Description
Years ago, Burt Rutan told a reporter for Popular Mechanics, “If we make a courageous decision like the goal and program we kicked off for Apollo in 1961, we will see our children or grandchildren in outposts on other planets.” Legendary science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clark would later recall Rutan’s quote in a piece he wrote about SpaceShipOne and comment, “Fortunately, we need not rely solely on governments for expanding humanity’s presence beyond the Earth.”Burt Rutan’s Race to Space showcases Rutan’s herculean efforts to do just that. Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum displays his most celebrated achievements, including SpaceShipOne, which won the coveted $10 million Ansari X Prize for private spaceflight; Voyager, which hangs with SpaceShipOne in the Milestones of Flight gallery; the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer; and the VariEze. His many aerospace innovations preceding his most recently conceived designs, SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo, chronicle a progressive, step-by-step attempt to break barriers with engineering know-how and a wondrous imagination, all the while remaining on the forefront of the burgeoning private spaceflight industry. Rutan’s X Prize triumph and subsequent spacecraft designs are not a beginning, nor an end, but are steps in Burt Rutan’s continuing adventure to expand humanity’s presence beyond the Earth and into space. Read more
Review “Linehan gives Rutan the credit he is due as one of the architects of twenty-first century private space travel. As he did with his earlier book, SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History, Linehan also shows himself to be an engaging writer who combines scientific know-how with behind-the-scenes reporting that makes Rutan’s Race read like an adventure story.” —Paul G. Allen, co-winner of the Ansari X Prize “Dan has done a fabulous job of describing the incredible journey of one of the most accomplished aircraft designers of all time, Burt Rutan. If you weren’t impressed by Burt before now, you certainly will be after reading this absolutely fascinating story of the incredible journey of Burt Rutan—from a young model airplane champion to legendary aircraft designer among the ranks of Douglas, Heinemann, Lockheed, and Kelly Johnson. I personally read it from one end to the other and loved it. This is a book you will read from cover to cover without being able to put it down. What a fascinating story of the aircraft designer of our time, Burt Rutan. His accomplishments as an aircraft designer and builder revolutionized the way airplanes are made.Way to go Dan Linehan for creating a mesmerizing collection of stories!” —Robert “Hoot” Gibson, Space Shuttle Commander“Burt will always be remembered as a visionary aircraft designer, his unique configurations a testament to his genius. However, a more subtle but undoubtedly key part of his success is his ability to make his unique visions resonate in those around him. If Burt’s only contribution were ideas he couldn’t communicate, he’d have executed on a couple and vanished into the background. His true genius is his capability to excite others, to make them believe in the unimaginable and to lead them on an unapologetic search for the unique. This book is sure to bring the reader along on that quest by detailing the unique concepts and the amazing stories behind them.” —Matt Stinemetze, Project Engineer SpaceShipOne, Project Manager SpaceShipTwo Program “Dan Linehan has produced an amazing narrative clearly explaining the technical evolution of how Burt Rutan founded two small aerospace companies that eventually lead to the capture the 10 million dollar X-prize awarded to the first company to shoot a manned, privately-funded spacecraft into outerspace twice within two weeks. I know. I was the lead structural analyst for Burt Rutan’s SpaceShipOne and witness to SpaceShipOne’s construction, operation, and ultimate success. And now, the next generation SpaceShipTwo is designed to take passengers like you and me there. If you long to someday visit space yourself, Burt Rutan’s Race to Space is a must read. It very accurately captures the early evolution of space travel that will someday be as common place as airline travel is today.” —Dan Kreigh, Senior Structural Engineer, Scaled Composites, and Inventor of the IFOUNIVERSE TODAY “…provides a chronicle of all the air and spacecraft that have soared off of Rutan’s blueprints and into reality…this book is timely, enjoyable and acts as a wonderful window into the mind of the man that has revolutionized flight.” TRAVEL FOR AIRCRAFT “This book is not only a superb reference regarding an incredible aeronautical engineer, as well as the story behind the winner of the Ansari X Prize, it is also describes the experiences and decisions of a business entrepreneur. I think that this last part is important since, like it or not, without money successful engineering designs languish latent — their potential unrealized. “COSMIC LOGIC (MSNBC.COM) “Until the next-gen spacecraft actually fire up their rockets, space dreamers will have to content themselves with lower-flying adventures such as zero-gravity flights and astronaut training sessions. Or you could read the book: “Burt Rutan’s Race to Space,” a new volume from Dan Linehan, author of the “SpaceShipOne” coffee-table book, has just been published. While “SpaceShipOne” focused on the run-up to the rocket plane’s history-making flights, “Burt Rutan’s Race to Space: The Magician of Mojave and His Flying Innovations” takes a wider look at the aerospace guru’s career, from his days as a designer of homebuilt airplanes to his work on SpaceShipTwo. Rutan’s work on record-setting long-distance aircraft such as the Voyager and the GlobalFlyer is well-known, but I was surprised to see some of the other not-so-ready-for-prime-time projects