About the Book
Marvel at the history of space exploration through its daring vehicles, exhaustively chronicled in this authoritative volume featuring more than 250 artworks.
In 1957, the world looked on with both uncertainty and amazement as the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first man-made orbiter. Sputnik 1 would spend three months circling Earth every 98 minutes and cover 71 million miles in the process. The world’s space programs have traveled far (literally and figuratively) since then, and the spacecraft they have developed and deployed represent almost unthinkable advances for such a relatively short period.
In Spacecraft, illustrator and aerospace professional Giuseppe De Chiara teams up with aerospace historian Michael Gorn to present a huge, profusely illustrated aerospace history profiling and depicting spacecraft from Sputnik 1 through the International Space Station and everything in between, including concepts that have yet to actually venture outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
This updated and revised edition includes:
- Expertly written profiles depicting and describing the design, development, and deployment of manned and unmanned spacecraft from around the world, including satellites, capsules, spaceplanes, rockets, and space stations—now updated with the latest models
- Vivid scale illustrations of the many international spacecraft in multiple-view, sometimes cross-section, and in many cases shown in archival period photography to provide further historical context
- Earthbound and spaceborne data and intel chronicling every technological leap, engineering challenge, and monumental achievement, from troubleshooting the lunar landers of the ’60s to engineering solar-driven sails to propel futuristic craft to Mars and beyond
- A look ahead to an era of privatized space travel and even plans for lunar and Martian space stations and settlement
Dividing the book by era, De Chiara and Gorn feature spacecraft not only from the United States and Soviet Union/Russia, but also from the European Space Agency and China. The mind-blowing machines examined in this volume include the rockets Energia, Falcon 9, and VEGA; the Hubble Space Telescope; the Cassini space probe; and the Mars rovers, Opportunity, and Curiosity.
For anyone who has marveled at humankind’s attempts and advances in leaving Earth, Spacecraft: The Complete Guide to the Rockets, Satellites, Capsules, Shuttles, and Stations That Put Us in Space is the definitive reference.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
I. The First Space Program, 1957-1977
Prologue
Capsules
1. Mercury
2. Gemini
3. Apollo
4. Vostok 3K
5. Voskhod 3KV
6. Voskhod 3KD
7. Progress 7K-TG
8. Sever 5K
9. Soyuz A 7K
10. Soyuz 7K-OK
11. Soyuz 7K-OKS
12. Soyuz 7K-L1
13. Soyuz 7K-LOK
14. Soyuz 7K-T
15. Soyuz 7K-M/ASTP
16. Mengzhou
17. Gaganyaan
18. Soyuz development
19. Starliner
Spaceplanes
20. X-15
21. MiG 105-11
22. Dream Chaser
Landers
23. LK
24. Lunokhod 1-2 Rovers
Stations
25. Skylab
26. Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
27. Salyut 1, (DOS 1, 2)
28. Salyut 2, 3, 5 (OPS 1, 2, 3)
29. Salyut 4 (DOS 3, 4)
30. Cygnus
31. Chinese Space Station
Rockets
32. Viking
33. Redstone
34. Mercury-Atlas
35. Agena
36. Centaur
37. Gemini-Titan II
38. Saturn IB
39. Saturn V
40. N1
41. R7
42. UR-500 Proton
43. Ariane 6
44. Angara 5
45. Vulcan
46. CZ Family
47. CZ-3
48. CZ-4
49. CZ-5
50. CZ-6
51. CZ-7
52. H Family
53. H-IIB
54. H-3
55. LMV-3
56. Starship/Superheavy
57. Heavy Rockets of the World
Robotics
58. Explorer
59. Vanguard
60. Lunar Orbiter 1
61. Ranger 7
62. Surveyor 1
63. Mariner 10
64. Pioneer 10
65. Viking 2
66. Voyager 2
67. Luna Ye-2A (Luna 3)
68. Luna Ye-6 (Luna 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
69. Luna Ye-8-5 (Luna 15, 16, 18, 20)
70. Sputnik 1 (PS-1)
71. Sputnik 2 (PS2#1)
72. Sputnik 3 (D1)
73. Venera 9, 10, 11, 12 (4V1)
74. Perseverance
75. Ingenuity
76. Chang'e 6
77. Chandrayaan
II. The Second Space Age, 1977-1997
Prologue
Capsules
78. Soyuz 7K-ST
79. Soyuz 7k-STM
80. TKS, TKS-FGB, TKS VA
Spaceplanes
81. Orbiter Enterprise (Approach/Landing tests)
82. Orbiter Columbia
83. VKK Buran
Stations
84. Atlantis-Mir
85. Mir (DOS 7)
86. Salyut 6, 7 (DOS 5, 6)
Rockets
87. STS
88. Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters
89. Shuttle External Tank
90. Ariane 4
91. Energia
Robotics
92. Cassini
93. Hubble Space Telescope
94. Compton Gamma Ray Observ.
95. Giotto
96. Ulysses
III. Space Exploration at a Crossroads, 1997-2017
Prologue
Capsules
97. Orion
98. Dragon
99. Cygnus
100. Shenzhou (Project 921)
101. Soyuz 7K-MS
Stations
102. ISS (completed)
103. Unity
104. Zarya
105. Destiny Laboratory
106. MPLM
107. Tiangong 1
Rockets
108. SLS
109. Falcon 9
110. Antares
111. New Shepherd
112. Ariane 5 (
113. CZ-2F
114. VEGA
Robotics
115. Mars Rover Opportunity
116. Mars Rover Curiosity
117. Chandra Telescope
118. Spitzer Telescope
119. Juno
120. Deep Impact
121. Bepi-Colombo
122. GAIA
123. Herschel-Planck
124. Lisa-Pathfinder
125. Rosetta
126. Yinghuo 1
IV. To the Moon and Space for All, 1998 - 2004
Epilogue
About the Author :
Michael H. Gorn served formerly as deputy Air Force historian and as chief historian of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. He earned a doctorate in history from the University of Southern California. Gorn is the author of more than a dozen books, including NASA’s Forgotten Genius: Hugh L. Dryden and the Foundations of the American Space Program, and he has been featured in interviews on BBC, History, and the Discovery Channel. He is a recipient of the AIAA’s Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Award for Expanding the Envelope: Flight Research at the NACA and NASA.
Giuseppe De Chiara is an accomplished aerospace professional who began his career as a designer of Parabolic Flights facilities. He later was assigned to the ISS program as a training expert and operations leader. In 2003, De Chiara began a second career as a professional aerospace illustrator, with his work appearing in several books and publications. De Chiara lives in Caserta, Italy.Born in Italy, Davide Sivolella was captivated by flying machines from a young age. His passion for astronautics motivated him to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from the Polytechnic of Turin. In 2009, Davide relocated to the United Kingdom, where he has held various roles in the civil aviation industry, including positions with airlines and aircraft manufacturers. He began his writing career in 2013, regularly publishing books on space-exploration technologies.
