Description

This book charts the history of manned space stations in a logical, chronological order. It is the first book of its kind to tell the whole story of the manned space stations from the USA and Russia, from the very beginning, to the current ISS story, and to the possibilities beyond. The book describes rarely mentioned development programs, most of which never flew, including the US Manned Orbiting Laboratory, the Soviet Almaz station, and the Soviet Polyus battlestation. The Mir space station was one of the greatest human achievements in modern history, and a thorough telling of its story is essential to this book. Each chapter contains interviews with many of the primary participants, including the astronauts, cosmonauts, designers, mission controllers, doctors and managers most directly involved in the flights. The author paints a vivid picture of two competing nations slowly coming together to form an alliance that is shaky and uncertain to begin with, but grows from competition into collaboration.