The conquest of space

Apogee Books Space Series #27

by David Lasser

Originally published in 1931, this is the first book ever written in the English language to address the notion of spaceflight as a serious possibility.

Genres: Space, Nonfiction

3 pages

First published September 1, 2002

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book on impulse while in the U.S. Space and Rocketry Center gift shop in Huntsville, AL. It is one of the first space exploration science books written for a general audience. This 1931 book profoundly impacted a young Arthur C. Clark.

Reading an old science book provides a unique experience in several ways.

First, you understand just how far technology has advanced. The concept of the wireless radio was still fresh in people’s minds. Lasser speculates that one day perhaps rockets could be controlled with this new wireless technology. Pluto was also just recently discovered and atomic power felt to be just over the horizon, while the process of photosynthesis had yet to be fully understood.

Second, there is the historical perspective that we have the luxury of looking back on. In a poignant moment, Lasser speaks with pride on the nascent Raketenflugplatz (Rocket-flying Field) in Reinickendorf outside of Berlin. Little did he know that two years later, the technology at that field would be seized and secreted away by the Nazis.

Third, there is a clarity in how basic scientific concepts are explained. The observations on the geometry of combustion chamber design was very interesting.

Fourth, you can get a primary source perspective of the scientific culture of the time. I had to smile during a speculative narrative of what space travel would be like. Rather than float in the capsule, Lasser has his explorers wearing, “iron shoes, and we walk erect, with the dignity of explorers of the great spaces.”

Last, there are considerations I never thought of before. For example, did it matter what phase the moon was in for lunar landings? Lasser considers the gravitational effects of the sun in transit to the moon.

All in all it was a very enjoyable read and I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in space travel or technologies.

[Norm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I was eventually going to have to pay an antiquarian book dealer in blood for a copy of this book, but I stumbled across this reprint edition at the Pima AFB museum. This is the book that changed Arthur C. Clarke's life- the first serious English language text on the prospects of manned spaceflight. Lasser lays it all out- a mandate for the exploration of the solar system that reads like a historical document in light of the progress that has been made in the seven decades since it was published.