in which Scaled Composites played a role, including the DC-X rocket prototype, the Roton test vehicle and NASA’s X-38 crew return vehicle. ” EAA SPORT AVIATION “Author Dan Linehan provides the most comprehensive work to date on Rutan’s career — from his post-collegiate days as an Air Force flight test engineer at Edwards Air Force base to starting the Rutan Aircraft Factory and, later, Scaled Composites in Mojave, California. The chronological journey begins before the VariViggen and concludes with SpaceShipTwo, featuring Burt’s personal photos and some fascinating sketches and drawings throughout the book. ” INTERNET REVIEW OF BOOKS “Rutan is a genius, and while this beautifully illustrated book has the word “space” in its title, it is also a brief history of the man’s accomplishments, which range from contributing to work on the military F-4 Phantom to designing his Long-EZ, the Defiant, Starship, and other single-and-multi-passenger propeller-and-jet-powered aircraft. All that imagination, all that hard work, all that experimental use of composites and exotic airfoils are the foundation for “SpaceShipOne, which won the coveted $10 million Ansari X Prize for private spaceflight.” Informative text, beautiful photographs chronicling the life of a genius, a man sure to find his creations in outer space again.” AIRPLANISTA MAGAZINE “Unless you are a scholar of everything Rutan, I promise there will be many, many surprises in this book. And you will come away from it with a much more profound respect for a man who, in my opinion, is modern aviation’s most innovative aerospace engineer. ” From the Inside Flap “When it comes to the sky, Burt knows no boundaries. He is always reaching beyond normal expectations. This book will help you understand what makes Burt tick. It answers the ‘why and how’ behind many of his designs and innovations.”—Tom Poberezny, Chairman of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and EAA AirVenture (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) “If you long to someday visit space yourself, this is a must-read. It very accurately captures the early evolution of space travel that will someday be as commonplace as airline travel is today.” —Dan Kreigh, Senior Structural Engineer, SpaceShipOne Years ago, Burt Rutan told a reporter for Popular Mechanics, “If we make a courageous decision like the goal and program we kicked off for Apollo in 1961, we will see our children or grandchildren in outposts on other planets.” Legendary science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clark would later recall Rutan’s quote in a piece he wrote about SpaceShipOne and comment, “Fortunately, we need not rely solely on governments for expanding humanity’s presence beyond the Earth.” Burt Rutan’s Race to Space chronicles Rutan’s herculean efforts to do just that. Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum displays his breathtaking innovations: SpaceShipOne (winner of the $10 million Ansari X Prize for private spaceflight), the Voyager, Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, and the VeriEze. His aerospace innovations preceding SpaceShipOne chronicle a progressive, step-by-step attempt to break barriers with engineering know-how and a wondrous imagination, all the while remaining on the forefront of the burgeoning private spaceflight industry. Rutan’s X Prize triumph and subsequent spacecraft designs are not a beginning, nor an end, but are steps in Burt Rutan’s continuing adventure to expand humanity’s presence beyond the Earth and into space. From the Back Cover “Burt Rutan’s Race to Space gives a wonderfully revealing glimpse into the mind of an aerospace genius. I got to know Burt well as he and his team competed for and ultimately won the $10 million Ansari X Prize with SpaceShipOne. Burt’s innovative spirit and out-of-the-box thinking helped open the door to space travel for not just him but for all of us.”—Peter Diamandis,Chairman and CEO of the X Prize Foundation,Cofounder of Space Adventures, Ltd. We now stand on the brink of private space travel, thanks to the efforts of a maverick genius. Burt Rutan’s Race to Space chronicles this amazing story, offering the most complete visual record of his most significant designs, world records, and elite honors. Included are dozens of pioneering air- and spacecraft that have successfully flown with the help of Burt’s innovative fellow designers and courageous test pilots. This heavily illustrated history traces Rutan’s evolution toward becoming one of the great aerospace designers of all time. It starts with Rutan’s early career when he developed aircraft for the Rutan Aircraft Factory, a period marked by some of his greatest leaps in aerospace design; his founding of Scaled Composites, where many of his design breakthroughs are still kept under intense proprietary secrecy; his elegant SpaceShipOne design, a true engineering marvel; and SpaceShipTwo, the vehicle that would in many ways be the culmination of Rutan’s childhood dream and life’s work (to quote poet and aviator John Magee), to slip “the surly bonds of earth” and “trod the high, untrespassed sanctity of space.” About the Author In 2004, former engineer Dan Linehan attended the launch of SpaceShipOne when it captured the Ansari X Prize. His first book was SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History, the authoritative account of this private spaceflight milestone. His job as a freelance writer takes him around the world and allows him to explore. His publications range from poems about fishermen in local newspapers to articles about superconductors in scientific journals. In addition, Dan has consulted as a senior science editor for educational publishing companies since 2003. He has a strong interest in environmental issues and enjoys many forms of writing. Dan lives in Monterey, California. Read more
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