The Dream of Spaceflight: Essays on the near Edge of Infinity Book

Will we walk on distant planets? Terrestrial problems may have regained centre stage in our awareness, but the mythic and poetic possibilities unearthed by the space programs of the 20th century have changed us forever. Historian Wyn Wachhorst captures the essence of our birth as an interstellar species in The Dream of Spaceflight, a collection of five essays spanning nearly 500 years of scientific and technological achievement. The marriage of curiosity and hard work that drove heroes like Kepler, von Braun, and the Apollo astronauts (one of whom, Buzz Aldrin, wrote the foreword for this collection) to conceive, develop, and implement the knowledge and machinery of space travel comes alive in each word of Wachhorst's evocative prose. The subtitle of the second piece, "Nostalgia for a Bygone Future," speaks volumes for the thoughtfulness and creative energy the author devotes to his craft. Wachhorst knows why we cared so deeply about the space program during its heroic phase, and explains our curious ambivalence now that human involvement is restricted to mission control and orbital flights perceived as not much different from extended plane rides. The reader comes away from The Dream of Spaceflight freshly inspired--if a few senators read this, NASA will get all the funding it needs. --Rob LightnerRead More