1958 Project Satellite Book Edit by Kenneth W. Gatland with Wernher von Braun

🌌 Ready to blast back to the dawn of the real Space Age? This 1958 first edition of 'Project Satellite' edited by Kenneth W. Gatland is your ticket to that thrilling moment when Sputnik had just launched and everyone was scrambling to get our own bird up there. Published by the British Book Centre right in the middle of the Cold War rocket race, this gem pulls together the absolute best minds of the era – including the legendary Wernher von Braun himself, plus Harry E. Ross and A.V. Cleaver – to explain exactly how we were going to put satellites in orbit, track them, power them, and maybe even build little space stations someday. Inside you'll geek out over black-and-white photos and diagrams of early rockets like the V-2, Viking, Vanguard, and Aerobee, cutaway drawings of satellite shells, orbit trace maps, and even wild concepts for manned orbital bases and interplanetary 'springboard' missions. There's talk of IBM 704 computers crunching trajectories, solar batteries, meteor protection, and what the view from 300 miles up would actually look like. It's part technical handbook, part time capsule of pure 1950s optimism – these guys were dead serious about conquering space and it shows on every page. The sturdy blue cloth hardcover with gold spine lettering is still solid and tight. It comes wearing its original dust jacket featuring that classic mid-century illustration of a satellite streaking around a glowing Earth. The jacket has earned some honest character over 66 years – light edge fraying, a couple small tears, and gentle spine rubbing – but it still pops and adds serious retro charm. Pages are clean with only mild age yellowing at the edges, no missing sections, no major stains, and all the illustrations are crisp and clear. Whether you're a space history buff, vintage book collector, retro futurism fan, or just someone who loves cool old stuff that starts conversations, this is pure gold. It doesn't get much more authentic than a 1958 book written by the actual rocket scientists who made it happen. Available for local pickup in Drums, PA

 _gsrx_vers_1736 (GS 9.9.5 (1736))

Item specifics

Used - Very good — Vintage 1958 hardcover with original dust jacket showing minor edge wear, small tears, and light spine rubbing. Interior pages clean with mild age yellowing at edges. Binding tight and secure with no missing pages or major defects. — Defects: ['Minor fraying and small tears on dust jacket edges and corners', 'Light fading and rubbing on dust jacket spine', 'Slight corner wear on hardcover boards', 'Mild age-related yellowing on page edges']

Offered by Gosla Antiques & Collectibles, purveyors of antiquities, curiosities and collectible wares. Dispatched from Pennsylvania, United States, with tracking.