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Author
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Topic: Recommended books on Soviet programs?
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goose77
Member Posts: 65
From: Marion, Iowa
Registered: Jul 2019
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posted 10-01-2020 09:12 PM
   
I'm interested in learning more about the space programs of the Soviet Union. What book or books would you recommend? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 45444
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 10-01-2020 09:21 PM
Several good books come to mind, but I would begin with Asif Siddiqui's "Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945-1975" (or its two-volume, mass market version, "Sputnik and the Soviet Space Challenge" and "The Soviet Space Race with Apollo"). |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2076
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 10-01-2020 10:18 PM
I totally agree with Robert; this is the definitive book on the Soviet space program. It can be heavy going at times, but it's as concise and accurate as it should be. There are also several books written or co-written by David Shayler (Springer-Praxis Books) that also contain masses of authoritative material and some great stories, and make excellent reading. |
dom
Member Posts: 908
From:
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 10-02-2020 01:49 AM
Brian Harvey has written several excellent books on the subject — the ones to read are "The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program,"
"Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration" and "Soviet Planetary ‘Exploration." |
Lasv3
Member Posts: 441
From: Bratislava, Slovakia
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted 10-02-2020 02:20 AM
To name some Springer Praxis books dealing with the specific topics: - The First Soviet Cosmonaut Team
- The Rocket Men
- Soyuz
- Salyut the First Space Station
- The Story of Space Station MIR
- Energiya - Buran
- Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration
There is also an Apogee Books publication "Rocket and Space Corporation Energia" containing a lot of very rare photographs in excellent quality on glossy paper. |
minipci
Member Posts: 403
From: London, UK
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 10-02-2020 05:58 AM
How about "Rockets and People" by Boris Chertok? |
Lasv3
Member Posts: 441
From: Bratislava, Slovakia
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted 10-02-2020 06:07 AM
Yes, an excellent four volumes account of the Soviet both manned and unmanned programs. |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4747
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 10-02-2020 11:39 AM
Russian Space Web. |
edorr
Member Posts: 75
From: Chelmsford, MA
Registered: Oct 2000
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posted 10-02-2020 11:57 AM
Absolutely, Siddiqi's Challenge to Apollo is the best book on the topic; Chertok's massive 4-volume Rockets and People is my second pick. But if you want something a bit shorter I highly recommend Slava Gerovitch's Voices of the Soviet Space Program: Cosmonauts, Soldiers, and Engineers Who Took the USSR into Space. It is, relatively speaking, a slender volume (a mere 305 pages!), but has quite interesting interviews with 13 participants in the Soviet program.
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randy
Member Posts: 2380
From: West Jordan, Utah USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 10-02-2020 02:53 PM
I have a suggestion. It's titled "The Soviet Manned Space Program: An Illustrated History of the Men, the Missions and the Spacecraft."The author is Phillip Clark, published by Orion Books in 1988. I have a copy and it is very informative and illustrated with technical drawings and detailed photos. It's a good read for anyone wanting to learn about the Soviet space program. You might also consider "Soyuz-1 The Death of Vladimir Komarov: Pressure, Politics and Parachutes" by Asif Siddiqi, published by SpaceHistory101.com press in 2020. |
Mike Dixon
Member Posts: 1504
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2003
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posted 10-02-2020 04:41 PM
Agreed Randy ... a superb publication. |
herranzc
Member Posts: 18
From: Madrid, Spain
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 10-15-2020 05:11 AM
quote:
Originally posted by goose77:
What book or books would you recommend?
It mostly depends on your desired level of treatment. For a general introduction, fully illustrated, technical story of the subject I would suggest David Baker's "Soyuz: Owners' Workshop Manual" (Haynes Publishing, 2014).Despite its title, in fact it covers more or less the Soviet piloted space programs from the beginning (but not the Buran spaceplane, for example). Have a look at the publisher website here. |
Fra Mauro
Member Posts: 1725
From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted 10-17-2020 01:08 PM
I read, “I am Eagle,” by Gherman Titov years ago, which was a bit heavy and we can’t be sure if it was “edited” before publication. |
onesmallstep
Member Posts: 1327
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007
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posted 11-09-2020 07:07 AM
I’m surprised no one has mentioned two excellent books by longtime Russian space flight author Jim Oberg, "Red Star in Orbit" and "Star-Crossed Orbits." The first is a compendium in book form of all his research which was published first in the old Space World magazine (now put out by the National Space Society and called Ad Astra). The second book is a look at the US-Soviet/Russian Federation cooperative efforts during the Shuttle/Mir era. As before the fall of the USSR experts had to parse out clues from photos, interviews and documents to gain a somewhat incomplete picture of the Russian space program, this era of "detective work" is always fascinating. Another Springer-Praxis book, "Cold War Space Sleuths: Uncovering the Secrets of the Soviet Space Program," covers this subject and is recommended. |
alanh_7
Member Posts: 1256
From: Ajax, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 11-09-2020 03:45 PM
Colin Burgess and Francs French book "Into That Silent Sea" has a great deal of insight into the early Soviet Program. |
OLDIE
Member Posts: 293
From: Portsmouth, England
Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 11-10-2020 08:54 AM
Two more general books worth mentioning are "Cosmonautics, a Colorful History" edited by Dr. W.R. Matson, and published by Cosmos Books in 1994. This is more of a coffee-table book, but is crammed full of photographs.The second is "Soviets in Space" by Peter Smolders. this was published in 1973 by Lutterworth Press (ISBN 0 7188 1990 X). It is based on his extensive research into published Soviet literature and many interviews. Lastly, a comment on two books already mentioned. "The First Soviet Cosmonaut Team" was co-authored by the late Rex Hall of the British Interplanetary Society, and Colin Burgess (who was too modest to mention it). This is about the people. "Rocket and Space Corporation Energia: The Legacy of S.P. Korolev" (ISBN 1-896522-81-5) is about the Soviet space vehicles, copiously illustrated with photographs and cutaway drawings. In fact it is a photographic history. The English edition was published in 2001. |
FFrench
Member Posts: 3177
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 01-01-2021 05:57 PM
Thanks for the kind words about "Into That Silent Sea," which covers human missions of 1961-65. Our next book, "In The Shadow Of THe Moon," continued the story from 1965-69. We were fortunate to talk first-hand with many of the original Soviet spacefarers, most of whom have since passed away, and get their first-hand stories. |
SkyMan1958
Member Posts: 972
From: CA.
Registered: Jan 2011
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posted 01-19-2021 04:34 PM
I'm just about to finish "Challenge to Apollo".I was wondering, is there a book that focuses on the 1975 - early 1990's timeframe that was written at least several years after the collapse of the Soviet Union so that the old Soviet primary sources became open to the public? I'm particularly interested in manned spaceflight. I've got Philip Clark's, "The Soviet Manned Space Program", which was published in 1988, so it suffers from Soviet censorship of their space program. While a good book, it shows the limits of educated Western guesswork about the Soviet program, particularly now that Westerners have had access for years to primary Soviet materials. Thank you for your help! |
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