This New Ocean: The Story of the First Space Age by William E. Burrows 
An encyclopedic history of space exploration by an insider and veteran reporter who has lost nothing in his enthusiasm and respect for what humankind has wrought. But he tells it like it is, which means constant rivalry that pitted the air force against the CIA for control of spy satellites and saw the Department Of Defense turn apoplectic with the anointing of a new civilian space agency, NASA, born in 1958. Stir into this brew the science-driven egos at Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Caltech and the rocket boys at Huntsville who were led by the indomitable Wernher von Braun. Now add the critical ingredient: the Cold War and nuclear threat and the loss of face that came with Sputnik and Gagarin. To counter that threat and restore a nation's pride, Kennedy's promise to put a man on the moon before the end of the '60s and explore ``this new ocean'' was well-nigh inevitable. It also meant that science for science's sake would take a backseat to realpolitik and the media. Burrows chronicles the events in authoritative if often over-rich detail, but he is enough of a fine reporter to lace the narrative with juicy quotes. When Air Force Chief of Staff Curtis LeMay was told of a plan to built a rocket plane to fly into orbit, he reportedly had only one question: ``Where's the bomb bay?'' Burrows is also not one to overlook the peccadilloes of the original Right Stuff Seven (excepting Glenn). Because of the separate tracks of the manned space program versus the planetary fly-bys and the need to cover Russian as well as American activities in these areas, there is some back-tracking and redundancy in the chronologies, and there are oft-repeated sermons on the disasters of life and science under Communism. But overall, this is likely to be the bible for those tracking a unique period in Earth history  - the ``first'' space age as Burrows terms it. (16 pages b&w photos, not seen) (Author tour) --  Kirkus Reviews Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.  

Living in Space explains technology necessary for staying alive, healthy, and happy in space; effects of acceleration on the human body; what we can expect from long-term effects of zero-g; what are the worst forms of ionizing radiation for human beings on Earth and in space, and why; nutrition and sanitation; basic problems of working in space; designs of human-operated devices; and space recreation. -- Synopsis

A brief introduction explains digital image processing, photomosaics, types of maps, and an explanation of each map group in the atlas. Following the introduction is a good description of the solar system, the sun, terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and Earth's moon), Jovian planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune), small bodies (asteroids, comets, smaller planetary satellites) and Pluto, planetary processes, and geologic time. The rest of the atlas covers each planet and its satellites. Included in this section are the spectacular maps and drawings that make this atlas so unique. For the terrestrial planets, geology and geologic history are outlined, followed by information on the planet's satellites. Maps in these sections include geologic maps, shaded relief maps, and color photomosaics.  For the Jovian planets, there is a description of what is known about the surface of each planet and its satellites, with geologic and shaded relief maps. Pluto is the only planet that is unmapped because no spacecraft has visited there. The number of pages devoted to each planet ranges from more than 70 pages for the Jupiter system to less than 10 for the section on Pluto, asteroids, and comets.

This atlas is an excellent addition to the literature of our solar system, providing information that is understandable to students, laypersons, and researchers. It is a large, well-bound book that is up to date as of 1996. The layout is very pleasing, with crisp, clear color and black-and-white maps accompanied by a brief, descriptive text. Also included are a glossary, a summary of planetary spacecraft missions, basic data for planets and satellites, additional readings, sources for planetary images, a gazetteer, and an index. This is a recommended book for all libraries, especially public and academic. -- From Booklist , August 19, 1997 Copyright© 1997, American Library Association. All rights reserved.