Space Race: The Epic Battle Between America and the Soviet Union for Dominion of Space

by Deborah Cadbury

Book Overview

The story of the race into space is marked by the greatest superpower rivalries, political paranoia, and technological feats of the twentieth century. But until now, we have known only half the story. With the end of the cold war, decades of secrets have been exposed, bringing with them a remarkable opportunity: the unmasking of the true heroes and villains behind one of the most exciting races in history. At the center of this exhilarating, fast-paced...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060845538
• ISBN13: 9780060845537
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Epic Book About Said Epic Battle

Brilliant DUAL BIOGRAPHY structure detailing the similarities / differences in the Korolev and Von Braun worlds. Thoroughly researched back to original sources. Page turning story writing. If there is only one book for getting the most important aspects of this history, this is the edition. If you want basis for a great missiles / space travel library, then: Space Race, Korolev, and David Baker's giant tome, Rocket History.

Space Race or is it Spase Rase ?

I too have read the Australian edition of this book, and yes it is full of strange expressions and obvious typo errors ... but its an entertaining read nonetheless. Its a well conceived book on the 2 key men on either side of the space race, that is periodically let down by annoying detail errors that a simple proofread could have fixed. You therefore begin to wonder if his real name is Korolov or Korolev or Kerolov ... or maybe even Molotov ? ... its worth a read

Space Race

This book is well written and filled with little know facts regarding the Soviets. It was interesting to read about the infighting and problems the Soviets faced during the 1950's and 1960's.

Good history of the moon race

This is a well written book that focuses on the roles of Wehner von Braun and Sergei Korolev in leading respectively the United States and Soviet Union in the race to the moon. The main strength of the book is that it places the men in the context of the their times and provides interesting and insightful parallel accounts of their experiences prior to and during the Cold War. Although other authors have written fascinating accounts of the early history of space exploration, this book excels in showing the cause and effect of interpersonal and political decisions as well as showing the risks and stress that such decisions placed on people involved. The matter-of-fact depictions of the failures experienced by both programs distinguishes this book from the "gee whiz" approach of some books by making it apparent that the difference between success and disaster often hinged on the proper functioning of complex and barely tested systems and the appropriate utilization of the meager resources on board the space craft. Although the emphasis of the book is on the events and people involved in the space programs, I found the book to be technically sound. Also, I think the fact that the book is written by a British citizen adds to the balance of the book. Keep in mind that the book is about the programs headed by von Braun and Korolev and does not deal extensively with other programs that were involved in space exploration or the efforts that did not evolve in the moon programs. Nonetheless, it provides a very good sense of the challenges of space exploration and how they were largely addressed.

Fantastic Non-Fiction

I am almost finished with this book and let me say, I was interested in the space program before,but this book has gotten me enthralled with it. Never before have I read a nonfiction account of history that really draws you in. Between Deborah Cadbury's style of writing, well picked quotes and some great pictures one will be sucked in to the exciting space race that began in the last days of World War II. Even though everybody knows how it ultimately ends you are still on the edge of your seat with the many attempts both the US and the former USSR made at space travel. You really see what it was like through the eyes of the men and women that lived it. If you are at all interested in our future in space you should read this book! And if you get a chance watch the documentary based on the book on the National Geograpphic Channel, also great!

The US-USSR race to space from the perspective of the men leading the programs

If there's one thing more difficult than making history interesting to a general audience, it's writing a history of scientific achievement. While Deborah Cadbury's Space Race is not a perfect work, it does a worthy job of telling the history of the race between the United States and the Soviet Union to achieve supremacy in space. Cadbury makes this more than dry scientific history by looking at the two programs from the standpoint of the two men leading the projects. Space Race is a companion to a television series of the same name that aired on the BBC last year and is scheduled to air on the National Geographic Channel next month. Cadbury tells the story by alternating in each chapter between Wernher von Braun and the American program and the Soviet program during roughly the same time period with a focus on von Braun's Soviet counterpart, Sergei Korolev. While von Braun was appearing before television cameras and gracing magazine covers, Korolev was unknown even in his own country. The Soviet obsession with secrecy meant that he was known only as the "Chief Designer." In fact, when Yuri Gagarian was honored in Red Square for being the first man in space, Korolev was not on the balcony or at the head table for the celebratory events. In fact, he never even made it to Red Square because his car broke down. Cadbury uses this approach to take us from Korolev's imprisonment in the Soviet gulag during the Stalinist purges and the race to find Nazi rocket scientists as World War II came to a close to Korolev's death in 1966 and the ultimate success of America's lunar program. Where Cadbury excels is in taking us inside Korolev's life, work and struggles. Using some of Korolev's personal archives, Cadbury helps us learn not only about the successes and failures in the Soviet program but also in the life of the man who directed it. On the other hand, von Braun's history is an area in which Space Race seems to suffer. The work often refers to von Braun's Nazi ties and details the conditions of the slave and concentration camp labor used in the Nazi rocket program. At the same time, there is little definitive about the extent of von Braun's involvement. Similarly, while Cadbury tells a compelling tale of the search for the Nazi rocket scientists at the close of the war, there is little on the deals that were struck or the records that may have been destroyed as part of Project Paperclip, the name for the operation that brought Nazi rocket scientists to the United States. Perhaps no one really knows those details. If that is the case, Cadbury needed to be more clear, rather than throwing out sentences like, "Von Braun's own secrets have only recently been unraveled." The fact Space Race is a companion to a television series also works against it at times. Television series episodes occasionally require repetition to remind viewers of what they saw in a prior installment or to educate new viewers. In the written word, though, material