Isakowitz, Steven J, Hopkins, Joshua B, and Hopkins, Joseph P, International Reference to Space Launch Systems Third Edition, AIAA, Washington DC, 2000. ISBN: 1563473534. The best reference on launch vehicles ever produced.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Michaels, D S, Red Moon, . ISBN: 1930782128. The best space fiction novel in 40 years portrays the desperate last ditch attempt of a Chelomei-like Chief Designer to put a cosmonaut on the moon before the Russians. Outstanding!Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Siddiqi, Asif A, Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945-1974, NASA SP-2000-4408, Washington, DC, 2000.. The definitive history of the Soviet manned space program. Unmatched. Can be ordered on-line at NASA Publications.

Essential

Baker, David, The History of Manned Spaceflight, Crown, New York, 1981. The best overview of America's manned space programs up to Skylab. Information and details not available anywhere else.
Brooks, Courtney G, Grimwood, Hames M, Swenson, Lloyd S, Chariots for Apollo, Government Printing Office, 1989. The official version - NASA's history of the Apollo program.On the Web Here
Burrough, Bryan, Dragonfly: NASA and the Crisis Aboard Mir, Harper Collins, New York, 1998. ISBN: 0887307833. Gripping look into the heart of the current American and Soviet space programs. Clearly shows that the major hurdle to international space exploration is not technical, but intercultural.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Cassutt, Michael and Slayton, Deke, Deke! U.S. Manned Space: from Mercury to the Shuttle, Tom Doherty Associates, New York, 1994. ISBN: 031285918X. Absolutely the best astronaut biography - full inside details on the personalities of the US astronauts from the one who knew them all - and decided who would go to the moon.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Cassutt, Michael, Who's Who in Space, Macmillan, New York, 1993. ISBN: 0028649656. Marvelous book with complete biographies of all flown and unflown cosmonauts and astronauts. What they did before and after their tours of duty, explanation of selection groups, much more..Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Chang, Iris, Thread of the Silkworm, Basic Books, New York, 1995. ISBN: 0465006787. The story of how America, in the grip of McCarthyism, expelled the Father of Chinese Rocketry from CalTech to his homeland. A relatively small event with great consquences.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Clark, Philip, The Soviet Manned Space Program, Salamander Books, London, 1988. ISBN: 051756954X. By far the best account of the Soviet manned program, though now out of date due to the flood of revelations since Glasnost and the end of the cold war.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Collins, Michael, Carrying the Fire, Ballantine Books, New York, 1975. ISBN: 1885283148. The best personal account by an astronaut of his life and spaceflights.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Dorman, Bernie, et. al., Aerojet: The Creative Company, Stuart F Cooper Company, Los Angeles, 1995.. ISBN: 0-9659769-0-4. Out of print unauthorised history of Aerojet, as told by ex-employees. More such works are urgently needed to preserve the (non-governmental) history of the space race.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Fallaci, Oriana, If the Sun Dies, Kingsport Press, New York, 1966. ISBN: 0689706103. Impressionistic ramble through the American space program at the peak of its promise. Pre-Right Stuff, the only portrait of astronauts as human beings. Inspirational and irritating.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Gatland, Kenneth and Bono, Philip, Frontiers of Space, Macmillan, New York, 1969. ISBN: 071373504X. Largely taken over to a discussion of Bono's plug-nozzle, single stage to orbit designs and their advantages over winged shuttle designs.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Gatland, Kenneth, Manned Spacecraft, Macmillan, New York, 1968. ISBN: 0025428209. First of a marvelous series of pocket-size hardbacks covering spacecraft and rocketry.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Gatland, Kenneth, Missiles and Rockets, Macmillan, New York, 1975. ISBN: 0713735058. Covers rocketry of all nations.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Gatland, Kenneth, Robot Explorers, Macmillan, New York, 1972. ISBN: 0025428705. Good account of unmanned lunar and planetary spacecraft.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Gatland, Kenneth, Spacecraft and Boosters, Iliffe Books. London, 1964. Survey of world launch vehicles.
Grondine, Ed, Encyclopedia Astronautica, "Chinese Manned Space Program: Behind Closed Doors", . On the Web Here
Guenther, Ben, Miller, Jay, and Panopalis, Terry,, North American X-15/X-15A-2, Aerofax, Arlington, Texas, 1985. ISBN: 0942548345. Comprehensive and technically excellent account of the X-15 program.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Gunston, Bill,, Rockets and Missiles, Salamander, London, 1979. ISBN: 0861010299. Gunston, the most prolific aviation writer of all time, also produced this, the best Encyclopaedic account of military missiles ever produced. Sadly, never updated.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Hacker, Barton C and Crimwood, James,, On the Shoulders of Titans, Government Printing Office, 1977. The official version - NASA's history of the Gemini program.On the Web Here
