The Decision to go to the Moon: Project Apollo and the National Interest

By John M. Logsdon

Full Electronic Copy Available Here

Summary from MIT Press:

The decision announced by John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961, initiating the expedition to the moon, is now documented in full for future students of history. To John Logsdon, whose approach is that of a political scientist examining the influence of men and events on the decision-making process, the decision to land a man on the moon "before this decade is out" was wholly political rather than military, although overtones of implied defense were useful in obtaining congressional support. Moreover, he notes it was made without the support of the scientific community, although their previous research efforts were expected partially to offset this deterrent.

Although the success of the Russian manned orbit and the fiasco of the Bay of Pigs invasion certainly influenced the timing, in the author's interpretation the Kennedy decision manages to escape the narrow definition of a public relations exhibition. In Kennedy's view, he emphasizes, the security of the country itself was inseparably linked to a position of prestige in world opinion. Nor was he a particular enthusiast of space exploration for its own rewards. As he remarked to one of his advisors, "If you had a scientific spectacular on this earth that would be more useful-say desalting the ocean-or something just as dramatic and convincing as space, then we would do that."

The thoroughness of this book as a historical record is evident throughout. NASA historical records and government documents not previously released, including several Presidential papers, are used in the analysis, and the author weaves these records together with subtleties of opinion from interviews with NASA officials and such Kennedy advisors as Theodore Sorenson, McGeorge Bundy, David Bell, and Jerome Wiesner.

______________________________________________________________

Commercial Observation Satellites: At the Leading Edge of Global Transparency

Editors: John C. Baker, Kevin M. O'Connell, Ray A. Williamson

Available from RAND

Summary from ASPRS:

The successful launch of Space Imaging's high-resolution IKONOS commercial observation satellite in September 1999 signaled the beginning of a new era in Earth observation. In the post-Cold War era, international and public access to satellite imagery and related geospatial information products is rapidly expanding. A new generation of high-resolution commercial and civilian imaging satellites is at the leading edge of growing global transparency. These satellite systems promise to offer almost any government, business, and nongovernmental organization the capability to acquire timely overhead images of locations that are geographically remote, politically inaccessible, or simply difficult to comprehend without an overhead perspective. Thus, they can support a wide range of beneficial civil, commercial, and military applications. However, important questions also exist about the commercial viability of these new imaging satellites and whether the dual-use imagery data they produced should be a matter of security concern.

This new book, jointly published by RAND and ASPRS, brings together an international group of experts to analyze the diverse issues presented by the new, higher resolution commercial and civilian observation satellites. With more than two dozen chapters and numerous satellite images, the book authors examine emerging policy issues, provide a survey of the U.S. and many non-U.S. satellite remote sensing programs, and offer case studies on international security applications of satellite imagery.