This New Ocean

I don't get all the five star ratings. DEEP BLACK was the author's superior work. Scant on technical details. Brisk and lively narrative. A better space history book is THE ROCKET by David Baker.

I picked this book up because I am such a fan of Mr. Burrows' other work about the space program (Deep Black). While I was not disappointed in "This New Ocean," it didn't get absorbed in one sitting... like DEEP BLACK. The coverage starts at the foundation years of the space program, delves into the military's nascent programs (CORONA and other Keyhole satellites), stretches through the 1960s/1970s civilian programs (Apollo, Gemini, Mercury, Skylab), and painfully trudges through the 1980s (not the fault of the author - the 1980s were bad for the space program). I will echo the words of another reviewer - it IS dense reading material. It is comprehensive, yet written in an easy-to-read style. Budding Space Historians - this is a *must* read, to understand the complexities of the Space Race and its aftermath. Downside - I searched the internet for this book, and got slightly confused with NASA's Mercury Project history of the same name. But... hey, if the title fits the subject, what does it matter?

An exhaustive and outstanding compendium that catalogues the entire space effort over the past fifty years with emphasis on both civilian and military ventures as well as manned and unmanned ventures. I have been reading about the space program for over 20 years and I was impressed with the amount of detail that the author was able to uncover. I also very much like the way he gave equal time to the oft-ignored gemini program and the equally ignored mariner and viking missions. In contrast to other reader reviews, I found his political commentary to be relatively fair. Overall, a great read but only one for those with a deep and genuine interest in all aspects of the subject. 700 pages of dense material. "Lost Moon" it is not.

This was an enjoyable read and it would take a good read to make me hang in there for 650 pages (not counting biblio and index). You will learn a lot about Soviet space mishaps that you probably hadn't heard before. You will not learn much more about the Challenger incident unless you never watch Nova. There is more detail here about the German rocket program. Goddard is given his due but you will get more detail from other sources (and I can't remember the name of the book I read 30 years ago about Goddard). It was particularly revealing to learn about the battles between the various "parts" of the space program: the Air Force, JPL, NASA, others. Tom Hanks, in his Earth to the Moon series for HBO, said that the landing on the moon owed a lot to 3 people Sergei Korolyov, Wernher Von Braun and John Kennedy. If you are a little light on the background of the first two, this book will fix that. As for Kennedy, he gave this book its name.

The first two chapters offer a summary of humankind's attempts at space travel OVER THE LAST THOUSAND PLUS YEARS -- information which can be found easily no where else. From early Chinese rocketry to the public ridiclue suffered by Goddard, Burrows offers the most intelligently written comprehensive text on the history of space exploration available, with a constant, striking sense of humor. After the second chapter his writing becomes a much more obtuse, detailed study, but only because he conveys that much more information -- if you are serious about the subject, there is no more important source. Please read it. Please pass it to a friend. We need more authors as inspiring as this one and this book needs more readers! If you are writing fiction, a historical study, a screenplay, or doing general research -- PLEASE -- do not consider your work complete without having finished this wonderful book!

This is a fascinating and very readable book for the lay person who wants to learn about the space age - this book reads like a novel. It should be used in high school and colleges as a text for the most recent chapter in our history.