Ambassadors from Earth: Pioneering Explorations with Unmanned Spacecraft

by Jay Gallentine

Overview

Ambassadors from Earth reminds us that our first mad scrambles to reach orbit, the moon, and the planets were littered with enough histrionics and cliff-hanging turmoil to rival the most far-out sci-fi film. But it all really happened!

Drawing on original interviews with key players and bolstered by previously unpublished photographs, journal excerpts, and primary source documents, Jay Gallentine delivers a quirky and unforgettable look at the lives and legacy of the people who conceived, built, and guided our first unmanned spacecraft and planetary probes. From the Sputnik and Explorer satellites of the late 1950s, to the thrilling Voyager "Grand Tour" of the '70s and '80s, they yielded some of the most celebrated successes and spectacular failures of the space age.

Confessed one participant, "We were making it up as we went along."

Gallentine fearlessly clambers to the bottom of a surprisingly bitter controversy over who first developed the technique of using gravity to steer a spacecraft. Also of special note are his candid discussions with James Van Allen, the discoverer of the rings of planetary radiation that now bear his name.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803249233
Publisher:	Nebraska Paperback
Publication date:	06/01/2014
Series:	Outward Odyssey: A People's History of Spaceflight
Pages:	520
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 5.70(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Jay Gallentine is a space historian who strives to tell never-before-heard stories of the space age in a lightheartedly appealing, readable, and nontechnical style.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Aboard the Glacier

2. Problem Child

3. The Convict

4. Light Fuse, GET AWAY

5. New Moon

6. Let's Make a Deal

7. The Creators and the Makers

8. Storming the Sea of Dreams

9. Moving at the Speed of Design

10. Job Number MA-11

11. The Science and the Cyclist

12. Get Off the Bus

13. Swing in Time

14. The Meeting and the Mechta

15. Think Like Gravity

16. Didn't They Get It?

17. The Death and the Funeral

18. One Hundred Percent Failure

19. Three-Problem Shipley

20. Pete and Al's Little Field Trip

21. Irradiated Plans

22. Embarking

23. Get It

24. Instant Science

25. Circles of Gold

26. Last Light

27. Continuum

Sources

Index

Editorial Reviews

"[Ambassadors from Earth] offers an accessible account of the U.S. and Soviet planetary missions of the Space Race era, as well as the more widespread efforts of more recent times."—Roger Launius, Air & Space Magazine

Air & Space Magazine - Roger Launius

“An exciting, engrossing tale of the early days of space flight—capturing the human drama with its inside look at the competitors in the space race reaching for the Moon, Venus, Mars and beyond. It’s like listening to the stories of the sailors on Captain Cook’s voyages as they discovered new worlds.”—Louis Friedman, executive director, the Planetary Society

Louis Friedman

“Gallentine's book weaves highly accessible and rich tales of the lives of some of the passionate pioneers behind these space machines. Flooded with details that reveal the contingent and fragile nature of these adventures, Ambassadors from Earth reminds us that behind the scenes in these exciting enterprises are genuine human beings who struggle to make something work. Read this and be inspired.”—Rob Manning, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Program chief engineer

Rob Manning

"This book provides a wonderful way of renewing interest in the pioneering contributions of the robotic space programs pursued by the United States and the Soviet Union."—De Witt Douglas Kilgore, Quest

Quest - De Witt Douglas Kilgore

"Ambassadors is written in an accessible and engaging style, introducing readers to behind-the-scenes players most of us have never heard of."—Russell Lewis, NPR

NPR - Russell Lewis

"Utilising original interviews with key players, bolstered by never-before-seen photographs, journal excerpts, and primary source documents, Gallentine delivers a quirky and unforgettable look at the lives and legacy of the Americans and Soviets who conceived, built, and guided those unmanned missions to the planets and beyond."—Philip Corneille, Spaceflight

Spaceflight - Philip Corneille

"An intriguing and essential read on the history of unmanned space programs and especially the tug-of-war between the United States and the Soviet Union for space supremacy in the late 1950s and the decade of the 1960s."—Dale A. Stirling, Journal for the History of Discoveries

Journal for the History of Discoveries - Dale A. Stirling

"This book provides a wonderful way of renewing interest in the pioneering contributions of the robotic space programs pursued by the United States and the Soviet Union."—De Witt Douglas Kilgore, Quest

— De Witt Douglas Kilgore

Quest

"Utilising original interviews with key players, bolstered by never-before-seen photographs, journal excerpts, and primary source documents, Gallentine delivers a quirky and unforgettable look at the lives and legacy of the Americans and Soviets who conceived, built, and guided those unmanned missions to the planets and beyond."—Philip Corneille, Spaceflight

— Philip Corneille

Spaceflight

"[Ambassadors from Earth] offers an accessible account of the U.S. and Soviet planetary missions of the Space Race era, as well as the more widespread efforts of more recent times."—Roger Launius, Air & Space Magazine

— Roger Launius

Air & Space Magazine

"Ambassadors is written in an accessible and engaging style, introducing readers to behind-the-scenes players most of us have never heard of."—Russell Lewis, NPR

— Russell Lewis

NPR

"Many space buffs, especially young ones, should find this a satisfying narrative."—Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly