Echoes Among the Stars: A Short History of the U.S. Space Program: A Short History of the U.S. Space Program

By Patrick J. Walsh and Patrick J. Walsh

Book Overview

Emphasizing the importance of the space programme to the scientific, social and cultural history of the last half of the 20th century, this brief history celebrates the technological leap that the space programme represents, a feat of teamwork, innovation, dedication and mastery.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765605376
• ISBN13: 9780765605375
• Release Date: December 1999
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A Concise History of the Early US Space Program

First of all, let me state that the subtitle of this book should really be something like, "A Short History of the Manned US Space Program up to 1975," since there is very little information on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs and almost nothing on unmanned missions. About half of the book concentrates on the Apollo program. On the flip side, there are some nice discussions on the competing Russian programs. I think a good rating for this book should be 3 stars if you're a space nut and know a lot about the space program and 5 stars if you're a novice space nut. Regardless of your level of space knowledge you'll find this a well written and easy to read book.The book opens with a small chapter on the early unmanned space race to place the first satellites in Earth Orbit. The book then movies into the Mercury and Gemini programs and presents the competing Russian projects. The section on the Gemini program presents a good summary of each mission, its problems and accomplishments and shows how this program proved many of the concepts, like docking, needed to make Apollo the success that it was.The next few sections of the book cover the Apollo missions to the moon and the various steps of the program. The first chapter covers the Apollo 1 fire, the subsequent investigation and changes made to the vehicle. I found this chapter especially refreshing since it avoided the gruesome details of the astronauts' deaths which is not always the case with some books on the space race. The next section covers the precursor missions, Apollos 7-10, which led up the first moon landing which, of course, receives its own chapter. The next two chapters cover Apollo 12 - 17 and provide some very good summaries of these missions. It is interesting to note that during these times, the comparative Russian manned space program is almost at a complete standstill.After the moon landing chapters, about half of the book, the Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz Test Project are discussed. I found the section on Skylab extremely disappointing. Here was a program that more than doubled US spaceflight time and which conducted many important micro-gravity related experiments, yet it only receives six page of text, less than half that of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project chapter. The final chapter of the book covers the last 27 years of manned flight and only examines the most important missions. It just seems that the author ran of steam covering everything that happened after the moon landings took place.

History of the space program told with dignity and grace

Echoes Among the Stars by Patrick J. Walsh is not only a concise lesson in the history of the U.S. Space Program, but also a lyrical tribute to man's quest for knowledge. Walsh's book methodically and elegantly recalls the missions that led up to Neil Armstrong's first captivating step on the moon, fulfilling President John F. Kennedy's vision, and continues to trace the development of the Space Program through the voyages of the space shuttles.Walsh imparts the episodes that inform America's modern psyche with the adventuresome spirit with which they were undertaken. I keenly felt the valor of the astronauts. Creating a parallel between the space programs of the USSR and the United States, Walsh demonstrates how the competition between the programs led to "a handshake across the heavens." By placing the events of the Space Program within the political and social context of the United States, the magnitude of NASA's accomplishments becomes even more striking. The useful chronology at the end of the book is a wonderful, succinct reference of achievements and tragedies sustained by both the Soviet and American space programs alongside political and social events.In a nation that seems to be consuming itself with political angst, Echoes reminds the reader of the powerful patriotism that has made the United States great. Passages relaying the greatest accomplishments of the astronauts-John Glenn's first earth orbit, Ed White's first American spacewalk, Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon, Tom Stafford and Alexei Leonov's handshake-as well as the greatest tragedies-the losses of the Apollo I and Challenger crews-are treated with accomplished storytelling skills that left me filled with emotion. A well-crafted history, Echoes is also a rarity-a truly graceful narrative. Echoes belongs on every well-appointed book shelf in the United States.

Echoes: A Sensitive, Vivid Look at the U.S. in Space

As I began reading "Echoes Among the Stars," I was immediately taken with Walsh's prose-like style. His poetic descriptions of man's fascination with the moon and John Glenn's return to space make this book thoroughly enjoyable and very readable. It is written so smoothly and with such emotion that I actually forgot I was reading a nonfiction, historical study. Walsh's love and knowledge of the subject make it easy to understand the outer space passions of such famous figures as Stephen Hawking and Tom Hanks. His thoughtful, storytelling-style will help readers such as myself not only visualize Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's famous journey, but feel what they and the country felt and experienced when they took that fateful stroll on the cratered moon surface. I was no space buff, but I am now, thanks to Walsh's thorough and clear explanations, and attention to the historical significance of the many facets and missions that made up NASA's successful space-aeronautics program. As Walsh juxtaposes the development and advances in the program against the important events taking place in the U.S. at the time, as well as the Soviet's own space program, I felt as though I not only was reading about the time and the events in question, but had experienced them myself. This was a courageous and successful approach that resulted in a wonderfully interesting and emotion-filled retelling of the adventure that is the U.S. space program.