Ambassadors From Earth - Pioneering Explorations with Unmanned Spacecraft
Jay Gallentine
University of Nebraska Press, 2009, 544 pp, £ 23.99 (HB)
ISBN 978-0-8032-2220-5
Ambassadors from Earth is the fifth book in the Outward Odyssey - A People's History of Spaceflight series and chronicles the early history of unmanned robotic satellites and planetary probes, from Sputnik & Explorer through Pioneer & Voyager. The author focused on the genuine backroom people, who solved technical problems and struggled to make things work. An interesting insight in the human drama of passionate pioneers, that took place during the cold war's space race between the Soviet Union and the United States of America. Jay Gallentine managed to capture the human and technological aspects of the competitors in this space race for the Moon, Venus, Mars, the outer planets and beyond.
Thanks to in depth details, readers become aware that an unmanned space probe is a very sophisticated thing so a lot of people are involved in spacecraft & mission design, engineering & scientific instruments, guidance & control, onboard propulsion, power supply, computers & data handling, telecommunications, launch vehicle integration, Earth-based support systems, and many planetary scientists to analyze the returned data.
Utilizing original interviews with key players, bolstered by never-before-seen photographs, journal excerpts, and primary source documents, Jay Gallentine delivers a quirky and unforgettable look at the lives and legacy of the Americans and Soviets who conceived, built, and guided those unmanned missions to the planets and beyond. Of special note is his in-depth interview with renowned space scientist James Van Allen (1914-2008), the discoverer of the rings of planetary radiation that now bear his name. I had the privilege of reading the first draft of the long-awaited "Ambassadors from Earth" and conclude the book makes very interesting reading and will certainly become a classic in its genre. Moreover, a follow-up book on post-1977 unmanned spaceflight mission is in works!
Philip Corneille
Belgium & Croatia
Ambassadors from Earth: Pioneering Explorations with Unmanned Spacecraft: Outward Odyssey: A People's History of Spaceflight
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Top reviews from other countries
PC PI
Behind-the-scenes of early unmanned spaceflight
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 29, 2009Verified Purchase
D. G. Hawkes
Good if you can cope with the dumbed down prose
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 7, 2014Verified Purchase
Robert P. Shaw
A fascinating book
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Joel Embury
Five Stars
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Terry S
Spaceflight History for the Masses
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 29, 2009Verified Purchase
