REACHING FOR THE STARS by Bergaust, E. reviewed by Frederick I. Ordway III

From The Space Library

REACHING FOR THE STARS

by Bergaust, E.

New York, 1960: Doubleday and Co., Inc., 407 pages, $4.95

A biography of Dr. Wernher von Braun, the book is written in a simple, easy-flowing style. It provides an excellent insight into the personality of the outstanding astronautical leader and of his rise to world fame through his rocket researches in Germany and the USA. Of great historical interest is the account of early rocket firings in Kummersdorf and Peenemünde, the development and use of the V2, and the transfer of von Braun and his team to the US after World War II. The book recounts the main events of von Braun's life through the launching of the early Explorer satellites and Pioneer probes and the development of the Saturn space carrier vehicle. A chapter is devoted to the controversial Nickerson court martial. The interactions of politics, science and engineering are evident throughout the book.

Extracted from the 1962 Publication Annotated Bibliography of Space Science and Technology with an Astronomical Supplement - A History of Astronautical Book Literature 1931 - 1961. by Frederick I. Ordway III