Harford, James, Korolev - How One Man Masterminded the Soviet Drive to Beat America to the Moon, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1997.. ISBN: 0471148539. The first and the best English-language book on the Soviet space program published since the fall of the Soviet Union and the opening of the archives.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Jenkins, Dennis R,, Space Shuttle: The History of Developing the National Space Transportation System, Motorbooks International, ISBN 0-9633974-4-3, 1996. ISBN: 0963397443. Excellent - the most comprehensive account of the design, development, and flights of the space shuttle.Takes the reader from the maze of designs during the first shuttle competition to future plans.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Johnson, Nicholas L; and Rodvold, David M, Europe and Asia in Space 1993-1994, USAF Phillips Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, NM 80907, 1995.. Comprehensive survey of Russian, Chinese, and European launchers and spacecraft.
Koelle, Heinz Hermann,, Handbook of Astronautical Engineering, McGraw-Hill,New York, 1961. The only such comprehensive handbook ever produced, and at the dawn of the space age.
Ley, Willy, Rockets Missiles and Men in Space, Viking Press, New York, 1968. Willy Ley was one of the great science writers and promoters of spaceflight in the 1950's. This book is essential and covers basic concepts, and the history of rocketry up to the early 1960's.
Lovell, Jim, and Kluger, Jeffrey, Apollo 13, Pocket Books, New York, 1994. ISBN: 0671534645. Lovell's account of Apollo 13, the basis for the movie. Original title 'Lost Moon'.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Lowther, Scott, Saturn: Development, Details, Derivatives and Descendants, Work in progress. Availabe chapters may be ordered directly from Scott Lowther at web site indicated. On the Web Here
McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Report (Internet Newsletter), Harvard University, Weekly, 1989 to Present. Essential internet newsletter recording worldwide weekly space events.On the Web Here
McDowell, Jonathan, Launch Log, October 1998. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited since Sputnik.On the Web Here
Miller, Jay,, The X-Planes, Aerofax, Arlington, Texas, 1988. ISBN: 051705647X. Tremendous account of the entire X- experimental series of US aircraft, including the rocket planes X-1, X-15, and X-20. Another outstanding Jay Miller book.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Miller, Ron, The Dream Machines, Krieger, Malabar, Florida, 1993. ISBN: 0894640399. Sensational chronological roundup of text, photos, and sketches of virtually every spacecraft and launch vehicle design every conceived but never built. A gold mine for space-struck baby boomers.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Murray, Charles, and Cox, Catherine Bly, Apollo - The Race to the Moon, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1989. ISBN: 0671611011. Excellent account of the program managers and engineers that made the program happen .Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Oberg, James E and Obert, Alcestis R, Pioneering Space, McGraw-Hill,1987. ISBN: 0070480346. A marvelous book - the real nitty-gritty of how human beings cope with the space environment. Answers many questions not answered elsewhere and confronts downright unpleasant aspects of spaceflightBuy it at amazon.com,,,
Oberg, James, Red Star in Orbit, Random House, New York, 1981. ISBN: 0394514297. Oberg's book was, at its time, the most accurate, and still the most lively account of the Soviet manned program.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Ordway, Frank, and Sharpe, Mitchell, The Rocket Team, Thomas Y Crowell, New York, 1979. ISBN: 0690016565. Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Pellegrino, Charles R, and Stoff, Joshua,, Chariots for Apollo, Tab Books, Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania, 1985. ISBN: 0380802619. The development of the Lunar Module, told with a gonzo journalist attitude and some inaccuracy. Very enjoyable.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Portree, David S. F., Mir Hardware Heritage, NASA Reference Publication 1357, March 1995. Excellent overview, needing some updating in line with more recent revelations on Soviet programs. Considered the NASA ISS team Bible on Russian space hardware.
Przybilski, Olaf, and Wotzlaw, Stefan, N-1 Herkules - Entwicklung und Absturz einer Traegerrakete, Schriftenreihe der Deutschen Raumfahrtausstellung e.V., 1996. Best account of the development of the N-1 rocket and the Soviet lunar program. In German.
Rhea, John, Editor,, Roads to Space, Aviation Week Group, New York, ISBN 0076070956, 1995. Abridged translation of a collection of oral recollections by the surviving Russian space pioneers at NPO Energia. A rich source of new information and anecdotes.
Semenov, Yu. P., S P Korolev Space Corporation Energia, RKK Energia, 1994. Dual English/Russian language picture book of the history of the Energia Corporation. Many unique photos and drawings of Korolev's rockets and spacecraft.
Siddiqi, Asif, Soviet Space Web Page, 1999. On the Web Here
Swenson, Grimwood, Alexander, Charles C, This New Ocean, Government Printing Office, 1966. The official version - NASA's history of the Mercury Program.On the Web Here
Turnill, Reginald,, The Observer's Spaceflight Directory, Frederick Warne, London, 1978. ISBN: 0723220514. Good miniature encyclopaedia of space programs just before the shuttle started flying.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Vick, Charles, et al, Russian Space Industry, Federation of American Scientists, 1995-present. On the Web Here
Wilson, Andrew, editor,, Jane's/Interavia Space Directory, Jane's Information Group, Coulsdon, Surrey, 1992 et al. ISBN: 0710618107. The most comprehensive source of information for current space projects. Too expensive for human beings and most libraries.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Wolfe, Tom, The Right Stuff, Various publishers, 1979. ISBN: 0553275569. The groundbreaking account of the Mercury astronauts. This started a wave of books revealing the real experience of the space race as opposed to the 'official version'.Buy it at amazon.com,,,

