and faith in his country, even after having been sent for no reason to Siberia for 7 years during the Stalinist Terror.And yet, it's this period of space history that saw Sputnik, Gagarin, Vostok and Venera, as well as a number of "circus acts", as they said, that scared the USA about a possible "Communist Moon". It's also the Soviet space program that will create the most ingenious space technology ever built (read "Russia In Space" about the RD-180, or the NK-33 rocket engines, built in the 60's).It's worth noting that the author never tries to revise history: facts, facts and facts, explained in their context. I am just waiting for such a book to be written on the US space program, the only country with China that still uses propaganda... After all, NASA has been created for the Moon race during the Cold War.

Great insight into the Soviet space program

This book is very well resarched and gives deep insights into the Soviet space effort unknown in the West. A must to read for anyone really interested in space. Before only the American side was presented to the public, while the Soviet side well hidden. Very interesting is the the fate of the N-1 Moon rocket. It is impossible to believe that the Soviets had not only one manned Moon program but two competing ones.

So that is what happened

I began to read as the space race started and I saw and heard stories about failed and lost Russian space flights. Now that the Soviet archives are so open it is wonderful that all of this information is gather in one book so I can see what is true and what is rumor and where so many of these stories came from. This book clarified so much of what I heard during the 1960s. I see an unflattering review here from The NY Times Review of Books by Alex Roland with a remark about information available from other sources. What a snob! First, I keep my eye out for technical books aimed at the general public I don't know of any other book that collects so much relevent information and also tracks down rumors (without getting into unfounded x-file-ish theories). Yes, if I'd made it my career to study aeronautics then this Korolev book might not so special. What might I read? Oh, here's a book "Atmospheric Flight.." by Mr. Roland. What a snort!

Amazing History

This is an amazing book. If you're interested in the space race this is a must read. The book is filled with facinating, little-known facts. For instance, the first manned flight nearly killed Yuri Gagarin when his spacecraft began to spin out of control. It starts a little slowly but by the time Korolev is sent to a Gulag (for no reason) the pace picks up and never subsides.

Excellent, informative profile of the Soviet "VonBraun."

For any student of the Soviet/Russian space program, "Korolev" fills in the missing gaps in our understanding of the genesis of their thrust into space. The book is informative yet clear in the realization that the heavy bureaucracy, lack of money and technological advances and the "dual" moon programs pre-empted the Russians to effectively compete with the United States in the race to the moon. The author also gives us a keen insight into the cruelty of Josef Stalin and the persecution of the leading Soviet scientists.