The History of Human Space Flight

by Ted Spitzmiller

Military Writers Society of America Awards, Gold Medal for History Highlighting men and women across the globe who have dedicated themselves to pushing the limits of space exploration, this book surveys the programs, technological advancements, medical equipment, and automated systems that have made space travel possible. Beginning with the invention of balloons that lifted early explorers into the stratosphere, Ted Spitzmiller describes how humans first came to employ lifting gasses such as hydrogen and helium. He traces the influence of science fiction writers on the development of rocket science, looks at the role of rocket societies in the early twentieth century, and discusses the use of rockets in World War II warfare. Spitzmiller considers the engineering and space medicine advances that finally enabled humans to fly beyond the earth's atmosphere during the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. He recreates the excitement felt around the world as Yuri Gagarin and John Glenn completed their first orbital flights. He recounts triumphs and tragedies, such as Neil Armstrong's "one small step" and the Challenger and Columbia disasters. The story continues with the development of the International Space Station, NASA's interest in asteroids and Mars, and the emergence of China as a major player in the space arena. Spitzmiller shows the impact of space flight on human history and speculates on the future of exploration beyond our current understandings of physics and the known boundaries of time and space.

Genres: Space, Science, Nonfiction, History

648 pages, Hardcover

Published March 21, 2017

Reviews

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ted Spitzmiller, an experienced pilot and employee of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, has produced an exceptionally thorough overview of human spaceflight here. He begins by writing about balloon flights, which commenced in the 1780s, and continues all the way through the end of the Space Shuttle program and the efforts within NASA and private industry to once again send humans into space from American soil. He also really expanded my knowledge of the Russian efforts, especially concerning the numerous launch failures of the 1960s and 1970s as well as the motivations for U.S./Russian cooperation by the 1990s. His research is so thorough that even an experienced reader like myself picked up several fascinating new nuggets of knowledge.

[Military Writers Society of America (MWSA)]

MWSA Review

The History of Human Space Flight by author/historian Ted Spitzmiller sets the gold standard for history books about space flight. This book gives the reader a true education in its 600+ pages of great storytelling. It might be "history" but the author makes the book feel like you are getting a personal tour of the space program from all the experts. Not only does he give us a great inside look at our own space program (NASA) but also some inside information on what the USSR was doing and what Germany contributed to both space programs. Insightful and informative.

I found the book to be more than I had expected or hoped it might be. It left me satisfied that I had gotten a full picture of what transpired: the early efforts to get rockets into space, the first daring men to ride rocket ships into space, and the moon landings. This is truly an adventure story witnessed by the world, but until now it was not documented so we could all fully appreciate and understand. This book has filled that gap of knowledge with abundant information and data and stories about real people who had courage.

This book is on my personal bookshelf and I will have my grandchildren read it. I salute the author's efforts. Well done!

Review by Bill McDonald (May 2019)