Back MatterSource: Isis, Vol. 80, Current Bibliography 1989 (1989)Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/233416 .

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"...sheds new light on a hitherto neglected area of the history of science and technology..."

RACE TO THE STRATOSPHERE MANNED SCIENTIFIC BALLOONING IN AMERICA David H. DeVorkin Curator, Dept. of Space History, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

"...By weaving patronage, politics, physics, and aerostatics to- gether in his narrative, Devorkin makes what had been regarded as a sideshow in the histoiy of American science an exemplar of the interactions of science and American society."

Science

With striking parallels to the 1960s' race to space, the pioneering balloon flights of the U.S. military services in the 1930's and 40's combined science with feats of daring and significant technological advances. Mounted as spectacles to foster public support, they evoked a similar debate within the scientific community between advocates of manned versus automatic flight.

David DeVorkin's compelling historical account examines the role of the military, the scientific community, and the National Geo- graphic Society and how the balloon program was transformed by the national experience of World War II. Finally, the book evaluates the scientific results of the program, its foreshadowing of the Apollo program, and the complex interplay of science, political patronage, and military participation.

This scientific history is intended for anyone interested in the history of the exploration of Earth's atmosphere, in ballooning itself, in American science between the wars, and especially in how and why scientists who studied cosmic rays, meteorology, and solar physics participated in the dawn of the space age. 1989/406 pp./87 illus./hardcover $39.50 ISBN 0-387-96953-5

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