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The wrong stuff: how the Soviet space program crashed and burned
(Book)

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Published:
New York : PublicAffairs, 2024.
Format:
Book
Edition:
First edition.
ISBN:
9781541703346
Physical Desc:
pages cm
Status:
Pitkin New Book Collection
629.40947 S912

Description

"A witty, deeply researched history of the surprisingly ramshackle Soviet space program, and how its success was more spin than science. In the wake of World War II, with America ascendant and the Soviet Union devastated by the conflict, the Space Race should have been over before it started. But the underdog Soviets scored a series of victories--starting with the 1957 launch of Sputnik and continuing in the years following--that seemed to achieve the impossible. It was proof, it seemed, that the USSR had manpower and collective will that went beyond America's material advantages. They had asserted themselves as a world power. But in The Wrong Stuff, John Strausbaugh tells a different story. These achievements were amazing, yes, but they were also PR victories as much as scientific ones. The world saw a Potemkin spaceport; the internal facts were much sloppier, less impressive, more dysfunctional. The Soviet supply chain was a disaster, and many of its machines barely worked. The cosmonauts aboard its iconic launch of the Vostok 1 rocket had to go on a special diet, and take off their space suits, just to fit inside without causing a failure. Soviet scientists, under intense government pressure, had essentially made their rocket out of spit and band aids, and hurried to hide their work as soon as their worldwide demonstration was complete. With a witty eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, John Strausbaugh takes us behind the Iron Curtain, and shows just how little there was to find there"--

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Location
Call Number
Status
Last Check-In
Pitkin New Book Collection
629.40947 S912
On Shelf
Nov 12, 2024
Location
Call Number
Status
Last Check-In
TELL WPL Adult NonFiction
629.409 STRAUSBAUGH
In Transit

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More Details

Street Date:
2406
Language:
English

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
Description
"A witty, deeply researched history of the surprisingly ramshackle Soviet space program, and how its success was more spin than science. In the wake of World War II, with America ascendant and the Soviet Union devastated by the conflict, the Space Race should have been over before it started. But the underdog Soviets scored a series of victories--starting with the 1957 launch of Sputnik and continuing in the years following--that seemed to achieve the impossible. It was proof, it seemed, that the USSR had manpower and collective will that went beyond America's material advantages. They had asserted themselves as a world power. But in The Wrong Stuff, John Strausbaugh tells a different story. These achievements were amazing, yes, but they were also PR victories as much as scientific ones. The world saw a Potemkin spaceport; the internal facts were much sloppier, less impressive, more dysfunctional. The Soviet supply chain was a disaster, and many of its machines barely worked. The cosmonauts aboard its iconic launch of the Vostok 1 rocket had to go on a special diet, and take off their space suits, just to fit inside without causing a failure. Soviet scientists, under intense government pressure, had essentially made their rocket out of spit and band aids, and hurried to hide their work as soon as their worldwide demonstration was complete. With a witty eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, John Strausbaugh takes us behind the Iron Curtain, and shows just how little there was to find there"--,Provided by publisher.

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Citations

APA Citation (style guide)

Strausbaugh, J. (2024). The wrong stuff: how the Soviet space program crashed and burned. First edition. New York, PublicAffairs.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Strausbaugh, John. 2024. The Wrong Stuff: How the Soviet Space Program Crashed and Burned. New York, PublicAffairs.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Strausbaugh, John, The Wrong Stuff: How the Soviet Space Program Crashed and Burned. New York, PublicAffairs, 2024.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Strausbaugh, John. The Wrong Stuff: How the Soviet Space Program Crashed and Burned. First edition. New York, PublicAffairs, 2024.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.

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Grouped Work ID:
246a18aa-7fdb-2c22-3917-9d2d1f457e49
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Record Information

Last Sierra Extract TimeDec 02, 2024 04:52:55 PM
Last File Modification TimeDec 02, 2024 04:53:04 PM
Last Grouped Work Modification TimeDec 02, 2024 04:53:02 PM

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