Kennedy Space Center

"Important to specialists in space history, as it points out the distinctions between R&D and operations, and how this affects the institutional and organizational issues in space-related institutions. However, it is also good for a general audience due to the author's lively style."--Stephen B. Johnson, University of North Dakota and author of The Secret of Apollo: Systems Management in American and European Space Programs

"A good characterization of the history of KSC . . . well written and easy to read."--L. D. Solid, retired vice president and general manager of Rockwell International's Space Systems Division, Florida Operations

This first comprehensive history of the Kennedy Space Center, NASA's famous launch facility located at Cape Canaveral, Florida, reveals the vital but largely unknown work that takes place before the rocket is lit. Though the famous Vehicle Assembly Building and launch pads dominate the flat Florida landscape at Cape Canaveral and attract 1.5 million people each year to its visitor complex, few members of the public are privy to what goes on there beyond the final outcome of the flaring rocket as it lifts into space. With unprecedented access to a wide variety of sources, including the KSC archives, other NASA centers, the National Archives, and individual and group interviews and collections, Lipartito and Butler explore how the methods and technology for preparing, testing, and launching spacecraft have evolved over the last 45 years. Their story includes the Mercury and Gemini missions, the Apollo lunar program, the Space Shuttle, scientific missions and robotic spacecraft, and the International Space Station, as well as the tragic accidents of Challenger and Columbia. Throughout, the authors reveal the unique culture of the people who work at KSC and make Kennedy distinct from other parts of NASA.

NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center set the stage for the American adventure in space. Sprawled across 140,000 acres on Florida's Atlantic coast, the center has hosted the succession of rocket launches that have rewritten our knowledge of aeronautics and our very understanding of the nature of the universe.

Chosen because of its perfect location, with the wide Atlantic providing a buffer, Kennedy Space Center is now a major tourist attraction appealing to visitors of all ages.

This spaceport has served as the departure gate for every American space flight mission and the launching point of hundreds of other advanced scientific spacecraft. Kennedy Space Center will continue to make history as NASA embarks on new adventures in space exploration.

The book includes detailed information on: - The earliest development of rockets in the United States and Germany - The development of rockets and their launch facilities - The missile race and U.S.- Soviet rivalry to be first in space - The great Apollo program and the race to the moon - The shuttle program, the Space Station and the Hubble Telescope - The future of space exploration.

Praise for the hardcover edition:

"Extremely practical and enjoyable."
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"[Will be] devoured by history or space enthusiasts from eight to eighty."
-- VOYA

"The foreword grabbed me, and by the prologue I was hooked."
-- The Science Teacher

NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center set the stage for the American adventure into space and went on to host a succession of rocket launches that have helped to form our understanding of the nature of the universe.

The Kennedy Space Center is a major tourist attraction in Florida, but most of its doors remain locked to the public. This abundantly illustrated book is an insider's history of the heart of America's space program, including detailed information on:

• The earliest development of rockets in the United States and Germany
  
• The development of rockets and their launch facilities
  
• The missile race and the U.S.-Soviet rivalry to be first in space
  
• The great Apollo program and the race to the moon
  
• The shuttle program, the Space Station and the Hubble Telescope
  
• The future of space exploration

Kennedy Space Center is clearly written, meticulously researched and packed with more than 150 spectacular images -- the one and only complete history of this important site.