The Greatest Adventure

It is this era that forms the narrative core of Australian space historian Colin Burgess’s book, with each and every Nasa mission in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programmes described in detail loving enough to thrill space nerds of all ages . . . Burgess tells the subsequent tales of crewed spaceflight on both sides of the iron curtain with great verve, and a suspenseful narration of unheralded near-disasters. Gagarin’s spacecraft, for instance, only just avoided burning up on re-entry, as did John Glenn’s Friendship 7 craft on an early Mercury mission. There’s a nail-biting story of one cosmonaut whose suit ballooned and nearly prevented him from getting back through the airlock. * The Guardian 'Book of the Week' *
A spendidly nerdy history of the golden age of space flight, from the Soviets shocking the world with the launch of Sputnik I to the moon landings. * Books for Christmas, Daily Telegraph *
Those well-versed in human spaceflight will find it an enjoyable read, uncovering new details that the author has packed into the book. Equally, if you are new to this topic, the book provides a wonderful overview of space exploration . . . The Greatest Adventure provides an excellent springboard . . . It's an all-round good read. * BBC Sky at Night Magazine *
Burgess has written over three dozen books on military, airflight, and space history, and he knows how to spin a tale. This is especially true for the early years when the number of astronauts and cosmonauts is more manageable, allowing him to offer full characterizations. The narrative tightens again when space voyagers are killed, as with the Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003) Shuttle disasters: the book is dedicated to their memory, as well as the fallen crews of Apollo 1, Soyuz 1, and Soyuz 11 . . . If you want to revisit the drama of the Space Race, Burgess’s account is excellent. * Los Angeles Review of Books *
This book covers the whole history of space exploration, from Cold War origins in the US/USSR rivalry to modern-day commercialization of space by companies such as Blue Origin and Space X. Veteran space writer Burgess summarizes the histories of the US space projects Mercury and Gemini, and the lunar Apollo program, also considering various Soviet missions (e.g., Vostok, Voskhod, Zond, Soyuz). He reviews space milestones such as the "first animal," "first human," and "first spacewalk" as claimed by the USSR and the "first humans on the Moon," chalked up to the US. The book features many historic photographs . . . In sum, although the book revisits well-known material, the author writes in a very engaging manner and provides some lesser-known facts about the history of human spaceflight. Recommended. * Choice *
“Space: the final frontier.” A frontier that humanity has been consistently exploring since the invention of rockets and suborbital flight. Colin Burgess starts his retelling of the history of space exploration exactly there, the science of rocketry. In successive chapters, the author looks at how animals were first sent to space, followed by astronauts. The first orbital flight leads the way to the first space walks, the lunar fly-bys and of course the first lunar landing. The American and Soviet/ Russian space programmes figure prominently in the recounting, though emerging players like China are also discussed in the later chapters . . . The book’s narrative style and rich illustrations help paint a detailed picture of one of the greatest human adventures of all time. * Nature Astronomy *

I liked this book. It did bring back memories and reminded me of the nail-biting excitement of the 1960s and 1970s . . . I genuinely hope that renewed interest in reaching The Moon and Mars will generate the excitement we felt and feel that this book would give any student of space flight a good grounding of the history leading up to our latest or future adventures.

* Physics Education *

The guide to this adventure is Colin Burgess, a long-term observer of human spaceflight and the author of many books on space exploration . . . Well illustrated with black-and-white photos, this is a very readable account of
the first six decades of humanity’s efforts to access and utilize near-Earth space, and highly recommended for anyone who is unfamiliar with the remarkable international endeavours that have opened up the final frontier.

* The Observatory Magazine *
if you are looking for a well-written and exciting survey of most of the human space exploration programme up to the 1990s, this does the job. The individual stories leap out of the pages. The obvious highlights of the pioneering missions and the sad fatalities along the way are described with sensitivity and honesty. I particularly liked the full vindication of Virgil “Gus” Grissom’s behaviour in trying to save his Mercury capsule, as well as the determination of Donald “Deke” Slayton to get into space, overcoming a heart problem that had him dropped from flying astronaut missions in the mid-1960s . . . a good read. * The Aviation Historian *
From the initial string of Soviet achievements to the ultimate US victory in the race to land on the Moon, a history of space exploration, detailing its many successes, tragedies, risks and rewards. * The Bookseller *
A fresh, crisp, and insightful chronicle. Colin Burgess wings the reader through humankind’s initial, sometimes faltering, journeys into outer space; and our first footprints on another world. But these were just the start. Strap in! From these beginnings mankind personally touches the cosmos in its greatest adventure. * Charles D. Walker, first commercial industry astronaut on Space Shuttle missions STS-41D, STS-51D and STS-61B *
This journey through the thrilling decades of human spaceflight chronicles the highlights of exploration, with all of its triumphs and tragedies. It's an engaging read, perfect for those who have never read a space book before and want to know what humankind has accomplished out in the void. * Francis French, space historian and co-author of 'In the Shadow of the Moon: A Challenging Journey to Tranquility, 1965-1969' *
With The Greatest Adventure Colin Burgess has contributed to the library of space history something it has sorely lacked. When people ask what the one book is that they should read to learn about human space exploration, I now know exactly where to send them. This engaging, comprehensive history covers everything from the early days of rocketry to a new era of exploration that is dawning this very moment. * David Hitt, co-author of 'Homesteading Space: The Skylab Story' *