Volume 21, Number 3 2014 www.spacehistory101.com THE HISTORY OF SPACEFLIGHT Q U A R T E R L Y AN INTERVIEW WITH JAMES WEBB: ADMINISTRATION OF EXPLORATION IGY SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES AND THE PREHISTORY OF TIROS AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE ON SOVIET MISSILE PROGRAMS, 1945-1954 MAKING HISTORY: THE RAMOS PROGRAM Contents Volume 21 • Number 3 2014 www.spacehistory101.com Features Book Reviews 4 54 The Promise and the Threats of Satellite Capabilities: IGY Scientific Communities and the Prehistory of TIROS Book by Bernard Schwartz Review by Scott Sacknoff By Angelina Long Callahan 21 An Interview with James Webb 55 47 American Intelligence on Soviet Missile Programs, 1945-1954 57 By Christopher Gainor The I n t e r n a t i o n a l A t l a s o f M a r s E x p l o r a t i o n : The First Five Decades Making History: The RAMOS Program Book by Philip Stooke Review by Maria Lane By Doran J. Baker, A.T. Stair Jr., Bartell C. Jensen, M.K.Jeppesen 59 Book Reviews 51 Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America Lucky Planet: Why Earth Is Exceptional—and What That Means for Life in the Universe 60 Circa 1957, the artwork was used by Convair Astronautics (San Diego, California), a division of General Dynamics, in an advertisement celebrating the successful test flight of the Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. The first successful test launch of an SM-65 Atlas missile took place on 17 December 1957. Though the artwork is unsigned, Convair's resident artist at that time was John Sentovic. In 1994, General Dynamics sold its Space Systems Division to Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin). Permission to use the image has been granted by Lockheed Martin and the original ad can be found in the personal archives of Paul Carsola, a researcher who has contributed to Quest in the past. Sally Ride: America’s First Woman in Space Book by Lynn Sherr Review by Valerie Neal 61 Book by David Waltham Review by Linda Billings F RONT C OVER C APTION Wizards, Aliens, and Starships: Physics and Math in Fantasy and Science Fiction Book by Charles L. Adler Review by Jonathan T. Malay Book by Annie Jacobsen Review by Michael J. Neufeld 52 A Brief History of Rocketry in ISRO Book by P.V. Manoranjan Rao and P. Radhakrishwan Review by Asif A. Siddiqi By T. H. Baker 37 Just Say Yes: What I’ve Learned about Life, Luck, and the Pursuit of Opportunity A Single Sky: How an International Community Forged the Science of Radio Astronomy Book by David P.D. Munns Review by Roger D. Launius 62 Exploring Science through Science Fiction Book by Barry Luokkala Review by Emily Margolis 63 Beyond the God Particle Book by Leon Lederman and Christopher Hill Review by Roger D. Launius 64 Wheels Stop: The Tragedies and Triumphs of the Space Shuttle Program, 1986-2011 Book by Rick Houston Review by Stephen Waring BOOK REVIEW JUST SAY YES: WHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT LIFE, LUCK, AND THE PURSUIT OF OPPORTUNITY by Bernard L. Schwartz Greenleaf Book Group, 2014 ISBN: 978-162634079 Pages: 375 Price: $25.95, hardcover When it comes to the top business executives of the 20th century, among the first names that comes to mind is Jack Welch the former CEO of General Electric. His successes make him a legend in the business community and his book, Winning, is one of the top selling management books of all time. Another executive who gets much less credit or notice is Bernard Schwartz. The former Chairman and CEO of Loral rescued the firm from inevitable bankruptcy in the early 1970s and was able to produce 96 consecutive quarters of growth until the firm was sold to Lockheed Martin in 1996, a track record topped only by Jack Welch. Schwartz was an expert at identifying good companies, determining a fair value for them, and then buying and integrating them. He used these skills to grow the firm from just over $32 million to more than $5.5 billion in sales from continuing operations. At the latter stages of his career, he was an advocate of satellite communications and a key player in the commercial space business of the mid- to late-1990s. The early chapters of Just Say Yes are a personal portrait of mid-century America: growing up in Brooklyn, NY, during the depression, enlisting as a pilot during WWII, and coming back to post-WWII America to start a career and a family. It is truly engaging, perhaps because I could connect with stories