Review
From the reviews:
“‘Foothold in the Heavens: The Seventies’ is an exciting and comprehensive analysis of the history of human spaceflight. ... The author covers each human mission in this narrative with comprehensive and interesting detail, but Apollo 11 is definitively the cornerstone of this volume. ... ‘Foothold in the Heavens’ deserves a place in every library. ... it was written with the most current insight available and gives a complete and up-to-date history of the Soyuz and Apollo era.” (Steve Adamczyk, Ad Astra, Spring, 2011)
“The former Soviet Union and the US were engaged in a fierce space race to the moon. Space writer Evans ... covers this fascinating era of space exploration, focusing more on American efforts. ... The book provides extensive detail on the Apollo program from Apollo 11, the first human lunar landing, to the last flight to the moon (Apollo 17). ... Includes many interesting black-and-white illustrations. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and lower- and upper-division undergraduates.” (J. Z. Kiss, Choice, Vol. 48 (7), March, 2011)
Product Description
Foothold in the Heavens, the second volume in the A History of Human Space Exploration series, focuses upon the 1970s, the decade in which humanity established real, longterm foothold in the heavens with the construction and operation of the first space stations. It marked a transitional phase between the heady, race-to-the-Moon days of the Sixties and efforts to make space travel more economical, more frequent and more 'routine.' Space exploration in the Seventies, although dominated by Soviet achievement, saw the first efforts of mankind to really 'live' and work in space, producing results of direct benefit to humans on Earth. The emphasis changed from the gung-ho, 'strap-it-on-and-go' pioneers of the Sixties to the more practical exploitation of space for science, medicine, and technology. This book focuses on each mission launched between April 1971 and April 1981: from the launch of the world's first space station to the end of operations of Salyut 6, and from the expanded, lengthy exploration of the Moon on Apollo 15 to the first flight of the Shuttle.