A two-volume overview of U.S. missile and rocket technology, this book and its companion volume have been selected to receive the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 2010 Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Literature Award, presented for the best original contribution to the field of aeronautical or astronautical non-fiction literature dealing with the science, technology, and/or impact of aeronautics and astronautics on society.

"Hunley makes the connection between military and civil space vehicles by informing readers that NASA's launchers were originally long-range military ballistic missiles."--Jacob Neufeld, editor in chief, Air Power History

"These two volumes tell the compelling story of the events, people, and technology that evolved from the missile programs to the U.S. space boosters that impact every aspect of our daily lives. They also delineate the successful management techniques that produced some of the most expensive and complex systems ever developed."--Robert L. Geisler, Air Force Propulsion Laboratory (retired)

For nearly fifty years, a wide range of missiles and rockets has propelled U.S. satellites and spacecraft into the sky. J. D. Hunley's two-volume work traces the evolution of this technology, from Robert Goddard's research in the 1920s through the development of the Titan missiles and launch vehicles in the 1960s to the refinement of the space shuttle in the 1980s.

With the first book devoted primarily to military hardware and the second to launch vehicle hardware, Hunley offers a sweeping overview of these impressive engineering innovations as well as insights into the dynamic personalities responsible for them. Together, the two volumes offer a unique, invaluable history of rocketry that should appeal to a wide range of scholars and space buffs.

J. D. Hunley was chief historian of NASA Dryden Flight Research Center before his retirement in 2001.

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Awards
Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Literature Award (AIAA) - 2009

" A substancial and fascinating history that will appeal to a wide readership."
--SciTech Book News

" Hunley has produced a very nice chronology, and he does a good job of melding technology and human interest stories. The Author met amd interacted with many of the major players in this history, and makes good use of this knowledge in explaining their contributions to engineering advances. These volumes will be useful additions to any space science and engineering collection. Recommended. All readers/libraries."
--Choice