Thrust Into Space

Book excerpt: Originally published in 1966, this 50th Anniversary Reissue Edition of Maxwell W. Hunter II's seminal textbook on rocket science and propulsion systems for space travel is newly reprinted to inspire new generations of space enthusiasts. The original book is included in its entirety, with index and useful glossary, along with an updated biography, a list of Hunter's papers and publications that span the Cold War and Space Age to the era of Hubble, the Space Shuttle and SDI, and a foreword by Dr. J.D. Crouch, II. A textbook aimed at secondary-level and college students, THRUST INTO SPACE presents the science of rocket engineering in a technologically sound yet totally understandable style, and the ideas and arguments Hunter presents are as captivating and stimulating a half-century later as they were when the book first appeared.