Countdown: A History of Space Flight

by T.A. Heppenheimer

T. A. Heppenheimer's acclaimed chronicle of rockets, politics, and the pioneers who dared to reach beyond humanity's limits. "The most comprehensive, up-to-date, and best written history of space flight there is."
― The Times (London) "A lively account of the development of space activities in the U.S. and the Soviet Union . . . as good a one-volume overview of space as exists."
― Scientific American "Countdown is by far the best history of space flight I have ever read. It is detailed, lucidly written for the layman, and full of fascinating stories."
― Adrian Berry , Daily Telegraph "Science writer Heppenheimer's readable account provides a timely historical overview of the early visionaries, the engineers, and the geopolitical forces that placed men on the moon and created today's aerospace industry. . . . A thoughtful analysis that is highly recommended."
― Library Journal "By far the most significant and technically insightful account of the ventures into the space environment I have seen. . . . [Heppenheimer] concentrates unerringly on key elements, both technical and managerial, in this account of man's initial space ventures."
― Lee Atwood , Former president and chairman, North American Aviation Corporation "Like a skilled artisan, Heppenheimer weaves social, political, scientific, technological, military, and economic threads of the history of space flight into a tapestry that reveals fascinating patterns and themes."
― Publishers Weekly

Genres: History, Space, Nonfiction, Science, Technology

Paperback

First published April 15, 1997

About the author

Thomas A. Heppenheimer (January 1, 1947 – September 9, 2015) holds a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan, and is an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has held research fellowships in planetary science at California Institute of Technology and at the Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg, Germany.

He has been a freelance writer since 1978. He has written extensively on aerospace, business and government, and the history of technology. He is a frequent contributor to American Heritage and its affiliated publications, and to Air & Space. He has also written for the National Academy of Sciences, and contributed regularly to Mosaic of the National Science Foundation. He has written some 300 published articles for more than two dozen publications.

Reviews

[Sajjad thaier · Rating 3 out of 5]

#عد_تنازلي:تاريخ رحلات الفضاء
تأليف: ت.ا.هبنهايمر
الترجمة : محمد سعد طنطاوي
مراجعة : هبة عبد المولى أحمد
النوع : علمي, تأريخي
عدد الصفحات:590
التقييم:3\5


الملخص:
الكتاب هو سيرة تاريخية لرحلات الفضاء وصناعة الصواريخ والمكوكات الفضائية. فالكتاب يبدأ مع كتيب (أسلوب بلوغ الارتفاعات الشاهقة ) وكتاب (الصاروخ في عالم الفضاء بين الكواكب ) اللذان نشرا في عشرينيات القرن الماضي. هذان الكتابان احدثا ثورة في الوسط العلمي لأنهما أشارا إلى أداة جديدة لاستكشاف الفضاء وهي الصواريخ ,بالطبع لفترة ليست بطويلة كانت هذه الفكرة مدعاة للسخرية فكيف يمكن للصارخ الاندفاع في الفضاء الفارغ .بعد ذلك أصبحت الصواريخ اقرب للعبة لتسلية العلماء أو لقضاء وقت الفراغ , لكن ألمانيا- التي وقعت اتفاقية في الحرب العالمية الأولى تمنعها من صنع مدافع كبيرة أو أسلحة عملاقة- وجدت في الصواريخ بديل ممتاز عن المدافع بعيدة المدى . ومن هذه النقطة بدء عصر جديد عصر الصواريخ العسكرية الذي حاولت باقي الدول تقليده لكن لا احد وصل إلى التقدم الذي وصلت إليه ألمانيا تحت قيادة العالم فون براون . لكن في النهاية سقطت ألمانيا وتسربت الأسرار وذهب فون براون إلى أمريكا ليصبح واحد من أهم مصممي الصواريخ في أمريكا واحد مؤسسي ناسا والمساهمين في مشروع ابولو الشهير . بعد سقوط ألمانيا حاولت أمريكا دخول سباق الصواريخ بمعونة فون براون .لكن لمدة طويلة منذ سقوط ألمانيا وحتى وصول ارمسترونغ للقمر فقد كانت روسيا وكبير علمائها كوروليف بالمقدمة في أغلب الأوقات ففي الوقت الذي كانت أمريكا ترسل فيه قمر صناعيا بحجم كرة القدم إلى الفضاء كانت روسيا ترسل البشر إلى هناك . لكن بعد ذلك تبين أن هذه المجهودات الفضائية قد أنهكت الاقتصاد الروسي بشكل مرعب و اضطرت للتراجع إلى الخلف كثير إمام الزحف الأمريكي نحو القمر وبقية المنظومة الشمسية . لكن في النهاية في وقتنا الحاضر بدأت روسيا تطل برأسها من جديد لكن ليس كمنافس لأمريكا بل كحليف باسكتشاف الفضاء فقد انتهى وقت السياسيين الذين يحركون العالم بل أصبح الآن وقت المنظمات العلمية التي تتحرك بحرية نحو الاستكشاف والمعرفة فقط.

رأيي:

لقد كان الكتاب رغم حجمه الكبير نسبيا سلساٌ بشكل لا يصدق فالكاتب له أسلوبه الرائع بجذب انتباهك إلى حياة هؤلاء العلماء والمهندسين الذين شكلوا معرفتنا الحالية للفضاء . وكذلك قد أتت الترجمة سلسة بسيطة بدون أخطاء كثيرة .


