Breaking the Chains of Gravity

Author: Amy Shira Teitel
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472911199
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 313

Book Description
The incredible story of spaceflight before the establishment of NASA. NASA's history is a familiar story, one that typically peaks with Neil Armstrong taking his small step on the Moon in 1969. But America's space agency wasn't created in a vacuum. It was assembled from pre-existing parts, drawing together some of the best minds the non-Soviet world had to offer. In the 1930s, rockets were all the rage in Germany, the focus both of scientists hoping to fly into space and of the German armed forces, looking to circumvent the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles. One of the key figures in this period was Wernher von Braun, an engineer who designed the rockets that became the devastating V-2. As the war came to its chaotic conclusion, von Braun escaped from the ruins of Nazi Germany, and was taken to America where he began developing missiles for the US Army. Meanwhile, the US Air Force was looking ahead to a time when men would fly in space, and test pilots like Neil Armstrong were flying cutting-edge, rocket-powered aircraft in the thin upper atmosphere. Breaking the Chains of Gravity tells the story of America's nascent space program, its scientific advances, its personalities and the rivalries it caused between the various arms of the US military. At this point getting a man in space became a national imperative, leading to the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, otherwise known as NASA.

Fighting for Space

Author: Amy Shira Teitel
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 1538716038
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 427

Book Description
Spaceflight historian Amy Shira Teitel tells the riveting story of the female pilots who each dreamed of being the first American woman in space. When the space age dawned in the late 1950s, Jackie Cochran held more propeller and jet flying records than any pilot of the twentieth century—man or woman. She had led the Women's Auxiliary Service Pilots during the Second World War, was the first woman to break the sound barrier, ran her own luxury cosmetics company, and counted multiple presidents among her personal friends. She was more qualified than any woman in the world to make the leap from atmosphere to orbit. Yet it was Jerrie Cobb, twenty-five years Jackie's junior and a record-holding pilot in her own right, who finagled her way into taking the same medical tests as the Mercury astronauts. The prospect of flying in space quickly became her obsession. While the American and international media spun the shocking story of a "woman astronaut" program, Jackie and Jerrie struggled to gain control of the narrative, each hoping to turn the rumored program into their own ideal reality—an issue that ultimately went all the way to Congress. This dual biography of audacious trailblazers Jackie Cochran and Jerrie Cobb presents these fascinating and fearless women in all their glory and grit, using their stories as guides through the shifting social, political, and technical landscape of the time.

Apollo 8

Author: Jeffrey Kluger
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 1627798315
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 385

Book Description
The untold story of the historic voyage to the moon that closed out one of our darkest years with a nearly unimaginable triumph In August 1968, NASA made a bold decision: in just sixteen weeks, the United States would launch humankind’s first flight to the moon. Only the year before, three astronauts had burned to death in their spacecraft, and since then the Apollo program had suffered one setback after another. Meanwhile, the Russians were winning the space race, the Cold War was getting hotter by the month, and President Kennedy’s promise to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade seemed sure to be broken. But when Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders were summoned to a secret meeting and told of the dangerous mission, they instantly signed on. Written with all the color and verve of the best narrative non-fiction, Apollo 8 takes us from Mission Control to the astronaut’s homes, from the test labs to the launch pad. The race to prepare an untested rocket for an unprecedented journey paves the way for the hair-raising trip to the moon. Then, on Christmas Eve, a nation that has suffered a horrendous year of assassinations and war is heartened by an inspiring message from the trio of astronauts in lunar orbit. And when the mission is over—after the first view of the far side of the moon, the first earth-rise, and the first re-entry through the earth’s atmosphere following a flight to deep space—the impossible dream of walking on the moon suddenly seems within reach. The full story of Apollo 8 has never been told, and only Jeffrey Kluger—Jim Lovell’s co-author on their bestselling book about Apollo 13—can do it justice. Here is the tale of a mission that was both a calculated risk and a wild crapshoot, a stirring account of how three American heroes forever changed our view of the home planet.

The Darkest Dark

Author: Chris Hadfield
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0316362824
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 49

Book Description
Encouraging readers to dream the impossible, The Darkest Dark follows a young boy intrigued by space, but afraid of the dark, inspired by the childhood of real-life astronaut Chris Hadfield and brought to life by Terry and Eric Fan's lush, evocative illustrations. Chris loves rockets and planets and pretending he's a brave astronaut, exploring the universe. Only one problem. At night, Chris doesn't feel so brave. He's afraid of the dark. When he watches the groundbreaking moon landing on TV, Chris learns that space is the darkest dark there is, and through that lesson discovers that the dark isn't just scary, but beautiful and exciting—especially when you have big dreams to keep you company.

