Into the Unknown Together is a comprehensive review of the
political and management terrain involved in the early US space
program-especially those aspects dealing with human spaceflight.
Indeed, the work is encyclopedic, coming in at a hefty 682 pages,
including endnotes. Primarily covering the period from the birth of
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958 to
the end of the Apollo program in 1972, the book discusses in great
detail the complex, sometimes byzantine, interactions that
characterized the relations among NASA, the Department of Defense
(DOD), and the Air Force. The book is particularly strong in its
tracing of the development of these interactions and the manner in
which each presidential administration put its own stamp not only
on the overall US space program, but also on the nature of the
relationship between NASA and its DOD counterparts. These
interactions varied in time and intensity, ranging from cooperation
to conflict and benign disregard. The work certainly represents an
important contribution to the serious academic literature relating
to space history, clearly refuting any notion that NASA was merely
a puppet of the DOD or the Air Force. The 108-page bibliography
alone, current through the early 2000s, is a most impressive
resource for the writer on space issues. In sum, for the
professional space-policy "wonk" or historian of US space (and
science) policy, Into the Unknown Together is a must reference for
a study or library. Colonel Erickson has done the academic fields
of space history and policy a great service. (Review by Lt Col
Joseph P. Bassi, USAF, Retired) Contents: Chapter 1 - Necessary
Preconditions * Chapter 2 - Eisenhower Act I * Chapter 3 -
Eisenhower Act II * Chapter 4 - Mercury, Dynasoar, and the NRO
Under Eisenhower * Chapter 5 - Kennedy, Prestige, and the Manned
Lunar Landing Program * Chapter 6 - NASA, DOD, McNamara, and the
Air Force Under Kennedy * Chapter 7 - Gemini, Dynasoar, and the
Manned Orbiting Laboratory * Chapter 8 - Johnson's Philosophy,
Space Policy, and Institutional Continuity * Chapter 9 - Apollo and
the MOL * Chapter 10 - Conclusion Colonel Erickson examines the use
of space exploration as a tool to secure international prestige and
national pride as part of the Cold War struggle with the Soviet
Union during the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations.
He looks at the creation of the National Aeronautical and Space
Administration (NASA), the evolving NASA-DOD relationship, and the
larger context in which this relationship was forged. He focuses on
the human-spaceflight projects-Projects Mercury, Gemini, Apollo,
Dynasoar, and the Manned Orbiting Laboratory-by examining the
geopolitical, domestic political, and bureaucratic environments in
which decisions concerning these projects were made. By blending in
the individuals involved, the obstacles that were overcome, and the
achievements of the US space program, Erickson reveals a special
transformation that took place during this chapter of Americana.
Air University Press. Department of Defense.
General
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