Features
ISBN Number: 9780691128542
Subtitle: The Story of Operation Moonwatch & the Dawn of the Space Age
Author: McCray, W. Patrick
Author: McCray, W. Patrick
Author: McCray, W. Partick
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Location: Princeton
Subject: Astrophysics & Space Science
Subject: Astronomy, General
Subject: United States, 20th Century
Subject: Astronomy and Cosmology
Subject: American history
Subject: History of Science and Medicine, Philosophy of Science
Subject: History
Subject: Astronomy, Solar System
Subject: United States, 20th Century/50s
Copyright: 2008
Publication Date: April 2008
Cover Type: Hardcover
Grade Level: College/higher education:
Written in: English
Illustrations: Y
Number of Pages: 308
Book Size: 9 x 6 in
When the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, thousands of ordinary people across the globe seized the opportunity to participate in the start of the Space Age. Known as the Moonwatchers, these largely forgotten citizen-scientists helped professional astronomers by providing critical and otherwise unavailable information about the first satellites. In Keep Watching the Skies, Patrick McCray tells the story of this network of pioneers who, fueled by civic pride and exhilarated by space exploration, took part in the twentieth century's biggest scientific endeavor. Around the world, thousands of teenagers, homemakers, teachers, amateur astronomers, and other citizens joined Moonwatch teams. Despite their diverse backgrounds and nationalities, they shared a remarkable faith in the transformative power of science; a faith inspired by the Cold War culture in which they lived. Against the backdrop of the space race and technological advancement, ordinary people developed an unprecedented desire to contribute to scientific knowledge and to investigate their place in the cosmos. Using homemade telescopes and other gadgets, Moonwatchers witnessed firsthand the astonishing beginning of the Space Age. In the process, these amateur scientists organized themselves into a worldwide network of satellite spotters that still exists today.
Drawing on previously unexamined letters, photos, scrapbooks, and interviews, Keep Watching the Skies recreates a pivotal event from a perspective never before examined: that of ordinary people who leaped at a chance to take part in the excitement of space exploration.
Review:
Eagerly peering into the predawn skies of October 1957, amateur scientists kept watch for a glimpse of a faint dot in the sky: Sputnik! Patrick McCray tells us who these people were and how their observations helped Operation Moonwatch become a rousing success for Fred Whipple and the scientists of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. highlights this unique alliance of amateur and professional scientists at the dawn of the space age. If you are among those who remember the thrill of the first satellites--even more so if you are not--you need to read this book.
Review:
Patrick McCray has produced a gem! With the aid of meticulous research, he has unearthed the story of Operation Moonwatch and some of the forgotten heroes of the early years of the Space Age. They were the worldwide citizen-scientists who monitored the orbits of the early satellites. He has brought the era alive. A great read for scientists, engineers, historians--and anyone interested in the Space Age.
Review:
A unique and valuable cultural history of what was the largest collaboration between amateur and professional scientists in history, this book will interest anyone who wishes to know more about the early days of the space age.
