Giles Sparrow, Buzz Aldrin "Spaceflight: The Complete Story From Sputnik to Shuttle - And Beyond" Signed Limited Deluxe Edition w/COA [Sealed]

Personally signed by Buzz Aldrin, member of the Apollo 11 moon landing mission and the second human to step on the Moon.

A DELUXE SIGNED LEATHER BOUND COLLECTOR'S EDITION

A highly sought after autograph. 

Easton Press 2007. Giles Sparrow "Spaceflight: The Complete Story From Sputnik to Shuttle - And Beyond" Signed Limited Edition. Forward by Buzz Aldrin. Signed by Buzz Aldrin on the special title page. Includes original COA from the publisher. Luxuriously bound with full genuine leather. Oversized Deluxe Edition. Sealed.

Book Dimensions (est): 12" x 10" x 1 1/8"

Honoring the fiftieth anniversary of the first space flight, a visual study of human ventures into outer space covers the U.S. and Soviet space race, as well as the efforts of other countries around the world, chronicling the development of space technology, future planned space missions, and key accomplishments, ranging from the first satellite launch to the moon landing.

About the book

This compelling story of exploration charts and celebrates humankind in space, from Sputnik's launch in 1957 through the Apollo Moon landings and the International Space Station to future missions to Mars and beyond.

Spaceflight chronicles how, in the six decades that followed Sputnik, the world was revolutionized by space travel and exploration. The opening up of Earth's orbit to satellites led to a revolution in communications, monitoring of the environment, and materials science. For the human imagination, the impact has been even greater - the voyages of robotic space probes have transformed our view of the Solar System, while Earth-orbiting satellites and missions to the Moon have forever changed our view of ourselves.

This book is a celebration of human ingenuity and imagination. From the work of pioneers like Wernher von Braun, Yuri Gagarin, and Neil Armstrong to the triumphs and tragedies that followed, it reveals the people, science, and technology that have propelled us into the Space Age.

From Booklist

An introduction to the history of launching people into space, this visual vault introduces the subject with immediacy. The volume hopes, writes moonwalker Buzz Aldrin in a foreword, to inspire the next generation of space travelers, and the design certainly arrests attention. In more than 800 photographs organized on two-page spreads, the album introduces theoreticians of space technology such as Konstantin Tsiolkovskii; explains the evolving technology with arrowed diagrams of rockets, capsules, and space suits; dramatizes landmark space missions from Sputnik to China's recent launches of taikonauts; and reproduces images of space-age paraphernalia, such as postal stamps and mission patches. A positive distinction of the presentation is its national balance: the Soviet space program is amply pictured, especially its successes with space stations, and the space activities of Europe, India, and Japan are depicted as well. Aiming for breadth, the author also describes robotic planetary missions; includes several spectaculars from the Hubble Space Telescope; and points to future directions of private spaceships and NASA's proposed successors to the space shuttle. Space browsers will gravitate to this colorful tome. Taylor, Gilbert

Reviews

"A feast for the eyes and a treat for the historian in all of us...a magnificent volume." -- Aerospace Legacy Foundation magazine

"A must-have for any space enthusiast's library." -- LAUNCH magazine

About the Author

Giles Sparrow studied astronomy at University College, London and science communication at Imperial College, London. He has acted as a consultant on and contributor to numerous popular science books. He is the author of several books, including The Universe and How to See It and was a major contributor to DK's Universe: The Definitive Visual Guide.

Features

Includes all the classic Easton Press qualities:

* Premium Leather
* Silk Moire Endleaves
* Distinctive Cover Design
* Hubbed Spine, Accented in Real 22KT Gold
* Satin Ribbon Page Marker
* Gilded Page Edges
* Long-lasting, High Quality Acid-neutral Paper
* Smyth-sewn Pages for Strength and Durability
* Beautiful Illustrations

About Buzz Aldrin

Buzz Aldrin (born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.; January 20, 1930) is an American former astronaut, engineer and fighter pilot. He made three spacewalks as pilot of the 1966 Gemini 12 mission. As the Lunar Module Eagle pilot on the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, he and mission commander Neil Armstrong were the first two people to land on the Moon.

Born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, Aldrin graduated third in the class of 1951 from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in mechanical engineering. He was commissioned into the United States Air Force and served as a jet fighter pilot during the Korean War. He flew 66 combat missions and shot down two MiG-15 aircraft.

After earning a Doctor of Science degree in astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Aldrin was selected as a member of NASA's Astronaut Group 3, making him the first astronaut with a doctoral degree. His doctoral thesis, Line-of-Sight Guidance Techniques for Manned Orbital Rendezvous, earned him the nickname "Dr. Rendezvous" from fellow astronauts. His first space flight was in 1966 on Gemini 12, during which he spent over five hours on extravehicular activity. Three years later, Aldrin set foot on the Moon at 03:15:16 on July 21, 1969 (UTC), nineteen minutes after Armstrong first touched the surface, while command module pilot Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit. A Presbyterian elder, Aldrin became the first person to hold a religious ceremony on the Moon when he privately took communion. Apollo 11 effectively proved U.S. victory in the Space Race by fulfilling a national goal proposed in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy "of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth" before the end of the decade.

After leaving NASA in 1971, Aldrin became Commandant of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. He retired from the Air Force in 1972, after 21 years of service. His autobiographies Return to Earth (1973) and Magnificent Desolation (2009) recount his struggles with clinical depression and alcoholism in the years after leaving NASA. Aldrin continues to advocate for space exploration, particularly a human mission to Mars, and developed the Aldrin cycler, a special spacecraft trajectory that makes travel to Mars more efficient in terms of time and propellant. He has been accorded numerous honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969.