The Space Shuttle Decision; NASA's Search for a Reusable Space Vehicle: NASA SP-4221
Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1999. Presumed first edition/first printing. Hardcover. [6], xiv, 470 pages. Illustrations. Bibliography. Index. Thomas A. Heppenheimer (born Jan. 1, 1947; died Sept. 9, 2015) was a major space advocate and researcher in planetary science, aerospace engineering, and celestial mechanics. His books are on the recommended reading list of the National Space Society. Thomas A. Heppenheimer earned a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering, and was an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has written extensively on aerospace, business and government, and the history of technology. He has written some 300 published articles. He also has written twelve hardcover books. Three of them—Colonies in Space, Toward Distant Suns, and The Man-Made Sun—have been alternate selections of the Book-of-the-Month Club. Under contract to NASA, Heppenheimer has written that agency’s authorized history of the space shuttle. NASA SP-4221, The Space Shuttle Decision that explains the Shuttle’s origins and early development. In addition to internal NASA discussions, this work details the debates in the late 1960s and early 1970s among policymakers in Congress, the Air Force, and the Office of Management and Budget over the roles and technical designs of the Shuttle. Examining the interplay of these organizations with sometimes conflicting goals, the author not only explains how this space launch vehicle came into being, but also how politics can interact with science, technology, national security, and economics in national government. This volume has been selected as an Outstanding Academic Title. More