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Reinventing NASA Human Spaceflight, Bureaucracy, and Politics
Roger Handberg
ISBN: 0-275-97002-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-275-97002-4
296 pages
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 12/30/2003
List Price: $79.95 (UK Sterling Price: £55.95)
Discount Price: $39.98 Sale Price for U.S. Customers Only. Save 50%. Ends 12/31/2009.
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Also Available: Ebook
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects:
Description: From its beginnings, NASA was convinced that its real mission was to create the opportunity for a much different and better society on Earth, namely through human space flight. Pursuit of such a goal has led the agency to persist in certain activities even when they conflict with the wishes of Congress and the President. Recent changes in the international environment, changes that began well before September 11, 2001, have brought the military back into the field of human space flight, a situation that holds certain hazards for NASA since the military is more powerful politically. Dramatic changes could be in store, changes that could severely damage NASA's capacity for continuing what it sees as its primary objective.

While most analyses see the agency as riddled with incompetence, Handberg argues that NASA's troubles are a product of its internal values. He begins with an historical overview of the major themes in NASA's history, followed by chapters on specific areas of concentration, such as the space station, space transportation, space science, and internal reforms. He also discusses the long-term future of the agency and human space flight in general, both domestically and internationally.
Table of Contents:
  • Illustrations
    Preface
    Acknowledgments
    Abbreviations
    NASA and Defining the Dream
    In the Beginning
    An Imploding Agency: Post-Challenger Blues
    Inadvertent Political Catalyst: The Space Station Freedom
    Fixing Space Launch
    "Faster, Better, Cheaper?"
    Reinventing Government: Efficiency Comes to NASA
    Organizational Change as Goal-Directed Behavior
    The Future of NASA
    Afterword: Columbia and the Future
    Appendix: Outlays for Space
    Selected References
    Index
About the Author: ROGER HANDBERG is a professor of Political Science at the University of Central Florida. His research has focused on space policy, defense policy, law and courts, both American and comparative, as well as science policy with regard to public opinion. His work has appeared in six books, 145 articles, and over 130 papers and other published materials.
LCC Class: 354
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