Essential Subscription

North, David M, Editor, Aviation Week and Space Technology, . The weekly journal of record for the world aerospace industry. Only a fraction of the articles cover space topics. Subscriptons: Aviation Week On-Line

History

Belyakov, R A and Marmain, J, MiG-Fifty Years of Secret Aircraft Design, Airlife, England, 1994. ISBN: 0904597806. Comprehensive English account of the products of the MiG design bureau. Mainly covers fighters, but included are detailed descriptions of the MiG-105 spaceplane and earlier rocketplane designs.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Benson, Charles D, Faherty,William Barnaby, Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations SP-4204 1978, NASA. Official NASA history of the Saturn I, IB, and V launch facilities.On the Web Here
Bilstein, Roger E, Stages to Saturn, US Government Printing Office, 1980. ISBN: 0160489091. Excellent account of the evolution, design, and development of the Saturn launch vehicles.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Borman, Frank and Serling, Robert J., Countdown : An Autobiography, 1989. ISBN: 0688079296. Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Burrows, William E, Deep Black, Random House, New York, 1986. ISBN: 0394541243. Thorough but now (with release of early Keyhole satellite information) dated accounted of the American spy satellite program.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Chaikin, Andrew, A Man on the Moon, Viking, New York, 1994. ISBN: 0140272011. Highly touted but perhaps overrated survey of the Apollo missions.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Clark, John D, Ignition!, New York, 1971. Outstanding first hand account of the development of liquid fuel rocket engines in the United States.
Cooper, Henry S F, Moonwreck, Granada, London, 1975. ISBN: 0801850975. Long before Apollo 13 this excellent account of the flight was available. Original title 13: The Flight That FailedBuy it at amazon.com,,,
Day, Dwayne A (Editor), et. al., Eye in the Sky : The Story of the Corona Spy Satellites, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998. ISBN: 1560988304. Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Emme, Eugene M, Aeronautical and Astronautical Events of 1961 Report of NASA to the Committee on Science and Astronautics US House of Representatives 87th Cong 2d Sess, NASA, 1962. On the Web Here
Emme, Eugene M, Aeronautics and Astronautics: An American Chronology of Science and Technology in the Exploration of Space 1915-1960, NASA, 1961. On the Web Here
Ertel , Ivan D; Morse , Mary Louise; et al, The Apollo Spacecraft Chronology Vol I - IV NASA SP-4009, NASA, 1966-1974. On the Web Here
Furniss, Tim, Manned Spaceflight Log, Jane's, London, 1986. ISBN: 0710604025. Summary of all manned spaceflights up to 1986. Pre-Glasnost, so many 'war stories' of Soviet manned spaceflight are not included.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Gatland, Kenneth, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Space Technology, Salamander, New YUork, 1981. ISBN: 0517542587. Large format overview of rocketry, spacecraft, and space history up to the end of the 1970's.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Geiger, Jeffrey, Vandenberg AFB Chronology, 30 Space Wing Web, August 1995. On the Web Here
Gibson, James N, The Navaho Missile Project, Schiffer, 1996. ISBN: 0764300482. The only book available on the fabulous Navaho project. Written by the son of one of the project workers, not nearly detailed enough, but it's all we've got....Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Glenn, John and Taylor, Nick, John Glenn : A Memoir, Bantam Doubleday, 1999. ISBN: 0553110748. Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Golovine, M N, Conflict in Space, Temple Press, London, 1962. Comprehensive account of the 'blue sky' studies on military use of space, done at the dawn of the space age and twenty years before the Strategic Defence Initiative.
