Spacecraft
100 Iconic Rockets, Shuttles, and Satellites That Put Us in Space
by Michael H. Gorn
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Pub Date 4 Sep 2018 | Archive Date 4 Oct 2018
Quarto Publishing Group – Motorbooks | Voyageur Press
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Description
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 covering 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.
This ambitiously illustrated aerospace history profiles and depicts spacecraft fromSputnik 1 through the International Space Station, andeverything in between, including concepts that have yet to actually venture outside the Earth’s atmosphere. Illustrator and aerospace professional Giuseppe De Chiara teams up with aerospace historian Michael Gorn to present a huge, profusely illustrated, and authoritatively written collection of profiles depicting and describing the design, development, and deployment of these manned and unmanned spacecraft. Satellites, capsules, spaceplanes, rockets, and space stations are illustrated in multiple-view, sometimes cross-section, and in many cases shown in archival period photography to provide further historical context.
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 marvels 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.
Authoritatively written and profusely illustrated with more than 500 stunning artworks, Spacecraft: 100 Iconic Rockets, Shuttles, and Satellites That Put Us in Space is sure to become a definitive guide to the history of manned space exploration.
Marketing Plan
Key Selling Points:
- Fascination with space exploration continues. Congress actually increased NASA’s budget to $18B for 2015--$350M more than its 2014 budget.
- NASA’s social media following is immense, with 8.88 million twitter followers, 10 million Facebook “likes,” and 2.4 million Instagram followers.
- A Pew Research Center poll released in January 2015 indicates NASA is the second-most favorably viewed federal agency, just behind the CDC.
Key Campaign Activity
Review copy push to targeted print magazines
Photo gallery push for online outlets
Trade:
- Review copy push to: Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Shelf Awareness,
- Work with Amy for gift guides
Retail:
- Partner with Sales team to create a coordinated Sales and marketing effort
Consumer:
- Leverage author connections within community for coverage and endorsements
- Outreach to top Air and Space outlets: Smithsonian Air & Space, Space Times/American Astronautical Society, National Center of Science Education, Discover Magazine, Aviation History, Engineering & Technology Magazine
- Partnership with Astronomy/Science groups: Canadian Space Society, Federation of American Scientists, National Association of Science Writers, Lunar and Planetary Institute.
Publicity/Media:
- Early review copies to major Air and Space print magazines
- Review copy and photo gallery push to top Air and Space and Science websites: Astronautix, Space.com, Spaceref.com, Sciencenews.org, ScientificAmerican.com, The Bad Astronomer/Slate, SpaceCoalition.com, Planetary.org, The SpaceReview.com, Mad Science Innovation, i09.com, Gizmodo.com, Mashable, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics
- Review copy push to top national newspapers: Denver Post, The New York Times, Orlando Sentinel, Washington Post, LA Times, USA Today, Parade
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780760354186 |
| PRICE | US$35.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 224 |
Featured Reviews
Paul M, Reviewer
It's hard to imagine that mankind has been traveling to space for over half a century. During that time, hundreds of different spacecrafts have been used to carry people and things into space. Michael Dorn and Giuseppe de Chiara's book Spacecraft: 100 Iconic Rockets, Shuttles, and Satellites That Put Us in Space introduces readers to 100 of those spacecraft.
Spacecraft is a great intro to human space exploration, with the spacecraft we use serving as touchpoints along the way. De Chiara and Gorn include a few photos, but most of the spacecraft are illustrated with detailed drawings. It's interesting to see how the designs evolved, as well as to observe the differences and similarities between the designs used by NASA and by the USSR and other space agencies.
More than anything, Spacecraft got me excited about what's next. My parents' and grandparents' generations have seen unfathomable changes in the way humans travel and interact with our world and in space. I can't begin to imagine what my grandchildren will see in their lifetimes.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Librarian 68637
This book provides a very good overview of manned and unmanned spacecraft and rockets. The illustrations are exceptional, probably some of the best I've ever seen, and very comprehensive with both external and internal depictions. While the text is not in-depth and does not break new ground, it's informative and more than made up by the illustrations.
Francis T, Reviewer
Part of me didn't want to give this book five stars because I'm not in love with it.
On the other hand, it delivers exactly what it promises, so it's earned the five stars.
What does it promise?
It's in the subtitle: "100 Iconic Rockets, Shuttles, and Satellites That Put Us in Space"
WHO WOULD LOVE SPACECRAFT:
- Geeks, nerds, and engineers. It's filled with simplified engineering diagrams of 100 spacecrafts.
- You want to know about Soviet/Russian efforts. This is the best part of the book. Most American space books focus on American extraterrestrial accomplishments. You'd think that the US was almost the only player. The truth, as this book clearly shows, is that the Soviets led the way for the first 15 years of the Space Race.
WHY I DIDN'T LOVE SPACECRAFT:
- It's a geeky coffee table book. It's not filled with photos of space in action. There are many photos, but there are far more diagrams/blueprints of the spacecraft. If that's your interest, you'll love this.
- There's no narrative. It's effectively an Encylopedia. Which is fine, but not thrilling.
- It ends abruptly - like an Encyclopedia would.
- There's practically no speculation about spacecrafts in the future. C'mon! This book is great for reviewing the past, but anyone who loves spacecrafts also loves FUTURE spacecrafts!
We're tourists and we want to go!
As a writer, I dislike when critics rate my pan one of my books because it was not what they wanted it to be rather than judging based on what I said it would be about.
For instance, if you bought Bob Woodward's Fear book expecting that it would discuss Donald Trump's childhood, you'd be disappointed. You might give it a one-star review.
That would be unfair to Bob Woodward since he never promised to write about Trump's childhood.
Similarly, just because Gorn didn't publish the Spacecraft book that I wish he had written, doesn't mean that it's bad. Gorn delivers exactly what he promised. He covers 100 spacecrafts. He does that well. Given the book's scope and expectations, it deserves nine out 10 stars for achieving its objective.
However, if you're looking for a space book with a passionate narrative and that delves into the realm of space tourism, then consider other books.
Kari C, Bookseller
This book is filled with detailed information and illustrations of spacecraft. The book begins with Sputnik and continues to present day. I really enjoyed reading about the Russian, European and Chinese craft as I am not familiar with them. The cross section sketches include a lot of details. Even though a lot of scientific detail is included I found the book easy to read. Enjoy this armchair travel to the Universe.
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