Description: The launch of the Sputnik satellite in October 1957 changed the course of human history. In the span of a few years, Soviets sent the first animal into space, the first man, and the first woman. These events were a direct challenge to the United States and the capitalist model that claimed ownership of scientific aspiration and achievement. Into the Cosmos shows us the fascinating interplay of Soviet politics, science, and culture during the Khrushchev era, and how the space program became a binding force between these elements.
Review Quotes: Explores three key characteristics of the period: the secrecy shrouding all aspects of the space programme; the unrelenting artificiality which this policy forced on the cosmonauts; and the febrile exploitation of public enthusiasm which, paradoxically, accompanied the state's culture of concealment.-- "Slavonica"