Gunston, Bill, The Osprey Encylopedia of Russian Aircraft 1975-1995, Osprey, London, 1995. ISBN: 1855324059. The greatest single reference on Soviet winged aircraft.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Harvey, Brian, The Chinese Space Programme : From Conception to Future Capabilities, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1998. ISBN: 0471975885. Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Kaplan, Joseph; Von Braun, Wernher; et. al., Across the Space Frontier, Viking Press, New York, 1952. Book form of the series of Collier's magazine articles that first confronted the US public with the imminent possibility of manned spaceflight.
Kranz, Gene, Failure Is Not an Option, Berkley Publishing Group, 2000. ISBN: 0425179877. OK biography of the most famous of the Apollo flight controllers.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Lehman, Milton, Robert H Goddard - Pioneer of Space Research, Da Capo, New York, 1988. ISBN: 0306803313. Reprint of the classic Goddard biography, 'This High Man'.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Mellberg, Bill, Moon Missions: Mankind's First Voyages to Another World, Plymouth Press, 1997.
Michels, Juergen and Przybilski, Olaf, Peenemuende und seine Erben in Ost und West, Bernard & Graefe, Bonn, 1997. ISBN: 3763759603. Marvelous German language book traces the 'technology transfer' from the Peenemuende refugees to the rocketry programs of America, Russia, Germany, and other countries.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Newell, Homer E, editor, Sounding Rockets, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1959.
Pahl, David, Space Warfare and Strategic Defense, Bison Books, New York, 1987. ISBN: 0671089250. Another 1980's coffee-table picture book, surveying the 'Star Wars' projects of the time.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Richelson, Jeffrey T, America's Secret Eyes in Space, Harper and Row, New York, 1990. ISBN: 0887302858. Comprehensive account of the US spy satellite projects. Now dated due to latest Keyhole project declassification.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Schirra, Wally, Schirra's Space, 1995. ISBN: 1557507929. Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Sheldon, Charles II, Soviet Space Programs 1966-1970 1971-1975 1976-1980, US Government Printing Office, 1971,1976,1980. These were essential sources for basic information until the 1980's. Sheldon's work has survived him in the use of his system for designation Soviet launch vehicles.
Shepard, Alan, and Slayton, Deke, Moon Shot, Turner Publishing, 1994. ISBN: 1878685546. Overrated superficial astronaut autobiography with many technical errors. Buy 'Deke!' instead....Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Von Braun, Wernher, The Mars Project, University of Illinois Press, 1991. ISBN: 0252062272. Reprint of Von Braun's original 1952 designs for manned landings on MarsBuy it at amazon.com,,,
Von Braun, Wernher, and Ley, Willy, La Conquista del Espacio, Espasa-calpe, SA, Madrid, 1966. Spanish edition consolidating Von Braun's pioneering 'Across the Space Frontier' and 'Conquest of the Moon'.
Yenne, Bill, The Encyclopedia of U S Spacecraft, Bison, London, 1985. ISBN: 0671075082. Large format picture book covering US manned and unmanned spacecraft launched up to the mid-1980's.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Yenne, Bill, Editor, Interplanetary Spacecraft, Brompton, London, 1988. ISBN: 0861244397. Odd large format book setting forth design for low-cost Pluto probe launched by Liberty launch vehicle. Background on previous US probes.Buy it at amazon.com,,,

