Overview
In the 1950s and early 1960s a small fraternity of daring, brilliant men made the first exploratory trips into the upper stratosphere, reaching the edge of outer space in tiny capsules suspended beneath plastic balloons. This book tells the story of these tenacious men as they labored on the cusp of a new age, seeing things that no one had ever seen and experiencing conditions no one was sure they could survive. Mostly U.S. Air Force and Navy officers, among them doctors, physicists, meteorologists, engineers, astronomers, and test pilots, they struggled with meager budgets, bureaucratic politics, and one another. It is a thrilling story of tremendous personal sacrifice and great risk for the promise of adventure and the opportunity to uncover a few precious aspects of the universe. Capt. Joseph Kittinger, for example, rode a balloon up to 103,000 feet in an open gondola and then stepped out and freefell to Earth, becoming the only person to break the sound barrier without a vehicle. Lt. Col. David Simons stayed aloft for a full day and night in a primitive pressurized capsule to become one of the first to see the curvature of the planet. In this work, Craig Ryan masterfully captures the drama of their spectacular achievements and those of many of the other space pioneers who made America's stratospheric balloon programs possible.
Full Product Details
Author: Craig Ryan
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Imprint: Naval Institute Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 2.10cm
, Length: 22.80cm
Weight: 0.558kg
ISBN: 9781591147480
ISBN 10: 1591147484
Pages: 344
Publication Date: 10 April 2003
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Temporarily unavailable
The supplier advises that this item is temporarily unavailable. It will be ordered for you and placed on backorder. Once it does come back in stock, we will ship it out to you.
Reviews
Craig Ryan superbly narrates harrowing moments experienced by the balloonists. The Houston Chronicle
Craig Ryan superbly narrates harrowing moments experienced by the balloonists. <i><b>The Houston Chronicle</i></b>
Craig Ryan superbly narrates harrowing moments experienced by the balloonists. -- The Houston Chronicle Comprehensive... -- Air and Space An absolute feast of information. -- Booklist
Craig Ryan superbly narrates harrowing moments experienced by the balloonists. -- <i><b>The Houston Chronicle</i></b>
An absolute feast of information. - Booklist; Comprehensive... - Air and Space; Craig Ryan superbly narrates harrowing moments experienced by the balloonists. - The Houston Chronicle
Craig Ryan superbly narrates harrowing moments experienced by the balloonists. -- The Houston Chronicle
Author Information
Craig Ryan graduated from Reed College in 1977 with a BA in English literature. He spent two years in the Brown University Writer's Workshop, where he was awarded the Feldman Prize for Short Fiction. He received an MA in English literature and writing from Brown in 1982 and won the Transatlantic Review Award for New Fiction the following Year. He is also the author of two travel books and has published several articles in the computer and electronics trade press.
