Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Rivalries That Ignited the Space Age

Out of stock
SKU
8932
R38.00
Quick Overview
On October 4 1957, at the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union secretly launched Sputnik, the Earth's first ever artificial moon. No bigger than a basketball, this tiny satellite was powered by a car battery. Yet for all its simplicity, Sputnik transformed science fiction into reality, passing over the stunned American continent once every 101 minutes and propelling the USSR from backward totalitarian regime to cutting-edge superpower and pioneer of the Space Age. The United States, desperate to catch up, trailed the Soviets into the space race the following year, with a controversial space programme masterminded by former Nazi rocket scientists. Red Moon Rising tells for the first time the full story of this real-life historical thriller and its colourful cast of characters. There is Sergei Korolev, Russian rocket designer and literally toothless survivor of Stalin's purges, whose identity remained secret until his death in 1966; Mihail Tikhonravov, a chain-smoking, hard-drinking space visionary who would eventually become a Soviet spymaster; Wernher von Braun, Nazi bomb maker turned American space prophet; and President Eisenhower, relaxing on the golf course whilst the USSR lays claim to the skies, a reaction to be echoed eerily in 2001 by the presidential behaviour following 9/11. Containing many parallels with today's political landscape, this is the fascinating story of one of the greatest scientific and psychological coups of the twentieth century, and a pulse-racing account of a time when two nations and ideologies were pitted against each other in a quest that laid the foundations of the modern technological world. Review 'Matthew Brzezinski's RED MOON RISING fills a significant hole in our understanding of the Cold War. A truly gripping, important book.' Douglas Brinkley, author of THE GREAT DELUGE and THE BOYS OF POINTE DU HOC 'In our fear of terrorist attacks, we forget there was an even more panicky time - when Russia's Sputnik first sped across the night sky in October 1957. Matthew Brzezinski has given us a vivid, insightful account of that paranoid age.' Evan Thomas, author of SEA OF THUNDER and THE WISE MEN About the Author Matthew Brzezinski served as Moscow correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in the mid-1990s. His book on Russia's post-communist chaos, Casino Moscow, was published by the Free Press in 2001. Post 9/11, Matthew Brzezinski covered homeland security for the New York Times Magazine. His last book, Fortress America, about the counter-terror effort and po
Login to earn BookBucks for sharing!
On October 4 1957, at the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union secretly launched Sputnik, the Earth's first ever artificial moon. No bigger than a basketball, this tiny satellite was powered by a car battery. Yet for all its simplicity, Sputnik transformed science fiction into reality, passing over the stunned American continent once every 101 minutes and propelling the USSR from backward totalitarian regime to cutting-edge superpower and pioneer of the Space Age. The United States, desperate to catch up, trailed the Soviets into the space race the following year, with a controversial space programme masterminded by former Nazi rocket scientists. Red Moon Rising tells for the first time the full story of this real-life historical thriller and its colourful cast of characters. There is Sergei Korolev, Russian rocket designer and literally toothless survivor of Stalin's purges, whose identity remained secret until his death in 1966; Mihail Tikhonravov, a chain-smoking, hard-drinking space visionary who would eventually become a Soviet spymaster; Wernher von Braun, Nazi bomb maker turned American space prophet; and President Eisenhower, relaxing on the golf course whilst the USSR lays claim to the skies, a reaction to be echoed eerily in 2001 by the presidential behaviour following 9/11. Containing many parallels with today's political landscape, this is the fascinating story of one of the greatest scientific and psychological coups of the twentieth century, and a pulse-racing account of a time when two nations and ideologies were pitted against each other in a quest that laid the foundations of the modern technological world. Review 'Matthew Brzezinski's RED MOON RISING fills a significant hole in our understanding of the Cold War. A truly gripping, important book.' Douglas Brinkley, author of THE GREAT DELUGE and THE BOYS OF POINTE DU HOC 'In our fear of terrorist attacks, we forget there was an even more panicky time - when Russia's Sputnik first sped across the night sky in October 1957. Matthew Brzezinski has given us a vivid, insightful account of that paranoid age.' Evan Thomas, author of SEA OF THUNDER and THE WISE MEN About the Author Matthew Brzezinski served as Moscow correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in the mid-1990s. His book on Russia's post-communist chaos, Casino Moscow, was published by the Free Press in 2001. Post 9/11, Matthew Brzezinski covered homeland security for the New York Times Magazine. His last book, Fortress America, about the counter-terror effort and post-9/11 paranoia, was published in 2004.
More Information
AuthorBrzezinski, Matthew
PublisherBloomsbury Publishing PLC
Year2007
ISBN9780747590354
BindingHardcover
ConditionVery Good
0
Rating:
0% of 100
Write Your Own Review
Only registered users can write reviews. Please Sign in or create an account

How we describe the condition of our books

We are very proud of the condition of the books we sell (please read our testimonials to find out more!)

New: Exactly as it says.

As New: Pretty much new but shows small signs of having been read; inside it will be clean without any inscriptions or stamps; might contain a remainder mark.

Very Good: Might have some creases on the spine; no hard cracks; maybe slight forward lean and short inscription inside; perhaps very minor bumping on the corners of the book; inside clean but the page edges might be slightly yellowed.

Good: A few creases on the spine, perhaps a forward lean, bumping on corners or shelfwear; maybe an inscription inside or some shelfwear or a small tear or two on the dustjacket; inside clean but page edges might be somewhat yellowed.

Fair: In overall good condition, might have a severe forward lean to the spine, an inscription, bumping to corners; one or two folds on the covers and yellowed pages; in exceptional cases these books might contain some library stamps and stickers or have neat sticky tape which was used to fix a short, closed tear.

Poor: We rarely sell poor condition books, unless the books are in demand and difficult to find in a better condition. Poor condition books are still perfect for a good read, all pages will be intact and none threatening to fall out; most probably a reading copy only.