http://www.danvk.org/wp/2006-11-03/the-right-stuff/ Keepin' static like wool fabric since 2006 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:54:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.danvk.org/wp/2006-11-03/the-right-stuff/comment-page-1/#comment-20 danvk.org » Centauri Dreams, by Paul Gilster Tue, 28 Nov 2006 05:49:23 +0000 http://www.danvk.org/wp/?p=38#comment-20 [...] Viewing the development of space flight through the prism of these programs was eye-opening. Much like Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff, it shows that the rosy picture of rapid, brilliant technological advance and heroic astronauts isn’t the whole story. From the standpoint of interstellar travel, the 1950s were a golden age. The space age was coming quickly and there was infinite potential. Doors were wide open: exotic ideas like Project Orion were given funding and a chance to prove themselves. But then we had to go to the Moon by 1970, and suddenly there was no room for anything but man-carrying rockets. Projects like the Solar Sail would foreverafter be second-class citizens. [...] [...] Viewing the development of space flight through the prism of these programs was eye-opening. Much like Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff, it shows that the rosy picture of rapid, brilliant technological advance and heroic astronauts isn’t the whole story. From the standpoint of interstellar travel, the 1950s were a golden age. The space age was coming quickly and there was infinite potential. Doors were wide open: exotic ideas like Project Orion were given funding and a chance to prove themselves. But then we had to go to the Moon by 1970, and suddenly there was no room for anything but man-carrying rockets. Projects like the Solar Sail would foreverafter be second-class citizens. [...]

]]> http://www.danvk.org/wp/2006-11-03/the-right-stuff/comment-page-1/#comment-8 Craig Fratrik Mon, 06 Nov 2006 17:54:57 +0000 http://www.danvk.org/wp/?p=38#comment-8 I enjoyed this book as well. It presents an incredibly compelling story. We had to read it and In Cold Blood for my journalism class. Both were presented to us by our prof as "journalistic novels." Wikipedia calls In Cold Blood a non-fiction novel. It might be unfair to compare them to more fact based books. I enjoyed this book as well. It presents an incredibly compelling story. We had to read it and In Cold Blood for my journalism class. Both were presented to us by our prof as “journalistic novels.” Wikipedia calls In Cold Blood a non-fiction novel. It might be unfair to compare them to more fact based books.

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