vbid/9783319241630

Description

This book focuses on the Interkosmos program, which�was formed in 1967, marking a fundamentally new era of cooperation by socialist countries, led by the�Soviet Union,�in the study and exploration of space. The�chapters shed light on the space program that was at that time a prime outlet for�the Soviet Union’s aims at becoming a world power. Interkosmos�was a highly publicized Russian space program�that rapidly became a significant propaganda tool for the Soviet�Union in the waning years of communism. Billed as an international��research-cosmonaut� imperative, it was also a high-profile means of�displaying solidarity with the nine participating Eastern bloc countries.�Those countries contributed pilots who were trained in Moscow for�week-long �guest� missions on orbiting Salyut stations. They did a little�subsidiary science and were permitted only the most basic mechanical�maneuvers. In this enthralling new book, and following extensive international�research, the authors fully explore the background, accomplishments�and political legacy of the Interkosmos program. Through personal and�often highly revealing interviews with many of the participants they�relate the very human story behind this extraordinary but controversial�space venture..Typham this is the title: Interkosmos The Eastern Bloc’s Early Space Program