Spaceship Handbook: Rocket and Spacecraft Designs of the 20th Century, Fictional, Factual, and Fantasy - Hardcover

Hagerty, Jack; Rogers, Jon C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 097076040X ISBN 13: 9780970760401

Publisher: A R A Pr, 2001

Synopsis

Book Description Spaceship Handbook's subject is the historical development of the Spaceship during the 20th Century. Arranged in three Sections, "The Theoreticians," "The Entertainers," and "The Real Stuff," it presents an amazing collection of 75 designs and their stories - from Tsiolkovsky and Oberth's engineering papers, through the golden age of movie science fiction, up to the present day's Lockheed "VentureStar" and Rotary Rocket "Roton." Spaceflight historian Hagerty delves into the background story behind each design, examining the motivations of the designers in the context of the times in which they lived. The book's selection of these historically important Spaceships has a twist; none of these Spacecraft ever flew! However, from the information presented, we can see their importance to the development of Spaceships that did fly, and also on the world we live in. Each entry has a wealth of background information. For example, in the "The Theoreticians" section, we see illustrator Chesley Bonestell's wonderful artwork that appeared in Willy Ley's Conquest of Space, a book that accurately predicted space flight years ahead of its time. Plate XLI from this book, shows the Arizona Meteor Crater superimposed over Manhattan Island (with the crater centered roughly on Times Square). Today, it bears a disconcerting similarity to the September 11th terrorist attacks. However, Bonestell's illustration was done over 50 years ago to show the danger of Earth-crossing asteroids. In "The Entertainers," section, the 1930's comic strips and movie serials of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon get their just due. Not only did they affect a whole generation of future NASA engineers, the influence of streamlined design began with these ships. The baby boomer crowd will find that Captain Video, Space Patrol, Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, and others from 1950's live TV space opera shows are included. Also from that era, George Pal's great science fiction films "Destination Moon," "Wh

About this title

From the Author:

The late G. Harry Stine related the following in an address to the National Association of Rocketry (NAR) at their 39th Annual Meet in Tucson, Arizona in 1997: “People are always asking me what they can do to pay me back for everything I’ve done for them over the years. I tell them what Robert Heinlein told me years ago, ‘Don’t pay me back, pay forward to the next generation.’” His suggestion to “Pay Forward” has since become the unofficial motto of the NAR.

This book was a labor of love for me for more than four years. It is the book I always wanted to buy, but no one, apparently, wanted to write, so I decided to do it myself. I am thrilled at the response from hobbyists and aerospace professionals alike, but even more, I am delighted that it can serve as my payment to future generations.

From the Inside Flap:

When the 20th Century dawned, the spaceship was a fantasy. By the time it closed, it was a commodity. See how one of humanity’s oldest dreams became astounding reality.

The driving force behind this evolution was imagination: The imagination of scientists and engineers, the imagination of authors and artists, the imagination of movie and TV producers. Despite hordes of detractors, their collective vision lifted us off of this planet in these ships of the imagination which led directly to our making our first actual teetering steps into the cosmos.

Spaceflight historian and rocket enthusiast Jack Hagerty chronicles the evolution of the spaceship during the century by examining 75 of them; some serious, some whimsical, some terrifying, and all fascinating. Jack delves into the background of each design, examining the motivations of and influences on the designers. Each ship is described and analyzed in detail. Each entry includes a data drawing by Jon Rogers sufficient for hobbyists and/or craftsmen to build a version of their own.

“Spaceship Handbook is a delight to own, to read from beginning to end, and to return to frequently in search of favorite nuggets. It gives spaceflight practitioners and enthusiasts alike an instant classic.” – Frederick I. Ordway III, Aerospace historian, science advisor for 2001: A Space Odyssey.

“The Holy Grail / of all things / Star Flight dreams / and Spaceship Wings / are made of!” – Curtis J. Hepworth, noted Buck Rogers authority and collector.

“This is such a treat for all the people who have been looking forward to it the past four years. How lucky are we to be able to buy a book like this. The fact it exists is miracle enough!” – Alex Seltsikas, Thunderbird fan extraordinaire and international Radio Controlled Rocket Glider competitor.

About this edition

• Publisher: A R A Pr
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 097076040X
• ISBN 13: 9780970760401
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 540