The Gravity of Us

Author: Brittainy Cherry
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 9781728297149
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"Vivid and beautifully emotional." Elle Kennedy, NYT Bestselling Author They say some people aren't meant to be together. That Graham and I were too different to ever make any sense. I was driven by emotion; he kept his walls high. I dreamed of a brighter future; he passed his days in nightmares. Despite all that, we sometimes shared seconds. Seconds when our eyes locked and we saw each other's secrets. Seconds when his lips tasted my fears, and I breathed in his pain. Seconds when we both imagined what it would be like to love one another. But Graham Russell wasn't a man who knew how to love, and I wasn't a woman who knew how to stay. Yet if I had the chance to fall again, I'd fall with him forever. Even if we were always destined to crash against solid ground. The Elements Series: The Air He Breathes, book 1 The Fire Between High & Lo, book 2 The Silent Waters, book 3 The Gravity of Us, book 4

No Dream Is Too High

Author: Buzz Aldrin
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 1426216505
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 228

Book Description
Beloved American hero and astronaut Buzz Aldrin reflects on the wisdom, guiding principles, and irreverent anecdotes he's gathered—both in outer space and on earth—through his event-filled life, in this inspiring guide-to-life for the next generation. Everywhere he goes, crowds gather to meet Buzz Aldrin. He is a world-class hero, a larger-than-life figurehead, best known of a generation of astronauts whose achievements surged in just a few years from first man in space to first men on the moon. Now he pauses to reflect and share what he has learned, from the vantage point not only of outer space but also of time: still a non-stop traveler and impassioned advocate for space exploration, Aldrin will be 86 in 2016. No Dream Is Too High whittles down Buzz Aldrin's event-filled life into a short list of principles he values, each illustrated by fascinating anecdotes and memories, such as: · Second comes right after first. NASA protocol should have meant he was first on the moon, but rules changed just before the mission. How he learned to be proud of being the second man on the moon. · Look for opportunities, not obstacles. Buzz was rejected the first time he applied to be an astronaut. Failure is an opportunity to learn to do better. · Always maintain your spirit of adventure. For his 80th birthday, Buzz went diving in the Galapagos and hitched a ride on a whale shark. He stays fit, energetic, and fascinated with life. No Dream Is Too High is a beautiful memento, a thought-provoking set of ideas, and a new opportunity for Buzz Aldrin to connect with the masses of people who recognize his unique place in human history.

The Chasm

Author: Patrick Irvine
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781658848138
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 278

Book Description
This book details the current state of Men and Women in the Black Community as they relate to each other. It dives into the history behind the current relationship, looks at the myths and common assumptions, and gives cultural solutions to bring things back together.

Lines of Departure

Author: Marko Kloos
Publisher: 47north
ISBN: 9781477817407
Category : Dystopias
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Humanity is on the ropes, and after years of fighting a two-front war with losing odds, so is North American Defense Corps officer Andrew Grayson. He dreams of dropping out of the service one day, alongside his pilot girlfriend, but as warfare consumes entire planets and conditions on Earth deteriorate, he wonders if there will be anywhere left for them to go.

Breaking the Chains

Author: Robert Willis
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 0595360963
Category : Catholic ex-priests
Languages : en
Pages : 333

Book Description
Raised in a Catholic family in the Pacific Northwest, author Robert Willis learned to obey two judges: his father, a county superior court judge, and God. He joined the Jesuits, hoping to please both. The 1960s revolution tested his unthinking obedience to authorities-paternal, religious, and political-as the immorality of the Vietnam War troubled his conscience and the Second Vatican Council challenged his position in the modern world. When his efforts to stop the war led him to Vietnam, he knew he had to break the chains that bound him to the past. Willis's path took him to the nascent human potential movement in California. Experiencing its healing power, he joined Carl Rogers and colleagues at the Center for Studies of the Person in La Jolla while simultaneously pursuing a doctorate in psychology at San Diego's United States International University. In his teaching and practice of psychotherapy, Willis emphasized the crucial importance of the healing relationship. In its depths, he felt the presence of the Spirit of God. In his personal life, together with a woman who touches his soul, he meets the God of love. The chains, at last, lie broken.

Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics

Author: Gregory J. Gbur
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300249071
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 342

Book Description
How do cats land on their feet? A “lively, entertaining” look at how the question stumped brilliant minds for centuries—and what was learned along the way (Ars Technica). The question of how falling cats land on their feet has long intrigued humans. In this playful and eye-opening history, physicist and cat parent Gregory Gbur explores how attempts to understand the cat-righting reflex have provided crucial insights into puzzles in mathematics, geophysics, neuroscience, and human space exploration. The result is an engaging tumble through physics, physiology, photography, and robotics to uncover, through scientific debate, the secret of the acrobatic performance known as cat-turning, the cat flip, and the cat twist. You’ll learn the solution—but also discover that the finer details still inspire heated arguments. As with other cat behavior, the more we investigate, the more surprises we discover. “[An] extremely well-written popular science book.” —James Kakalios, author of The Physics of Superheroes “Engrossing.” —Sean Carroll, author of Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime