Blazing the Trail; The Early History of Spacecraft and Rocketry

Reston, VA: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc, 2004. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. Very good/No DJ present. Format is approximately 7.25 inches by 10.25 inches. xiv, 505, [7] pages. Illustrations. Appendix A: Acronyms and Abbreviations. Appendix B: Selected Bibliography. Index. Mike Gruntman is a physicist, space engineer, and author. He is professor of astronautics and aerospace engineering at the Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California (USC). Gruntman has authored two books on history of rocketry and space technology, published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Blazing the Trail. The Early History of Spacecraft and Rocketry, published in 2004, received the 2006 Luigi G. Napolitano Award from the International Academy of Astronautics. Intercept 1961: The Birth of Soviet Missile Defense (2015) covers the history of the Soviet air defense and missile defense. He also published a book about pioneers of space Robert Esnault-Pelterie and Ary Sternfeld and the words astronautics and cosmonautics which they had respectively introduced in the language of science and engineering. Gruntman is also the author of "Enemy Amongst Trojans: A Soviet Spy at USC" detailing a Soviet espionage operation in the United States when GRU officer Ignacy Witczak (Litvin) operated under a cover of a student and then instructor at the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1940s. This book presents the fascinating story of the events that paved the way to space. It introduces the reader to the history of early rocketry and the subsequent developments that led into the space age. People of various nations and from various lands contributed to the breakthrough to space, and the book takes the reader to faraway places on five continents. It also includes many quotes to give readers a flavor of how the participants viewed the developments. Most publications on the topic either target narrow aspects of rocket history or are popular books that scratch the surface, with minimal and sometimes inaccurate technical details. This book bridges the gap. It contains numerous technical details usually unavailable in popular publications. The details are not overbearing and anyone interested in rocketry and space exploration will navigate through the book without difficulty. There are 340 figures and photographs, many appearing for the first time.