Breaking the Chains of Gravity
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NASA's history is a familiar story, one that typically peaks with Neil Armstrong taking his small step on the Moon in 1969. But America's space agency wasn't created in a vacuum. It was assembled from pre-existing parts, drawing together some of the best minds the non-Soviet world had to offer. In the 1930s, rockets were all the rage in Germany, the focus both of scientists hoping to fly into space and of the German armed forces, looking to circumvent the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles. One of the key figures in this period was Wernher von Braun, an engineer who designed the rockets that became the devastating V-2. As the war came to its chaotic conclusion, von Braun escaped from the ruins of Nazi Germany, and was taken to America where he began developing missiles for the US Army. Meanwhile, the US Air Force was looking ahead to a time when men would fly in space, and test pilots like Neil Armstrong were flying cutting-edge, rocket-powered aircraft in the thin upper atmosphere. Breaking the Chains of Gravity tells the story of America's nascent space program, its scientific advances, its personalities and the rivalries it caused between the various arms of the US military. At this point getting a man in space became a national imperative, leading to the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, otherwise known as NASA.
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I had decent expectations from this book. I read a lot of books that discuss the dawn of the space age. I haven't yet read a book that focuses so much on Wernher von Braun, though his name naturally makes an appearance in any space book about this era. [b:Breaking the Chains of Gravity 22312378 Breaking the Chains of Gravity Amy Shira Teitel https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451741581l/22312378.SY75.jpg 41704411] certainly keeps a spotlight on him and I was actually disappointed that the rest of the information was largely summarized rather than deeply explored given the title alludes to this era as a whole. The book has a mechanical and technological focus going through the history of rockets and the scientists behind them. This information is good, though I noticed inconsistencies (particularly historic dates) with other books and what has become general knowledge for me through my reading. It also leaves a nasty elephant in the room and almost minimizes von Braun's connection to the Nazi party. I understand this book aims to look through a technological lens, but it's hard to look past the fact there was a lot of unmentioned human experimentation going on with enslaved prisoners. I don't know the extent of von Braun's moral story and I'd been hoping through this book to gain more insight, instead, I walked away feeling like everything had been justified. I'll believe the claims that he was trapped into joining the party, but that doesn't mean it will ever sit right with me personally. I'd rather read an account that plainly discusses the good as well as the bad.Aside from this, the rest of the book was interesting enough. I do like the technical side of things. Under these circumstances, I think I would have taken a dryer telling that didn't include much about the members behind the innovations. I do believe there is a time and place to discuss both sides but the way it was presented here just didn't work for me. I would need to read deeper into von Braun's life to solidify my opinion.
