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Rocketeers: Better late than never
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While traveling to California this past week I had the opportunity to read Michael Belfiore's, Rocketeers. The book is a solid and easy read covering the emerging "NewSpace" movement. Published by Smithsonian Books the paperback version was released last year and details how many separate individuals have invested countless hours and dollars into making the dream of privately-owned spaceships - a reality.
From the historic first flights of SpaceShipOne to SpaceX's entry on the launch vehicle scene this book is both a detailed and easy-to-read account of these pioneers' efforts. Their efforst have a singular goal - to bring space travel to the masses and not to just a select few. For those who want to see the rich variety of groups involved in this effort - this book is a must have. For those that have lost faith in NASA this book also offers an alternative to the government's space program, the so-called private or "NewSpace."
More to the point as NASA faces an uncertain future the book highlights the kink in the space program's armor - politics. No sooner does NASA do what it has been instructed to do than a new administration takes power and threatens to stop them cold. As mentioned in the book there was only one manned spacecraft launched into space from America in 2004 - and it wasn't launched by the government. A sign held up by a spectator at the flight that won the X-Prize said it all: SpaceShipOne - Government Zero.
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