Bibliograph

Mercury rising, John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the new battleground of the Cold War, Jeff Shesol

Type

Label

Mercury rising, John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the new battleground of the Cold War, Jeff Shesol

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 333-384) and index

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Mercury rising

Nature of contents

bibliography

Responsibility statement

Jeff Shesol

Sub title

John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the new battleground of the Cold War

Summary

"A riveting history of the momentous Friendship 7 space flight that put America back into the space race. If the United States couldn't catch up to the Soviets in space, how could it compete with them on Earth? That was the question facing John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cold War-a moment when the Soviet Union built the wall in Berlin, tested nuclear bombs more destructive than any in history, and beat the US to every major milestone in space. The race to the heavens seemed a race for survival-and America was losing. When John Glenn blasted into orbit on February 20, 1962, his mission was greater than circling Earth; it was to calm the fears of the free world and renew America's sense of self-belief. Mercury Rising re-creates the sense of tension to a flight that riveted the world. Drawing on new sources, interviews, and Glenn's personal notes, Mercury Rising shows how the astronaut's heroics lifted the nation's hopes in what Kennedy called the "hour of maximum danger.""--, Provided by publisher

Classification