"عندما عرض علينا أحد َّ نماذج الصواريخ التي صمَمها، اعتقدنا أنه لم
يكن سوى أنبوب ضخم يشبه السيجار، ولم نكن نظن أنه سيطير. اصطحبَنا
ٍ كوروليف في جولة َ لمشاهدة إحدى منصات إطلاق الصواريخ، وحاو َل أن يشرح
لنا كيف يعمل الصاروخ، لكننا كنا كالفلاحين في السوق؛ درنا حول الصاروخ
مرةً بعد مرة، لامسين إيَّاه، وداقِّين عليه لنرى إذا ما كان قويٍّا بما يكفي. فعلنا
كل شيء ما عدا لعَق الصاروخ لنرى كيف كان طعمه"

"قرْرنا الذهاب َّ إلى القمر! قرْرنا الصعود َّ إلى القمر خلال هذا العقد، وقرْرنا
أيضا القيام ببقية الأمور الأخرى؛ لا لأنها أمور سهلة، ولكن لأنها أمور صعبة.
لأن هذا الهدف سيسهم في حشد أفضل طاقاتنا ومهاراتنا، وسيكون مقياسا
لها. لأن ذلك التحدي هو تحد ٍّ نقبل بمواجهته، تحد ٍّ لا نرغب في تأجيله، تحد
نعتزم مواجهته والتغلب عليه"

"علينا أن نبحر في اتجاه الرياح حينًا وضدها أحيانًا أخرى، لكن
علينا أن نبحر، وألا ننجرف، أو نقف عند مرسى ولا نتحرك"

[Artem Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would deduct 1 star because it is not up to date, from 1997-Now, but that wouldn't really be fair. So, 5 stars it is!! This is a detailed book where the author really did his research. TONS OF SOURCES. The chapters are set up in perfect order, and the pace is very thorough. This is the kind of book that you will need to put down after a chapter or two, just to let all that information sink in. But the vast quantity of information, especially for an amateur in space history, is very well worth the read.

[Ronnie Haik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Working from wine cellars, chicken coops, and other thrown together places using equipment that like sauce pans and cocktail shakers early rocket scientist went out to build advanced rockets that could eventually take us to the moon. The book is filled with the stories of important people including, Wernher von Braun, father of modern day rockery. He started work for the Nazi's but later became the
head of the American space program, and Sergei Korolev, sentenced to a Siberian prison when only to be released to lead the Soviet rocket program. People like these men and others pioneered the technology for liquid fueled rockets that we still use today. The book goes through the early history of the soviet space program and in detail the first american flights past the karaman line and into orbit. Though completely non-fiction it is still an inspiring book.

[iain meek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good history of space flight from the V2 all the way through to the International Space Station. However the author ends with "the ultimate purpose of the manned space program might amount to an exercise in theater. Yet theater has long been an essential element of the most serious and productive politics." Manned space flight has been largely superceded by modern electronics, he suggests, in terms of utility.

thanks to Camden libraries

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though in need a an updated second edition, _Countdown_ is the best general history of spaceflight available. Heppenheimer balances civil, military, and commercial uses of space well, and has a knack for insightful and amusing turns of phrase.

[Mary Soon Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book comprehensively covers the history of space flight up to the 1990s (it was first published in 1997). It extends from Oberth's and Goddard's early thoughts on space flight, through World War II and the military development of rocketry, then on through the Cold War and beyond. It includes detailed discussion of both Soviet and US efforts, and, eventually, Europe's contributions, such as Ariane. It also includes both civilian and military uses, from weapons, to communications satellites, to reconnaissance, to meteorology, to astronomy. And it discusses the worth of manned versus unmanned programs, viewing the former largely as an exercise in politics and theater, but the latter as practical and profitable. (Perhaps this is correct, but my heart yearns toward manned space exploration.)

The topic is very interesting to me, and many of the details are striking and fascinating, but I found the presentation often dry. I think this may be because the scope is so broad and the book under 400 pages. While the author gives insights into the major figures, such as Korolev and von Braun, there are many other figures who are barely more than named. Likewise, so many missions and spacecraft are described that most get scant attention. This book is a good introduction that left me wanting to read a work of lesser scope but greater depth.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history of Space Flight is often told either from the American or the Soviet viewpoint. This book tells it from both sides, intertwining the two to present an enthralling story which takes us from the German rockets of World War Two, through the space race of the 1960s and 1970s and to the era of co-operation between Russia and America, and the International Space Station.

This story of space flight includes such renowned figures as Werner von Braun, father of the German V2 rocket and head of the American space effort, and Sergei Korolev, sentenced to a Siberian prison camp, but released to head the Soviet rocket program.

This is a wonderful historical story.

[Dmitrii · Rating 4 out of 5]

History of human space ambitions, from Tsiolkovsky to Mir, with everything in between covered with admirable detail. Specific programs, like Apollo, have seen many books dedicated to them, but this may be the only volume that covers everything, including military and commercial developments, up through about 1999. I found some parts tedious, but there are plenty of fascinating and very human anecdotes, too. For an American author, Heppenheimer covers Soviet space history expertly and without obvious bias.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beginning with a look at rocketry under Stalin and Hitler and concluding with cooperative United States-Soviet Union space ventures of the 1990s, this book offers readers a comprehensive historical account of the development of both American and Russian space activities.

Written for the layman, it is detailed, insightful, and filled with fascinating stories. Drawings and photographs accompany the text; author notes and an extensive bibliography are also included.

Highly recommended.

[Patrick Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent historical account of the history of space flight through the time it was written. Rich in scientific detail, it tells of our successes and failures along the way. It also explores the politics of the space race and why projects such as Skylab were abandoned. A fine detailed history.

[Jeff Roche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful history of spaceflight from the 19th century to the 1990s.

You really get a feel for how today's slow government aerospace contractors, operated at the speed of spacex from the 40s through the 70s.

Well worth the read, especially the compare and contrast between Soviet and American efforts to develop ballistic missle technology.