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EDITORIAL INFORMATION

The History Series of the American Astronautical Society attempts to make available sound and important works neglected by the academic and commercial publishers. This volume is a distinguished addition to our growing list for it genuinely helps explain more fully the genesis and evolution of the space program of the United States. It does this by a rare insight into the workings of the responsible Congressional committee in unvarnished detail not found in the prints of hearings, reports, and other documents. Moreover, it was written by a professional historian by education and experience before he became a member of Congress.

(Extracted from the foreword, by Eugene M. Emme).

GENERAL TABLE OF CONTENTS

-Foreword. Eugene M. Emme.

-Preface. Albert E. Eastman.

-Table of Contents.

-Introduction.

-Acknowledgements.

-I. In The Beginning, the Select Committee.

-II. The Overton Brooks Years, 1959-61.

-III. Racing for the Moon.

-IV. The Early Miller Years.

-V. Science, Research and Development, 1963-69.

-VI. Gemini and Apollo.

-VII. Space Science, Applications, and Advanced Research, 1963-69.

-VIII. Decision on the Space Shuttle.

-IX. Space Science and Applications in the 1970's.

-X. A New Name and Expanded Authority for the Committee.

-Epilogue.

-Photo Credits and Publishers' Credits.

-Appendix.

-Source Notes.

-Selected Bibliography.

-Index.

-AAS History Committee.

-AAS History Series.

OUR REVIEW

Sometimes it is hard to understand why certain decisions are taken at a political level, decisions which sooner or later will affect in a crucial way, for good or for evil, the future of the space program. Hechler helps us to understand all these questions a little better with his work, since he makes all his experience and his inner vision on this issue available to us while he explains us which the history (in the period 1959 - 1978) of one of the most important committees in the astronautical arena in the USA was. Thus we will learn about what motivated its creation, the first steps into the space program, the creation of NASA, as well as about such important decisions as the development of the Apollo or the Space Shuttle.

The author overwhelms us with the detail of the well informed historian and the pleasant style typical of a good science writer. To accompany the text we are shown a handful of photographs which turn out to be strange and unusual indeed, which increases this book's worth and has it become a must for those who wish to get to know the political and scientific motivations of this era in depth. In a few words, The Endless Frontier will surely remain one of the best descriptions (if not the only one) that has adequately covered the work of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics and its influence in the current status of the American space program.