Beyond the Moon: A Golden Age of Planetary Exploration, 1971-1978

by Robert S. Kraemer

During the 1970s, Americans launched twelve robot spacecraft on paths to the far corners of the solar system. Each mission was a resounding success, yielding detailed knowledge of Earth's neighboring planets and advancing human understanding of the solar system's origin and evolution. In 1971, Mariner 9 revealed a history of volcanic eruptions and flooding on Mars. Pioneer 10, launched in 1972, passed safely through the Asteroid Belt and accomplished the first successful flyby of Jupiter. The 1977 Voyager "grand tour" flybys of four of the outer planets revealed satellites that featured active volcanoes, fantastically tortured terrain, and ice-spewing geysers.

Providing an insider's view of what has been called a golden era in space pioneering, Robert S. Kraemer describes the financial, political, and technical hurdles facing each mission. As NASA's director of planetary programs during those years, he witnessed rivalries between scientists, worked to ensure that projects remained in NASA and federal budgets, and reshaped missions to meet changing priorities, schedules, and vehicle configurations. The book also chronicles the technical problems that sometimes jeopardized missions and describes such successes as the first landings on Mars in 1976.

Addressing many of the central themes that have affected space science during the past fifty years, Beyond the Moon documents the efforts of those who contributed to a burst of planetary exploration that laid the foundation for even more extraordinary voyages of discovery. Dozens of full color and black and white illustrations enhance the appeal for any space enthusiast.

270 pages, Hardcover

First published September 17, 2000

Reviews

[Strix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't around for most of these missions, and I always underestimated probes like Viking's impact on space exploration. Yeah, not making that mistake again.

[Adam Minter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big space buff, and I bought this book at the Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C. with anticipation that I'd be learning the inside scoop on designing and flying America's great planetary probes. Alas, I got exactly what I hoped for: a detailed account of the bureaucratic maneuverings that made the probes possible. No doubt, securing funding is important, but Kraemer goes into almost painful detail, naming committees and administrators at a rapid fire rate that becomes meaningless and uninteresting (to me, at least). I have no doubt that these lengthy accounts will be of benefit to future space administrators (in the epilogue, Kraemer all but says they are his target audience), but for the lay reader hoping for a great adventure story, they're just a tedious disappointment. To be sure, here and there Kraemer shares some great anecdotes. But mostly this is a history of funding and bureaucracy, and should only be embraced by those who are seeking such an account.

[Howard Brazee]

This book was entered accidentally. I haven't figured out how to delete it from my reading list.

[Jason Presser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, esp. since this is the 40th anniversary of the first man on the moon...check it out!!