Russian Language

Afanasyev, I B, Neizvestnie korabli, Kosmonavtika, Astronomiya, Znanie, 12-91.. This basic monograph revealed for the first time the many cancelled Soviet manned space projects.
Chertok, Boris Yevseyevich, Raketi i lyudi, Mashinostroenie, Moscow, 1994-1999.. ISBN: 5217024976. Russian language autobiography in four volumes of one of Korolev's chief assistants.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Filin, V M, Vosplominaniya o lunnom korable, Izdatelstvo 'Kultura', 1992. Russian-language account of the design and development of the LK lunar lander.
Golovanov, Yarsolav, Korolev - fakti i mifi, Nauka, Moscow, 1994. Groundbreaking Russian language biography of the Soviet Chief Designer.
Gorodnichev, Yu P, et. al., 80 let GKNPTs imemi M V Khrunicheva, GKNPTs i Khrunicheva, 1995. ISBN: 5865080784. Russian-language in-house history of Khrunichev rocket/spacecraft factoryBuy it at amazon.com,,,
Kamanin, N P, Skritiy kosmos, Infortext, Moscow, 1995. The diary of the Commander of the Soviet Cosmonaut Team in the 1960's - a source of great insights into the space program. Four volumes issued to date.
Karpenko, A V, Utkin, A F and Popov,A D, Otechestvenniye strategischeskiye rakenoye kompleks, Sankt-Peterburg: Nevskii bastion; Gangut 1999.. Well-illustrated encyclopedia of the missiles of the Russian strategic missile forces.
Kozlov, D I, Konstruirovanie avtomaticheskikh kosmicheskikh apparatov, Mashnostroenie, Moscow, 1996. ISBN: 521702657X. Technical account of the design of unmanned spacecraft by the Soviet Union's chief designer for reconnaisance satellites.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Krasnikov, Aleksandr, Russian Space History Web Site, "Pilotiruemiy polyot na Mars - chetvert veka nazad", . Overview of Soviet designs for manned Mars expeditions, based on material from article by Afanasyev, Igor, article of same title, Vestnik vozdyshnovo flota, n 7-8, 1996.On the Web Here
Kudryavtsev, V M, et.al., Osnovy Teorii i Rascheta, Moscow, Vysshaya Shkola, 1993. ISBN: 5060025624. Russian-language textbook on rocket theory; contains some information on Russian rocket engines.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Kudryavtseva, V M, ed., Zhidkostnikh Raketnikh Dvigatley, Visshaya Shkola, Moscow, 1993. ISBN: 5060025632. Russian-language textbook on rocket theory.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Melnik, T G, Voenno-Kosmicheskiy Siliy, Nauka, Moscow, 1997.. Two-volume official history of the (now defunct) Russin space forces.
Pervov, Mikhail, Raketnoye Oruzhiye RVSN, Violanta, Moscow, 1999.. Narrative overview of the missiles of the Russian strategic missile forces.
Petrakov, V M, O vklade OKB-23 V M Myasishcheva v prakticheskoe osushchecstvlenie idey K E Tsilokovskovo, Akademiya Nauk SSSR, Koissiya po razrabotke nauchnovo nasoediya K E Tsiolkovskovo, 1990/I16.. Monograph documenting the history of the Buran cruise missile and Myasishchev spaceplanes, 1954-1960.
Rakhmanin, V F, Odnazhdy i Navsegda, NPO Energomash, Moscow 1998. Biography and history of development of the rocket motors of Glushko.
Semenov, Yu P, Lozino-Lozinsky, et. al., Mnogorazoviy orbitalniy korabl 'Buran', Mashinostroenne, Moscow, 1995. ISBN: 521702772X. Russian language book devoted to describing the space shuttle Buran in great technical detail. What was to have been...Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Semenov, Yuri P Editor, Raketno-kosmicheskaya korporatsiya 'Energia' imeni S P Koroleva, Moscow, Russia, 1996. Russian in-house history of the Energia Corporation and its predecessors. Unprecedented detail, photographs, designations, and drawings, on the products of Korolev's OKB.
Vetrov, G S, S. P. Korolev i evo delo, Nauka, Moscow, 1998. ISBN: 5020036846. The collected papers of Soviet Chief Designer Korolev. A tremendous source of new information and insight on the Soviet space program. Russian language.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Yeliseyev, A S, Zhizn - kapla v more, Aviatsiya i kosmonavtika, 1998. ISBN: 5765600271. Russian language autobiography of the Russian cosmonaut and spacecraft engineer.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Yeteyev, Ivan, Operezhaya vremya, Ocherki, Moscow, 1999.. Collection of articles involving the life and works of Chief Designer Chelomei and the Khrunichev factory.
Yevstafyev, M D, Dolgiy put k 'Burye', Vyzovskaya kniga, Moscow, 1996.. History of development of Russian winged rocketry, from Keldysh's upgrade of Saenger's antipodal bomber, through Bondarenko's ramjets, to Buran and Burya intercontinental cruise missiles.

