EDITORIAL INFORMATION

This volume presents the papers delivered at the Twenty-Sixth History Symposium of the International Academy of Astronautics, held in Washington, D.C., in August/September 1992. The Symposium, coordinated by John Becklake and George Kennedy, included 16 papers presented in two sessions.

(Extracted form the Preface, written by Phillipe Jung, editor).

GENERAL TABLE OF CONTENTS

-Foreword. Donald C. Elder.

-Preface. Philippe Jung.

-Part I: Pioneering Efforts.

-1- Theodore von Kármán's Caltech Students.
-2- Heylandt's Rocket Cars and the V-2.

-Part II: National Space Development.

-3- The Origins of U.S. Space Policy: Eisenhower, Open Skies, and Freedom of Space.
-4- Going Up From Down Under: Australia's Space History and Heritage.
-5- France and the Peenemünde Legacy.
-6- Historical Aspects of Spacecraft Technology and its Diffusion in Society in Japan.
-7- A Waning of Technocratic Faith: NASA and the Politics of the Space Shuttle Decision, 1967-1972.

-Part III: Succesful Aeronautical and Astronautical Ventures.

-8- The "Burya" Intercontinental Cruise Missile.
-9- LH2 Technology was Pioneered on Centaur 30 years Ago.
-10- The Development of the Booster-Launchers in the U.S.S.R.
-11- Agate and its Forebears: Early French "Precious Stones" Rockets.
-12- The Early Days of LOX/LH2 Engines at SEP and MBB.

-Part IV: Programs That Failed to Reach Fruition.

-13- Origins of the MOUSE Proposal.
-14- Early Lunar Base Concepts: The Lockheed Experience, Part I.
-15- Project Dyna-Soar: The Roots of Shuttle-A Memoir.

-Index.

OUR REVIEW

This 21st. volume of the AAS History Series compiles the papers presented during the 26 Symposium of History of the International Academy of Astronautics, an organism whose research task on the facts that have given place to the current status of rocketry and space research has become one of the most expected events during the annual celebration of the Congress of the IAF, in this case held in Washington, D.C., USA, in 1992.

Following the wealth of previous volumes, the book contains 15 of the 16 articles presented en the symposium, conveniently adapted to the new printed media. Many of the authors are space experts who lived during the events described here. Specially known in the field are people like Frank H. Winter, Michael J. Neufeld, R. Cargill Hall, or V. P. Mishin.

Certainly the divulgative task and historical research contributed by this series of volumes is absolutely vital to preserve the personality and identity of current astronautics. The thousands of pages published up to date are a true treasure of information that in many cases cannot be found mirrored in other sources, hence its importance.