told by my own family, but more so as a snapshot of the America most of us only read about or see in old movies. Ultimately, it provided him a background and life lessons that set the stage for the business philosophies he utilized throughout his career and set the stage for an American success story. The middle third of the book covers his taking the helm of Loral, a failing defense contractor during the Vietnam War, that he turned into one of the sector’s largest firms. His career can be defined as a measure of luck, good timing, the right people, and the skill to execute. Although a tough negotiator, he believed in the need for honesty, ethics, and integrity and his reputation as someone you could negotiate with just a handshake, got him through several situations. Overall, the book is a well-written memoir, filled with stories and his management and negotiating insights. Among these are concepts such as recognizing the limits of your own knowledge [82], determining a clear vision of what you want to accomplish [xiii], “listen, ask questions, and choose a course of action…no committees, no focus groups, no management by consensus” [xiii], and not every deal is meant to happen. The book pulls no punches at times and specifically sensitive topics such as the firing of a senior staff member, negotiations that went sour, and public “scandals” associated with a colleague bribing defense officials to receive contracts and the release of sensitive technology information to the China without approvals. [Readers should note that although he was investigated, Mr. Schwartz was personally cleared of any involvement and one can sense while reading these stories his frustration with being “railroaded” by the U.S. government]. The final part of the book addresses his interest in space and satellites. Although he sold the defense business to Lockheed Martin in 1996 (returning a substantial special dividend to investors), Mr. Schwartz decided to keep activities that formed what became Space Systems/Loral, the Loral Skynet satellite telecom business, and the Globalstar mobile satellite communications network. Wall Street and the investor community considered Bernard Schwartz, CEO of Loral and Globalstar, a visionary at the forefront of an emerging space communications revolution. With his long history of financing deals at Loral, Mr. Schwartz was able to raise several billion in financing to execute his plans. Unfortunately, although he saw the potential of satellite communications services and the manufacture of satellites as a slow but steady cash flow business, a number of outside factors eventually caused the bankruptcies of the various space endeavors. The manufacturer, Space Systems Loral, after multi-year stability in sales from its customers, saw its business [for a time] significantly diminish in rapid fashion as the telecom/Nasdaq bubble collapsed the market and planned orders disappeared. With delays in the launch of the Globalstar mobile communications venture and with cellular services advancing faster than anticipated, financing from investors likewise dried up. In the end, Mr. Schwartz was left to fight off an investor who saw financial gains associated with bankrupting the firm instead of saving it, and who actively encouraged that it happen. Ultimately, the investor succeeded and you can tell from reading the story that it took a lot of energy out of Mr. Schwartz. Having been an analyst in the late 1990s-2000s focused on commercial space, I was hoping for more discussion on this part of his career, but perhaps there wasn’t much more he wanted to contribute. To his credit, he states that the money lost by investors in Globalstar and Loral were something he was truly disappointed in. The strength of the book is in the non-space chapters and it excels when he talks about growing up mid-century, his first jobs, and taking the helm of Loral from its founders, saving the firm from a likely bankruptcy and creating a multi-billion defense powerhouse. Scattered throughout are business and negotiating lessons. It is part memoir, part Loral corporate history, and part business book. One that I can say I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Q U E S T 21:3 2014 54 www.spacehistory101.com Scott Sacknoff, Publisher Quest: The History of Spacefilght Quarterly From the Archives Subscription Information Quest Magazine P.O. Box 5752 Bethesda, MD 20824-5752 Phone: +1 703-524-2766 e-mail: [email