Breaking the chains of gravity : the story of spaceflight before NASA

Cover -- A Note on the Author -- Series -- Dedication -- Title -- Contents -- Preface -- Chapter 1: Hobby Rocketeers -- Chapter 2: The Rocket Loophole -- Chapter 3: The Turning Tide of War -- Chapter 4: Escape and Surrender -- Chapter 5: Nazi Rockets in New Mexico -- Chapter 6: Rockets Meet Airplanes -- Chapter 7: A New War, a New Missile, and a New Leader -- Chapter 8: Higher and Faster -- Chapter 9: Edging into Hypersonics -- Chapter 10: The Floating Astronaut -- Chapter 11: Space Becomes an Option -- Chapter 12: The First Satellite Race -- Chapter 13: One Little Ball's Big Impact -- Chapter 14: The Fight to Control Space -- Epilogue: America Finds Its Footing in Space -- Glossary of People -- Glossary of Places and Organizations -- Glossary of Rockets -- Selected Notes -- Bibliography -- Acknowledgments -- Index -- Plates -- Copyright