{"product_id":"beyond-blue-skies-the-rocket-plane-programs-that-led-to-the-space-age-9781496218766","title":"Beyond Blue Skies: The Rocket Plane Programs That Led to the Space Age","description":"In 1945 some experts still considered the so-called sound barrier an impenetrable wall, while winged rocket planes remained largely relegated to science fiction. But soon a series of unique rocket-powered research aircraft and the dedicated individuals who built, maintained, and flew them began to push the boundaries of flight in aviation's quest to move ever higher, ever faster, toward the unknown. \u003ci\u003eBeyond Blue Skies\u003c\/i\u003e examines the thirty-year period after World War II during which aviation experienced an unprecedented era of progress that led the United States to the boundaries of outer space. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Between 1946 and 1975, an ancient dry lakebed in California's High Desert played host to a series of rocket-powered research aircraft built to investigate the outer reaches of flight. The western Mojave's Rogers Dry Lake became home to Edwards Air Force Base, NASA's Flight Research Center, and an elite cadre of test pilots. Although one of them--Chuck Yeager--would rank among the most famous names in history, most who flew there during those years played their parts away from public view. The risks they routinely accepted were every bit as real as those facing NASA's astronauts, but no magazine stories or free Corvettes awaited them--just long days in a close-knit community in the High Desert. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The role of not only the test pilots but the engineers, aerodynamicists, and support staff in making supersonic flight possible has been widely overlooked. \u003ci\u003eBeyond Blue Skies\u003c\/i\u003e charts the triumphs and tragedies of the rocket-plane era and the unsung efforts of the men and women who made amazing achievements possible. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Nebraska Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/01\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781496218766\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 408\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.20h x 7.70w x 1.40d","brand":"Chris Petty","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36654217724060,"sku":"9781496218766","price":31.41,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_2aed0b41-9f70-44af-88fa-8d221618dbbf.jpg?v=1603882928","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/beyond-blue-skies-the-rocket-plane-programs-that-led-to-the-space-age-9781496218766","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}