Notice bibliographique
- Notice
Type(s) de contenu et mode(s) de consultation : Texte noté. Image fixe : sans médiation
Auteur(s) : Mieczkowski, Yanek (1965-....)
Titre(s) : Eisenhower's Sputnik moment [Texte imprimé] : the race for space and world prestige / Yanek Mieczkowski
Publication : Ithaca (N. Y.) : Cornell university press, 2013
Description matérielle : 1 vol. (viii-358 p.) : ill. ; 25 cm
Comprend : What was the Sputnik "panic"? ; The most fateful decision of his presidency? ; Eisenhower's reaction to Sputnik ; Space and Eisenhower's principles ; Cheerleader-in-chief ; Gloom, gloom, gloom ; High in space, low on earth ; Eisenhower's rival ; Radical moves ; Order from chaos ; Defeat and a score ; Priorities versus prestige ; Satellites, Saturn, spacemen ; Voyages, images, mirages ; Space and prestige in the 1960 race ; Eisenhower versus Kennedy.
Note(s) : Includes bibliographical references (p. 335-344) and index
"In a critical Cold War moment, Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency suddenly changed
when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world's first satellite. What Ike called
"a small ball" became a source of Russian pride and propaganda, and it wounded him
politically, as critics charged that he responded sluggishly to the challenge of space
exploration. Yet Eisenhower refused to panic after Sputnik - and he did more than
just stay calm. He helped to guide the United States into the Space Age, even though
Americans have given greater credit to John F. Kennedy for that achievement ; In Eisenhower's
Sputnik Moment, Yanek Mieczkowski examines the early history of America's space program,
reassessing Eisenhower's leadership. He details how Eisenhower approved breakthrough
satellites, supported a new civilian space agency, signed a landmark science education
law, and fostered improved relations with scientists. These feats made Eisenhower's
post-Sputnik years not the flop that critics alleged but a time of remarkable progress,
even as he endured the setbacks of recession, medical illness, and a humiliating first
U.S. attempt to launch a satellite. Eisenhower's principled stands enabled him to
resist intense pressure to boost federal spending, and he instead pursued his priorities
- a balanced budget, prosperous economy, and sturdy national defense. Yet Sputnik
also altered the world's power dynamics, sweeping Eisenhower in directions that were
new, even alien, to him, and he misjudged the importance of space in the Cold War's
"prestige race." By contrast, Kennedy capitalized on the issue in the 1960 election,
and after taking office he urged a manned mission to the moon, leaving Eisenhower
to grumble over the young president's aggressive approach."--pub. desc
Sujet(s) : Eisenhower, Dwight D. (1890-1969)
Guerre froide
Conquête de l'espace -- URSS -- 1945-1970
Politique spatiale -- États-Unis -- 1945-1970
Relations extérieures -- États-Unis -- URSS -- 1945-1970
Identifiants, prix et caractéristiques : ISBN 9780801451508 (cloth) (alk. paper). - ISBN 0801451507 (cloth) (alk. paper)
Identifiant de la notice : ark:/12148/cb436381373
Notice n° :
FRBNF43638137
(notice reprise d'un réservoir extérieur)