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by Frederick I. III Ordway,Ernst Stuhlinger


Frederick_I._III_Ordway Ernst_Stuhlinger Engineering English

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Although rockets and rocket-like gadgets have been known for about 2000 years, the development of high-performance, high-precision rockets began only about sixty years ago when Wernher von Braun started an energetic and systematic program to build rockets for space flight. In 1958, von Braun's team launched the Saturn V rocket that was to launch 12 American astronauts on their way to the moon. This book is based on very close personal and work relationships between von Braun and the authors (25 years for Frederick Ordway, 34 years for Ernst Stuhlinger). More than one hundred carefully recorded and edited interviews, and several hundred verbal and written comments on von Braun by people who knew him well, were used for the book.
Download Wernher Von Braun Crusader for Space: A Biographical Memoir epub
ISBN: 089464842X
ISBN13: 978-0894648427
Category: Engineering
Subcategory: Engineering
Author: Frederick I. III Ordway,Ernst Stuhlinger
Language: English
Publisher: Krieger Pub Co; Orig ed edition (April 1994)
Pages: 375 pages
ePUB size: 1405 kb
FB2 size: 1628 kb
Rating: 4.1
Votes: 811
Other Formats: doc txt mbr azw

Drelajurus
A great biography by a close personal associate of many years.
Jairani
This social history is for NASA people, those in other space agencies, and those with a deep historical interest in America and German's rocketry. This is the best and most comprehensive bio of the person, who far more than others, was responsible for landing America on the moon. (And who was nearly in NASA long enough to push through a manned Mars Mission that would have landed in the 1980s.) Those who lament "how NASA has gone astray" need look no further than Von Braun's replacement by a bureaucrat. (Thanks to Richard Nixon, who cordially hated the space program.)

Most important, to me, is a neutral analysis of Von Braun's contribution to the Nazi V-2 program. It leaves the reader with the impression that his involvement multi-sided, and perhaps cunningly anti-Nazi.

Note that there are three related works: An illustrated memoir, a biographical memoir, and an edition that includes both, that I don't see offhand in the search. The illustrated memoir is mostly photographs.
Yla
This is the kind of biographies that are a delight to read. As the writer said in the beginning, their focus was on writing a book about the person Von Braun, who he was. Other editions dwell on rocket science in more detail, and even more have picture collections of the many years that spanned Von Braun's work, from Peenemunde until the man on the moon.

Both authors have been privileged to know Von Braun and have been working with him for many years. Probably this is the reason why this will remain the definitive biography, since Von Braun passed away in 1977 and so will his generation sooner or later.

Not always is the story chronological, since the authors choose a more loose approach, as to make the story and the person come out better. They succeeded. This book is full of interesting details, not only about the works of Von Braun, but also about the history and times in the war until the space age and finally, a sensitive account on his last years that could only have come from writers who were close to him. Of course it is also crammed with interesting quotes from all involved. All in all, it is a well-succeeded attempt to create an interesting and trustworthy (and not too long) account of who the man was.

This book has many parallels to the Heisenberg's Uncertainty story, both men well ahead of their time, probably doing the right thing to continue their work anyway, since otherwise their refusal would have meant no stopping of the war machine, although others of us might think a Ghandi-style refusal of developing anything for a country under dictatorship would have been a better option. The authors keep it as neutrally as possible so it is for the reader, after absorbing the facts, to think what he wants of it all. No doubt, as the reader progresses in the book and becomes aware of how the sky has been the limit in the 20th century almost only because of this man, it will become clear that the world has been a more interesting place with Von Braun in it. Highly recommended!
Flamehammer
This wonderful book, that takes in account the says of a lot of people that really lived and worked with Dr. von Braun shows what a great person he was. His contribution to the space effort is clearly shown here. The companion book (the illustrated Memoir) shows a lot of pictures of his life. If somebody want to know how the space was won, MUST read this book.
Quashant
This book by Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger & Fredrick Ordway provides the reader with a good insight into Dr. Wehner Von Braun and the space program. My father had the pleasure of working closely with Dr. Von Braun in promoting Madison County Alabama where much of the actual development and testing of the rocket engines occurred. He always said the Dr. Von Braun was a man who got things done and was one of the best salesmen for Madison County and N.A.S.A. that has ever lived. A excellent book on Dr. Von Braun and his team of german rocket scientists.
Jogrnd
Very poor account of the life of a genius. Lots of details but very disappointing from the point of view of the development of the ideas and the technology. You will end this book knowing in detail what happened during the transfer of the penemunde team to america but not knowing that rockets don't have propellers.
Gri
One of the better books about von Braun, it is not perfect but does give a interesting
presentation of his life with photos.

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