Book review - "Red Moon Rising" by Matthew Brzezinski

Years ago, I read James Oberg’s awesome book, Red Star in Orbit, which chronicled the Soviet Union’s space program and its competition against the United States’ newly formed NASA, up to the beginning of the Space Shuttle program.  Brzezinski’s work, Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries That Ignited the Space Age, reads as a prequel to Oberg’s but from the political side of the situation.

After WWII, the Soviet Union struggled to get back on its feet after the devastation and consumption of its resources.  However, in the United States, life could not have been better.  The economy was booming.  WWII hero Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House and the US had a large arsenal of missiles ready for military purposes if the need should arise.

The Soviet Union had only a handful.  Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary, wanted to close that gap.  He was not interested in space.  He just did not want to appear vulnerable and defenseless if the Americans were to launch missiles at them.

Sergei Korolev managed to get Khrushchev to consider putting a satellite in orbit, one that could carry warheads into space where they could be launched to anywhere on the globe with impunity.  With Khrushchev’s blessing, the Chief Designer (as Korolev is referred to in Brzezinski’s work) proceeds to accomplish what no one had done before.  Successfully put an artificial satellite in orbit around the world.

Brzezinski follows Korolev’s journey through set-backs, financial difficulties, disasters, rivalries and mounting pressure from all sides.

I found it humorous that Korolev and Khrushchev did not immediately understand the impact of what they had done.  Not until the whole world reacted with awe at Earth’s new artificial satellite.

Brzezinski did stumble in the epilogue.  He states that when the Chief Designer died in January 1966, “Russia’s moon dreams died with Sergei Pavlovich Korolev”.  As any student of history will recall, during the 1960’s, the space race between the US and the USSR rose to fever pitch and ran hot and heavy from Yuri Gagarin’s 1962 orbital flight until Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon in 1969.

Despite this, the book is an important read for anyone interested in space history.

Donna Summer releases "Live and More" 1978

The Queen Donna Summer released her double album Live and More, August 31, 1978, the recording of a concert she performed at the Universal Ampitheater in Los Angeles the previous June. It was her first live album and second double album.  It went to #1 on the Billboard 200 and became double platinum in the U.S.

My man Billy Joel knocked Live and More out of the top spot with his album 52nd Street.

The album featured a studio recording, the MacArthur Park suite, which was edited and released as a single MacArthur Park. She earned a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_and_More

John Swigert, Apollo 13 astronaut, born 1931

John "Jack" Swigert, born August 30, 1931 in Denver, Colorado, was an astronaut on the bad-luck-ridden Apollo 13 mission, as Command Module Pilot.

The mission was his only flight.  He was slated to be in the rotation for the Apollo-Soyuz project but was removed due to his involvement in the Apollo 15 Postage Stamp Incident.

Swigert passed away in 1982 from cancer.

The Netherlands enter the Space Race 1974

August 30, 1974, the Netherlands launched their first satellite, Astronomical Netherlands Satellite or ANS (I know.  Kinda mundane).  The program was jointly funded by the Netherlands Institute for
Space Research and NASA and ran for 20 months, ending in June 1976.

Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, ANS carried an X-ray detector and an ultraviolet telescope.

Happy birthday, Chris Hadfield (first Canadian EVA)!

Chris Hadfield, born August 29, 1959 in Ontario, Canada, is a veteran of 2 space shuttle missions, one Soyuz mission and is the first Canadian to walk in space.  He was admitted to the Candian Space Agency in 1992 and his first mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-74) in November 1995.  His second mission, aboard Endeavour (STS-100) in April 2001 to the International space Station, is when he performed his EVA to help install the Canadarm.

His final mission was on Soyuz TMA-07M in December 2012 to the ISS, where he spent 145 days and served as commander for the last two months, March - May 2013.

He showed us how to make  a peanut butter sandwich in outer space.

Discovery (STS-128) launched 2009

Seated (L-R):  Kevin Ford, Frederick Sturckow

Standing (L-R): Jose Hernandez, John Olivas, Nicole Stott, Christer Fuglesang, Patrick Forrester

Discovery took off August 28, 2009, the 25th anniversary of its first flight just seconds before midnight, so NASA can say it is the first (probably the only) time a launch took place over two calendar days.

Her crew consisted of Commander Frederick Sturckow, Pilot Kevin Ford, Mission specialist 1 Patrick Forrester, Mission Specialist 2 Jose Hernandez, Mission Specialist 3 John Olivas, Mission Specialist 4 Christer Fuglesang (ESA - Sweden) and Mission Specialist Nicole Stott.

It is the first time two astronauts of Mexican heritage were in space at the same time.  Olivas performed 3 EVAs, once with Stott and twice with Fuglesang.

Discovery returned to Earth September 8.

Comic Book Artist Jack Kirby born 1917

Jack Kirby, known around the world for being one of the most prolific and successful comic book artists, was born August 28, 1917 in New York City.  He learned to draw comics by tracing them from the papers and in 1940, he was hired by Timely Comics, where he co-created one of the best heroes of all times, Captain America.

In the 60's, he teamed up with Stan Lee at Atlas Comics which would become Marvel.  There he and Lee co-created...well,...just about everybody.  In the 70's Kirby went back to DC Comics where he created the Fourth World Saga and New Gods.

Kirby passed away February 6, 1994 from heart failure.