{"product_id":"the-wrong-stuff-how-the-soviet-space-program-crashed-and-burned-hardcover","title":"The Wrong Stuff: How the Soviet Space Program Crashed and Burned - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJohn Strausbaugh\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA witty, deeply researched history of the surprisingly ramshackle Soviet space program, and how its success was more spin than science.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the wake of World War II, with America ascendant and the Soviet Union devastated by the conflict, the Space Race should have been over before it started. But the underdog Soviets scored a series of victories--starting with the 1957 launch of Sputnik and continuing in the years following--that seemed to achieve the impossible. It was proof, it seemed, that the USSR had manpower and collective will that went beyond America's material advantages. They had asserted themselves as a world power. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e But in \u003ci\u003eThe Wrong Stuff\u003c\/i\u003e, John Strausbaugh tells a different story. These achievements were amazing, yes, but they were also PR victories as much as scientific ones. The world saw a Potemkin spaceport; the internal facts were much sloppier, less impressive, more dysfunctional. The Soviet supply chain was a disaster, and many of its machines barely worked. The cosmonauts aboard its iconic launch of the Vostok 1 rocket had to go on a special diet, and take off their space suits, just to fit inside without causing a failure. Soviet scientists, under intense government pressure, had essentially made their rocket out of spit and band aids, and hurried to hide their work as soon as their worldwide demonstration was complete. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e With a witty eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, John Strausbaugh takes us behind the Iron Curtain, and shows just how little there was to find there. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Strausbaugh\u003c\/b\u003e is a well known author of history books. His titles include \u003ci\u003eVictory City, \u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eCity of Sedition\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Village\u003c\/i\u003e. A former editor of \u003ci\u003eNew York Press\u003c\/i\u003e, he has written about history and culture for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eEvergreen Review\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eWilson Quarterly\u003c\/i\u003e, and other publications.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 272\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.3 x 8.5 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 04, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44434765971558,"sku":"9781541703346","price":38.2,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0599\/7255\/0758\/files\/WLtZZMejFT9781541703346.webp?v=1770465060","url":"https:\/\/infinitylightwa.com\/products\/the-wrong-stuff-how-the-soviet-space-program-crashed-and-burned-hardcover","provider":"Infinity Light","version":"1.0","type":"link"}