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From the Mojave Desert to My Library
Apr. 17th, 2008 01:20 pmFor some time, I've been looking for a copy of Manned Spacecraft: Engineering Design and Operation, edited by Paul Purser, Maxime A. Faget, and Norman F. Smith. Abebooks often lists copies for $150 or more, but I was looking for an inexpensive one. Last week, I found one for about forty bucks, and ordered it.
This book is a compendium of spacecraft engineering as understood by the leaders of Project Apollo in the early Sixties. As the effort moved to Houston and got a lot bigger, they briefed new arrivals in a series of technical lectures. An alternate title might be "How We Plan to Build a Moonship." Lots and lots of wonderful detail, not only on Apollo, but also on Mercury and Gemini. Mission planning. Launch vehicles. Electrical power. Envionmental controls. You can see why I wanted a copy.
The bookseller described this as an ex-library copy, with usual markings. When it arrived, I saw that the markings had been eradicated with a black marker. On front and back inside covers, and the reverse of the title page, there had been rubber-stamped notices:
Peering closely at the not-quite-eradicated markings, I can just make out what they said. I can see a bit more with my eye, but here's a contrast-stretch which might give you an inkling:
That's right. This copy formerly belonged to
U. S. AIR FORCE
TECHNICAL LIBRARY
AIR FORCE FLIGHT TEST CENTER
EDWARDS AFB CALIFORNIA
I am happy with my purchase.
( Paul Purser on the making of this book: )
This book is a compendium of spacecraft engineering as understood by the leaders of Project Apollo in the early Sixties. As the effort moved to Houston and got a lot bigger, they briefed new arrivals in a series of technical lectures. An alternate title might be "How We Plan to Build a Moonship." Lots and lots of wonderful detail, not only on Apollo, but also on Mercury and Gemini. Mission planning. Launch vehicles. Electrical power. Envionmental controls. You can see why I wanted a copy.
The bookseller described this as an ex-library copy, with usual markings. When it arrived, I saw that the markings had been eradicated with a black marker. On front and back inside covers, and the reverse of the title page, there had been rubber-stamped notices:
Peering closely at the not-quite-eradicated markings, I can just make out what they said. I can see a bit more with my eye, but here's a contrast-stretch which might give you an inkling:
That's right. This copy formerly belonged to
U. S. AIR FORCE
TECHNICAL LIBRARY
AIR FORCE FLIGHT TEST CENTER
EDWARDS AFB CALIFORNIA
I am happy with my purchase.
( Paul Purser on the making of this book: )
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