protected] www.spacehistory101.com Publisher: Scott Sacknoff Editor: Dr. David Christopher Arnold Wernher von Braun in front of the S-IC engines of a Saturn V at the Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama. Credit: NASA Assistant Editors Howard Trace—Oral Histories Keith Scala—Technology Dr. Christopher Gainor—International Dr. Roy Houchin II—Military Space Joel Powell—Human Flight & Robotics Cover Graphics: Gary Milgrom Proofreader: Joni Wilson 1-Year Subscription United States: $29.95 Global: $44.95 2-Years $50.00 $75.00 ISSN 1065-7738 The editorial office of Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly (ISSN 1065-7738) is located at the ISBC, 6615 Hillandale Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815-6424. E-mail [email protected] for information regarding submission of articles or letters to the editor. Quest is published quarterly, four times per year by the International Space Business Council LLC, 6615 Hillandale Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815-6424 USA. Periodical postage paid at Bethesda, Maryland, and additional offices. Postmaster: Send all inquiries, letters, and changes of address to Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly, P.O. Box 5752, Bethesda, MD 20824-5752 USA. ©2014 International Space Business Council LLC, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Printed in the United States of America. The Spirit of St. Louis In October of 1968 I finished my work on the Support Crew of Apollo 10 and then was assigned to the Support Crew of Apollo 11. At that time, Apollo 8, 9, 10, and 11 were “queued” up to challenge the Moon. In December I flew to Patrick Air Force Base and awaited the launch of Apollo 8, the first launch to the Moon. I was invited to the pre-launch party for Apollo 8 but had to miss it because of an unwise social commitment. However on launch morning I and all the other observing astronauts viewed a picture-perfect launch of Apollo 8 and 2 1/2 days later were all in the Observing room at Mission Control to “witness” Apollo 8’s entry into lunar orbit based on observations of data and conversations of the flight controller in the Control Center. Everything went well and hours later we were treated to on-board video and verbal descriptions of their view of Earth and areas near the United States. Jim Lovell was captivated by the clarity of the view he had of the Bahama Islands. The crew read from the first chapter of Genesis and sent heart-felt greetings to those of us who Q U E S T 21:3 2014 2 www.spacehistory101.com looked-on and listened in awe-struck silence. The return trip was made without incident and the crew was welcomed home by many grateful loved ones. The crew was feted at the White House and then sent on a goodwill tour of their home planet which went off without a hitch. Two spectators at the pre-launch party, launch, and the return to Earth were Eddie Richenbacker and Charles Lindbergh both of whom were highly grateful for the recognition. In January 1969 a large box arrived at the Astronaut Office. The staff opened the box and discovered copies of The Spirit of St. Louis addressed to all the astronauts and NASA VIPs. In reading Lindbergh’s account of his navigation across the Atlantic, I was amazed by the similarity of his description of the “dead reckoning” navigation technique he described and the method we were taught 25 years later in flying school. I really felt a kinship with a man I had always admired greatly. Bill Pogue, Pilot, Skylab 4 courtesy: Heritage Auctions lot 40525 Published since 1992, Quest is the only journal exclusively focused on preserving the history of spaceflight. Each 64-page issue features the people, programs, and politics that made the journey into space possible. Written by professional and amateur historians along with people who worked in the programs, Quest is designed to bring you the stories and behind-the-scenes insight that will fascinate and captivate. Mailing Address Quest P.O. Box 5752 Bethesda, MD 20824-5752 United States Tel: (703) 524-2766 [email protected] Preserving the history of space... Quest on the Internet www.spacehistory101.com TM One Story at a Time ISSN: 1065-7738 Publisher: Scott Sacknoff Editor: Dr. David Arnold Yes! I Want to Help Preserve the History of the Space Industry. www.spacehistory101.com Please send me the next: __ 4 issues (1 year) or __ 8 issues (2 years) of Quest! 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