Korolev: How One Man Masterminded the Soviet Drive to Beat America to the Moon

by James Harford

Overview

How One Man Masterminded the Soviet Drive Beat America to the Moon.
"Fascinating . . . packed with technical and historical detail for the space expert and enthusiast alike . . . Great stuff!"-New Scientist
"In this exceptional book, James Harford pieces together a most compelling and well-written tale. . . . Must reading."-Space News.
"Through masterful research and an engaging narrative style, James Harford gives the world its first in-depth look at the man who should rightly be called the father of the Soviet space program."-Norman R. Augustine, CEO, Lockheed Martin.
"In Korolev, James Harford has written a masterly biography of this enigmatic 'Chief Designer' whose role the Soviets kept secret for fear that Western agents might 'get at' him."-Daily Telegraph.
"Harford's fluency in Russian and his intimate knowledge of space technology give us insights that few, if any, Americans and Russians have had into this dark history of Soviet space."-Dr. Herbert Friedman, Chief Scientist, Hulburt Center for Space Research Naval Research Laboratory.
"Reveals the complex, driven personality of a man who, despite unjust imprisonment in the Gulag, toiled tirelessly for the Soviet military industrial complex. . . . More than just a biography, this is also a history of the Soviet space program at the height of the Cold War. . . . Highly recommended."-Library Journal.
"For decades the identity of the Russian Chief Designer who shocked the world with the launching of the first Sputnik was one of the Soviet Union's best-kept secrets. This book tells vividly the story of that man, Sergei Korolev, in remarkable detail, with many facts and anecdotes previously unavailable to the West."-Sergei Khrushchev, Visiting Senior Fellow, Center for Foreign Policy Development.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780471327219
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	03/25/1999
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	740,988
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

JAMES HARFORD, Executive Director Emeritus of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Washington, D.C., has been involved in aerospace for over 40 years, and was a Verville Fellow at the National Air and Space Museum. Mr. Harford lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

A Note about Russian Names xvi

Abbreviations xvii

Prologue The Anonymous Chief Designer 1

Chapter

1 Kibalchich to Korolev 8

2 Growing Up in Ukraine: Broken Family, Bolsheviks, Gliders 16

3 To Moscow: Tupolev, Tukhachevsky, First Rockets 29

4 The Gulag and Sharaga Years 49

5 The German V-2: Bedrock Technology 64

6 The World's First ICBM: Aimed at the USA 91

7 Sputnik: No Big Deal to Khrushchev-At First 121

8 Unmanned Firsts: Hitting the Moon and Venus 139

9 Gagarin First, Shepard an Anti-climactic Second 159

10 Voskhod: A "Circus Act" 180

11 Spy Sats and Com Sats 190

12 The Organization: Korolev Up and Down 201

13 The Technology: Simple but Reliable 219

14 The Party, the Paranoia 230

15 Racing Apollo: The Odds Were Enormous 246

16 The End of Anonymity: Burial in the Kremlin Wall 276

17 After Korolev: Demise of the Circumlunar and Lunar Landing Missions 286

18 Ironic Epilogue 313

Appendix A Chronology of the Moon Race, 1957-1974 324

Notes 340

Bibliography 372

Index 377

Editorial Reviews

"In this exceptional book, James Harford pieces together a most compelling and well-written tale . . . must reading."-Space News

"A fascinating and perceptive history of the Russian space program.... Avid space enthusiasts will find this story a necessary addition to their knowledge of space exploration."-Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., former Director of Flight Operations, NASA

"His erudite and meticulously researched charting of the life and times of Korolev provides unique insights. . . . This is a fascinating book . . . for the space expert and enthusiast alike. Great stuff."-New Scientist

From the Publisher

Harford's fluency in Russian and his intimate knowledge of space technology give us insights that few, if any, Americans and Russians have had into this dark history of Soviet space.

Herbert Friedman

For decades the identity of the Russian Chief Designer who shocked the world with the launching of the first Sputnik was one of the Soviet Union's best kept secrets. This book tells vividly the story of that man, Sergei Korolev, in remarkable detail, with many facts and anecdotes previously unavailable to the West.

Sergei Khrushchev

Through masterful research and an engaging narrative style, James Harford gives the world its first in-depth look at the man who should rightly be called the father of the Soviet space program.

Norman R. Augustine

Avid space enthusiasts will find this story a necessary addition to their knowledge . . . of space exploration.

Christopher C. Kraft Jr.

Must reading for anyone who would understand how a backward country could achieve so much success in a field demanding a level of accomplishment which few nations could have pulled off.

John L. McLucas

Magnificent . . . the book will be a basic reference for historians concerned with Soviet science, technology, and politics during the cold war.

Robert C. Seamans Jr.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s when the West was stunned by the space accomplishments of the Soviet Union, the identity of their "Chief Designer" was a state secret in keeping with the tradition of Russian national secrecy. It was not until his death at age 59 that the name of Sergei Korolev was revealed to the world for posthumous honor by his government. Through interviews with family members and former colleagues, Harford, executive director-emeritus, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, reveals the complex, driven personality of a man who, despite unjust imprisonment in the Gulag, toiled tirelessly for the Soviet military industrial complex. Harford clearly demonstrates that Korolev was literally the indispensable man behind the Soviet space program whose untimely death hobbled the Soviet effort to land men on the moon. More than just a biography, this is also history of the Soviet space program at the height of the Cold War. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.Thomas J. Frieling, Bainbridge Coll., Ga.

Library Journal