Description

How to Make a Spaceship and Alone in a Spartan black cockpit, test pilot Mike Melvill rocketed toward space. He had eighty seconds to exceed the speed of sound and begin the climb to a target no civilian pilot had ever reached. He might not make it back alive. If he did, he would make history as the world’s first commercial astronaut.

The spectacle defied reason, the result of a competition dreamed up by entrepreneur Peter Diamandis, whose vision for a new race to space required small teams to do what only the world’s largest governments had done before.

How to Make a Spaceship

Peter Diamandis was the son of hardworking immigrants who wanted their science prodigy to make the family proud and become a doctor. But from the age of eight, when he watched Apollo 11 land on the Moon, his singular goal was to get to space.

When he realized NASA was winding down manned space flight, Diamandis set out on one of the great entrepreneurial adventure stories of our time. If the government wouldn’t send him to space, he would create a private space flight industry himself and How to Make a Spaceship.

In the 1990s, this idea was the stuff of science fiction. Undaunted, Diamandis found inspiration in an unlikely place: the golden age of aviation. He discovered that Charles Lindbergh made his transatlantic flight to win a $25,000 prize. The flight made Lindbergh the most famous man on earth and galvanized the airline industry. Why, Diamandis thought, couldn’t the same be done for space flight?

The story of the bullet-shaped SpaceShipOne, and the other teams in the hunt, is an extraordinary tale of making the impossible possible. It is driven by outsized characters—Burt Rutan, Richard Branson, John Carmack, Paul Allen—and obsessive pursuits. In the end, as Diamandis dreamed, the result wasn’t just a victory for one team; it was the foundation for a new industry and a new age on How to Make a Spaceship.

Product Details

ISBN: 9781101980491
Dimensions (WxH): 5.5 in x 8.4 in
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication Date: September 05, 2017

Author

Julian Guthrie is a name synonymous with storytelling prowess, journalistic excellence, and an uncanny ability to bring untold narratives to life. As a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and seasoned journalist, she has etched her mark on the literary and corporate landscapes alike. With three captivating books under her belt, including two national best sellers, Julian’s latest work, “Alpha Girls,” is poised to disrupt the Silicon Valley narrative as we know it.

“Alpha Girls,” set to debut in early 2019, is more than a book; it’s a revelation. Drawing comparisons to the empowering tales of “Hidden Figures” and the captivating drama of “The Social Network,” this masterpiece unveils the riveting saga of the unsung heroines of Silicon Valley. In a world dominated by male protagonists, Julian’s narrative shines a light on the trailblazing women who defied the odds, reshaped industries, and carved out their place in the annals of tech history. Through their stories, we witness the birth and ascent of tech giants like Microsoft, Facebook, and Google, all through the lens of these remarkable “alpha girls.”

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