NASA—the National Aeronautics and Space Administration created in the wake of the Space Act—has and continues to accomplish those precepts every day. With many hundreds of satellites launched into space and close to 200 human spaceflights, NASA is a proven leader in space exploration. Most of the US space exploration efforts have been led by NASA, including the Apollo moon-landing missions, the Skylab space station, and later the Space Shuttle. Currently, NASA is supporting the International Space Station and is overseeing the development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the Space Launch System and Commercial Crew vehicles. NASA is also responsible for the Launch Services Program which provides oversight of launch operations and countdown management for unmanned NASA launches.
The Historical Guide to NASA and the Space Program contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 500 cross-referenced entries on space missions, astronauts, technical terms, space shuttles, satellites and the international space station. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about NASA and space exploration.
Industry Reviews
The authors of this encyclopedic work are aptly identified as aficionados of all things space-related—Beardsley being a second-round candidate for the Mars One campaign, Garcia a software engineer, and Sweeney trained in applied intelligence. The format offers short, one-paragraph descriptions of everything NASA, from the well-known series of 19 Apollo Project space missions that included Neil Armstrong's moon landing in 1969, to the lesser-known XS-1 Experimental Spaceplane 1, a DARPA-funded space transport system. The book has several helpful sections explaining the field's many acronyms and abbreviations, a time line, and an introduction that covers the development of the NASA program. The book's four appendixes include materials (mostly from 2015) such as that year's budget request, a list of NASA instruments, employees of NASA, and a partial list of active missions. This is a handy resource for teachers, students, and anyone who seeks a quick explanation of the many dealings and endeavors of NASA, and a starting point for research on a wide range of astronomical topics. The material is not complex and the descriptions are thorough, so that novice researchers through professionals will benefit.
Summing Up: Recommended. High school through undergraduate students; general readers; professionals/practitioners.
