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Dark Side of the Moon Gerard Degroot

Dark Side of the Moon By Gerard Degroot

Dark Side of the Moon by Gerard Degroot


$10,39
Condition - Very Good
Out of stock

Summary

Reveals how NASA cashed in on the Americans' thirst for heroes in an age of discontent and became obsessed with putting men in space. This work explains why the American space program has been caught in a state of purposeless wandering ever since Neil Armstrong descended from Apollo 11 and stepped onto the moon.

Dark Side of the Moon Summary

Dark Side of the Moon by Gerard Degroot

For a very brief moment during the 1960s, America was moonstruck. Every boy dreamed of being an astronaut; every girl dreamed of marrying one. Americans drank Tang, bought "space pens" that wrote upside down, wore clothes made of space age Mylar, and took imaginary rockets to the Moon from themes parks scattered around the country. But despite the best efforts of a generation of scientists, the almost foolhardy heroics of the astronauts, and 35 billion dollars, the moon turned out to be a place of "magnificent desolation," to use Buzz Aldrin's words - a sterile rock of no purpose to anyone. In "Dark Side of the Moon", Gerard DeGroot reveals how NASA cashed in on the Americans' thirst for heroes in an age of discontent and became obsessed with putting men in space. The moon mission was sold as a race which America could not afford to lose. Landing on the moon, it was argued, would be good for the economy, for politics, and for the soul. It could even win the Cold War. The great tragedy is that so much effort and expense was devoted to a small step that did virtually nothing for mankind. Drawing on meticulous archival research, DeGroot cuts through the myths constructed by the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations and sustained by NASA ever since. He finds a gang of cynics, demagogues, scheming politicians, and corporations who amassed enormous power - and profits - by exploiting the fear of what the Russians might do in space. Exposing the truth behind one of the most revered fictions of American history, "Dark Side of the Moon" explains why the American space program has been caught in a state of purposeless wandering ever since Neil Armstrong descended from Apollo 11 and stepped onto the moon. The effort devoted to the space program was indeed magnificent and its cultural impact was profound, but the purpose of the program was as desolate and dry as lunar dust.

About Gerard Degroot

Born in California, Gerard DeGroot is Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews. He has written ten books on various aspects of twentieth-century history, most recently The Bomb: A Life, a history of nuclear weapons which won the 2004 RUSI Westminster Medal for Military Literature. He contributes to most national newspapers both in Britain and in the USA, and he has been a regular columnist for Scotland on Sunday.

Additional information

GOR004472095
9780224075930
0224075934
Dark Side of the Moon by Gerard Degroot
Used - Very Good
Hardback
Vintage Publishing
2007-02-15
336
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

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