Fraser MacDonald

The incredible true story of Frank Malina, the man who first launched a rocket into space--but was written out of American history because of his ties to Communism during the McCarthy era. Most history books contain no mention of Frank Malina, the man who founded NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, who built the first rocket ever launched into extraterrestrial space, and whose overall scientific achievements rank with those of the Wright brothers. Malina can't be found in the history books, but the FBI has a thick file on him. He was a committed Communist, and his political life eventually overwhelmed his considerable scientific one. It led to tension with his government superiors, ultimately getting him fired; it determined the fate of his marriage, which ended in divorce; and eventually forced him to flee the country. This rich, dramatic story is told here by Fraser MacDonald, a historian of science with a deep command of this material and a flair for storytelling. His prose is confident and wryly funny, never failing to catch a fascinating detail. Based on a wealth of newly discovered information, this book will make you rethink the story of humanity's greatest achievement.

The Secret History of How We Reached Space

Escape from Earth

Charles W.J. Withers

Focusing on aspects of the functioning of technology, and by looking at instruments and at instrumental performance, this book addresses the epistemological questions arising from examining the technological bases to geographical exploration and knowledge claims. Questions of geography and exploration and technology are addressed in historical and contemporary context and in different geographical locations and intellectual cultures. The collection brings together scholars in the history of geographical exploration, historians of science, historians of technology and, importantly, experts with curatorial responsibilities for, and museological expertise in, major instrument collections. Ranging in their focus from studies of astronomical practice to seismography, meteorological instruments and rockets, from radar to the hand-held barometer, the chapters of this book examine the ways in which instruments and questions of technology - too often overlooked hitherto - offer insight into the connections between geography and exploration.

Geography, Technology and Instruments of Exploration

Rachel Hughes

Klaus J. Dodds

Rachel Hughes is a lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Melbourne. --

Fraser MacDonald

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