I was born in 1953. I was there when the Space Race first took hold of the American psyche and the United States and Russian vied to be the first in space travel.
Russia (The Soviet Union) beat America to the punch early in the Space Race.
But it didn’t take long for the good old red, white and blue to catch up and surpass the Russkies.
It’s difficult to describe how exciting it was to witness the first space launches and the triumphs and tragedies that NASA experienced.
It seemed like almost every week new frontiers were being conquered.
Looking back at the early spaceships, equipment and ground support facilities they all seem so primitive.
Bulky, clunky, heavy, a hodgepodge of wires, circuits, nuts, and bolts, fastened together metal and plastics space capsules, rockets, control panels and the like looked like something out of a Dr. Frankenstein laboratory.
And yet they worked-so well in fact that man, barely 50 years after the Wright Brothers took their first flight at Kitty Hawk, was walking on the moon.
From there space exploration branched out into space stations, the Space Shuttle, sophisticated satellites and probes and more.
Space Hardware, written and research by John Gourley and published by Schiffer Publishing, is a brand new hardbound book that examines the artifacts, equipment and sites from the American Space Program.
I have to admit I was excited when I opened the book and began to flip through the pages.
Photographs, charts and illustrations chronicle the space program starting with the very first man-made satellite: Sputnik to the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions.
Both exterior and interior shots examine the spacecraft, the rockets, control panels, exploration vehicles, satellite and space probes, space stations, shuttles and much much more.
Accompanying text delves into the history of space travel and examines each craft and component in full detail.
As a child of the Space Age I am thrilled at the in-depth look at the United States Space Program.
Back then there was a spirit of exploration as the nation gathered together to witness the pioneers of space travel boldly stepping out into the unknown.
"For I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness, One who relents from doing harm." — Jonah 4:2
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