Russian Space

Grahn, Sven, Sven Grahn's Space History Pages, . On the Web Here
Hart, Douglas, The Encyclopedia of Soviet Spacecraft, Bison Books, London, 1987. ISBN: 0600552535. Another 1980's Bison picture-book. Fair text but pre-Glasnost information. Nice photos but some of the captions are way off and even unintentionally hilarious.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Hooper, Gordon R, The Soviet Cosmonaut Team, GRH Publications, Woodbridge, UK, 1986. ISBN: 0951131206. Comprehensive pre-Glasnost biographies of Soviet cosmonauts known up to that time.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
James, Peter N,, Soviet Conquest from Space, Arlington House, New Rochelle, New York, 1974. ISBN: 0870002244. Idiosyncratic account by a disgruntled agent of US Air Force intelligence, spilled the beans years ahead of time on what was going on in Soviet space developments.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Johnson, Nicholas L, The Soviet Reach for the Moon, Cosmos Books, Washington, DC, 1994. ISBN: 1885606035. The best English account of the Soviet lunar program. Unfortunately out of print and unavailable.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Matson, Dr Wayne R, Editor, Cosmonautics - A Colorful History, Cosmos Books, Washington DC, 1994. Handsome picture book on Soviet manned spaceflight - no longer available. The author skipped town, leaving a lot of folks who ordered expensive space tours and books from him holding the bag....
Matthews, Henry, The Secret Story of the Soviet Space Shuttle, X-Planes Book 1, Beirut, Lebanon, 1994. Unusual English-language book, published in Beirut, on Soviet spaceplanes. Some information since found to be in error, but a valuable work.
Newkirk, Dennis, Almanac of Soviet Manned Space Flight, 1990. ISBN: 0872018482. Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Przybilski, Olaf, Almaz-Proton: Das supergeheime Aufklaerungssystem der UdSSR, Schriftenreihe der Deutschen Raumfahrtausstellung eV, TU Dresden, 2. Auflage, 1999.. Outstanding German-language brochure on the Almaz and TKS manned military spacecraft.
Riabchikov, Evgeny,, Russians in Space, Doubleday, New York, 1971. The best Soviet account of their space program before the space station era.
Sagdeev, Roald Z, The Making of a Soviet Scientist, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1987. Autobiographical account from the man at the center of Russia's unmanned planetary exploration program. Many revelations of the infighting between the Chief Designers and their Kremlin patrons.
Smolders, Peter,, Soviets in Space, Taplinger Press, New York, 1974. The best account until the 1980's of the Soviet manned program.
Titov, Gherman, and Caidin, Martin, I Am Eagle!, Bobbs-Merrill, New York, 1962. English autobiography of the second cosmonaut in space. Until the end of the 1960's, the only inside account of the Soviet space program...

