posted 03-30-2008 10:42 AM               

Blast Off brings to life the enthusiasm and adventure of mankind's early days as space explorers. The launch of Sputnik, the world's first satellite, inspired Ken McCracken when he was a young science student. After graduating, he pioneered research into cosmic radiation, working in both Antarctica and Papua New Guinea, before moving to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston. With the escalation of the Soviet-American 'Space Race' McCracken soon found financial support to send his cosmic-radiation detectors aloft aboard NASA satellites. His discoveries are credited with having saved astronauts' lives, particularly on the Moon landing missions. In Blast Off, McCracken reveals, using his subtle humour, the buzz of working at the heart of the space program with the best and brightest minds of the era. He brings us an often lighthearted glimpse at the inner workings of NASA and reveals some little-known glitches.

• Paperback: 256 pages
  
• Publisher: New Holland Publishers (UK) (July 2008)
  
• ISBN-10: 1741106443
  
• ISBN-13: 978-1741106442