UID:
kobvindex_ZLB34662364
ISBN:
9780062979995
Content:
" This is as important a book on space as has ever been written and it's a riveting page-turner, too. Homer Hickam, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Rocket Boys The dramatic inside story of the historic flights that launched SpaceX and Elon Musk from a shaky startup into the world's leading-edge rocket company SpaceX has enjoyed a miraculous decade. Less than 20 years after its founding, it boasts the largest constellation of commercial satellites in orbit, has pioneered reusable rockets, and in 2020 became the first private company to launch human beings into orbit. Half a century after the space race it is private companies, led by SpaceX, standing alongside NASA pushing forward into the cosmos, and laying the foundation for our exploration of other worlds. But before it became one of the most powerful players in the aerospace industry, SpaceX was a fledgling startup, scrambling to develop a single workable rocket before the money ran dry. The engineering challenge was immense,numerous other private companies had failed similar attempts. And even if SpaceX succeeded, they would then have to compete for government contracts with titans such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing, who had tens of thousands of employees and tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue. SpaceX had fewer than 200 employees and the relative pittance of $100 million in the bank. In Liftoff, Eric Berger, senior space editor at Ars Technica, takes readers inside the wild early days that made SpaceX. Focusing on the company's first four launches of the Falcon 1 rocket, he charts the bumpy journey from scrappy underdog to aerospace pioneer. We travel from company headquarters in El Segundo, to the isolated Texas ranchland where they performed engine tests, to Kwajalein, the tiny atoll in the Pacific where SpaceX launched the Falcon 1. Berger has reported on SpaceX for more than a decade, enjoying unparalleled journalistic access to the company's inner workings. Liftoff is the culmination of these efforts, drawing upon exclusive interviews with dozens of former and current engineers, designers, mechanics, and executives, including Elon Musk. The enigmatic Musk, who founded the company with the dream of one day settling Mars, is the fuel that propels the book, with his daring vision for the future of space. Filled with never-before-told stories of SpaceX's turbulent beginning, Liftoff is a saga of cosmic proportions. "
Content:
Biographisches: "Eric Berger is a reporter and editor based in Houston. After a long career in the Houston Chronicle , he joined Ars Technica in 2015 as the site's senior space editor, covering SpaceX, NASA, and everything beyond. He was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his coverage of Hurricane Ike in the Houston Chronicle in 2008." Rezension(2): "KAREN NYBERG, NASA Astronaut:Eric Berger brings to life the passion and sacrifice of the early SpaceX team as they navigated through countless obstacles toward unlikely success. The skillfully described technical details, paired with a candid glimpse into individual personalities, makes Liftoff a must read for space enthusiasts and novices alike." Rezension(3): "HOMER HICKAM, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Rocket Boys:Liftoff reads like something out of the golden age of Science Fiction but this isn't a novel by Robert Heinlein or Arthur C. Clarke. This is the true, astounding story of the men and women who spun those sci-fi dreams into reality. This is as important a book on space as has ever been written and it's a riveting page-turner, too!" Rezension(4): "KELLIE GERARDI, author of Not Necessarily Rocket Science:This might be the best space book I've ever read. Liftoff will prove to be a defining story not only for the commercial space industry, but for the Space Age writ large, and there's no one better than Eric Berger to tell it." Rezension(5): "SIMON WINCHESTER, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Perfectionists:The elegant brilliance of the engineering that allows today's space rockets to land themselves back on earth—" Rezension(6): "Financial Times:Does a fine job of telling the white-knuckle story of how SpaceX was created in 2002 and came close to collapse several times." Rezension(7): "CHARLES BOLDEN, Former NASA Administrator and Four-Time Astronaut:Eric Berger has followed the exploits of SpaceX and its founder, Elon Musk, from its very early days. In Liftoff, Eric relates the many personal accounts collected in one-on-one interviews with Musk and many of his key leaders and associates. He chronicles the frenetic pace of Falcon 1 development and the toll it took on many of the early employees. This is a book that will hold your rapt attention from start to finish." Rezension(8): "New Scientist:Compelling. ... Great reading. ... An essential, unofficial reference test for what to do (and not do) as space flight goes commercial. ... Fascinating." Rezension(9): "〈a href=http://lj.libraryjournal.com/ target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/libraryjournal_logo.png alt=Library Journal border=0 /〉〈/a〉: January 1, 2021 In this page-turner, award-winning journalist Berger explores the critical early days of SpaceX, the rocket manufacturing company founded by Elon Musk. The story begins in late 2000 when Musk, inspired by a conversation about space travel, researched NASA's website to see how far the agency had progressed regarding a human mission to Mars. When he discovered that NASA had no plans to do so, Musk decided to start his own company, SpaceX, with the bold idea of building spaceships to send people to Mars. Musk began to assemble a team of brilliant minds and creative engineers, including Tom Mueller, Anne Chinnery, Hans Koenigsmann, and Gwynne Shotwell. Berger examines the background of each of the team members and the circumstances that led them to join SpaceX. They would face numerous challenges: launch failures and liquid oxygen issues,excessive travel and long days and nights,and relentless pressure from Musk. Despite these challenges, they accomplished remarkable things, which culminated in the launch of the Falcon 1 rocket on its fourth attempt on September 28, 2008--the first ever privately funded rocket to go into orbit. VERDICT An extraordinary story of compelling narrative nonfiction that is recommended for those interested in space travel or for anyone looking for an exciting read. --Dave Pugl, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, ILCopyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission. " Rezension(10): "〈a href=http://www.kirkusreviews.com target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/kirkus_logo.png alt=Kirkus border=0 /〉〈/a〉: Starred review from February 1, 2021 An up-close account of the otherworldly trajectory of tech magnate Elon Musk. Ars Technica editor Berger opens with a telling scene set in South Texas in late September 2019, when Musk visited a factory building a rocket that one day will be bound for Mars. Sending that ship--and people--to the red planet is of a parcel with Musk's pioneering work in remaking the global aerospace industry, which includes privatizing efforts that had long belonged to government agencies such as NASA--which, though funded to the tune of some $25 billion per year, still remains several giant leaps away from sending a few astronauts to Mars. Getting the SpaceX rocket safely to distant Mars may not work, Musk confessed before adding, But it probably will. By Berger's swiftly moving account, it will, not just because Musk is an endlessly driven, intensely focused sort who could use a little more fun in life--at one point, Musk ruefully allows that it wouldn't have hurt to have just one cocktail on the damn beach of a distant Pacific atoll used in test flights--but also because Musk is surrounded by brilliant scientists recruited from academia and industry who are thoroughly invested in the project's success. They want that golden ticket for the world's greatest thrill ride, Berger writes, evoking another obsessed genius, Willie Wonka. Musk now leads not just SpaceX, but also the Tesla electric automobile company as well as a neural technology company and a firm devoted to digging new transportation tunnels below overcrowded cities. Even so, he remains closely attentive to matters that aviation engineers have often overlooked, such as recycling rocket stages: If an airline discarded a 747 jet after every transcontinental flight, writes the author, passengers would have to pay $1 million for a ticket. Readers interested in business and entrepreneurship, as well as outer space, will find Berger's book irresistible. COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. " Rezension(11): "〈a href=https://www.booklistonline.com target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/booklist_logo.png alt=Booklist border=0 /〉〈/a〉: February 15, 2021 Tech billionaire Elon Musk set out to revolutionize the space industry, and founded aerospace company SpaceX in the hope of one day landing humans on Mars. Berger, senior space editor at Ars Technica, was granted unprecedented access to interview Musk, as well as current and former employees of SpaceX, and here shares first-hand accounts of their experiences. The main focus isn't Musk himself, but the engineers, technicians, vice presidents, and lieutenants: passionate and driven people bold enough to take on Musk's ambitious vision. Berger shares how they came to work for Musk, their experiences of toil and sweat, uncertainty and victory. There's very little technical detail in this book,instead, it's a story about people and their faith in one man's compelling mission. What stands out most is the author's command of pacing. He depicts race-against-the-clock crises as fast-paced as a thriller, with moments reminiscent of Apollo 13 or The Martian (albeit with slightly lower stakes). An exciting and insightful read for anyone interested in the story behind the early days of SpaceX. COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. "
Language:
English
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