Space Fiction

Caidin, Martin, Marooned, Bantam, New York, 1969. Caidin was the best 'space fiction' writer and this his best known work. The original 1964 edition involved a Mercury capsule; this was updated to Apollo/Skylab for the movie in 1969.
Hay, Jacob and Keshishian, John, Autopsy for a Cosmonaut, Popular Library, New York, 1969. Odd but technically accurate fictional account of a pathologist trained for a Gemini flight and EVA - to conduct in-flight autopsies of Soviet cosmonauts that have perished in a marooned Voskhod!

Subscriptions

Groves, Gerald V, Editor, Spaceflight, . The only English-language monthly magazine on the past, present, and future of space exploration and space technology. Subscriptons: BIS.
Marinin, Igor, Novosti kosmonavtiki, . A biweekly Russian-language magazine on the past, present, and future of space exploration and space technology. Subscriptions: here.

Technical

Alway, Peter, Rockets of the World, Saturn Press, Ann Arbor, 1995. ISBN: 0962787655. Comprehensive account of world rocketry, from the beginning 'til now, from sounding rockets to Saturns. Oriented toward rocket modellers, with accurate drawings and color guides.Buy it at amazon.com,,,
Baker, Larry L, Northwest Professional Engineer, "Manned Interplanetary Spacecraft", Summer/Fall 1968.
Balcomb, J D, Nuclear Rocket Reference Data Summary, LA-5057-M Los Alamos Informal Report UC-33, October 1972.
Boeing Corporation, Delta III Payload Planner's Guide, Publication number MDC 95H0137A, March 1997.. On the Web Here
Chacko, George K, ed., Reducing the Cost of Space Transportation, AAS Science and Technology Series, Vol. 21, 1969. A good collection of articles just prior to the shuttle competition on competing methods of reaching orbit cheaply.
Cohan, Christopher J, Space Transportation Systems, 1980-2000, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, New York, 1978.
Hesse, Walter J and Mumford, Nicholas VS Jr;, Jet Propulsion for Aerospace Applications - Second Edition, Pitman Publishing, New York, 1964. This textbook, produced in the mid-1960's, remains the best introduction to jet propulsion for air and spacecraft.
Konecci, Eugene, Hunter, Maxwell, and Trapp, Robert, ed, Space Age in Fiscal Year 2001, American Astronautical Society, 1967. Papers from an American Astronautical Society conference in 1967. See what wonders (nuclear fusion drives, magnetic radiation/meteorite shields, etc.) were anticipated for now thirty years ago.
Kraft, C, editor, Manned Spacecraft: Engineering Design and Operation, NASA, 1968.. Collection of articles presenting technical aspects of the design of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecraft.

Back to Index

Last update 8 May 2001.
Contact Mark Wade with any corrections or comments.
Conditions for use of drawings, pictures, or other materials from this site..
© Mark Wade, 2001 .