Contents
In Re John D. Clark - foreword by Issac Asimov
Preface
1 How It Started
2 Peenemunde and JPL
3 The Hunting of the Hypergol . . .
4 . . . and Its Mate
5 Peroxide – Always a Bridesmaid
6 Halogens and Politics and Deep Space
7 Performance
8 Lox and Flox and Cryogenics in
General
9 What Ivan Was Doing
10 “Exotics”
11 The Hopeful Monoprops
12 High Density and the Higher Foolishness
13 What Happens Next
Glossary
Index
JOHN DRURY CLARK (1907 - 1988) was an American rocket fuel
developer, chemist, and science fiction writer. In addition to his
work as a scientist, he was instrumental in the broad revival of
interest in Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories and an influence on
the writing of Isaac Asimov, L. Sprague de Camp, Fletcher Pratt,
and other sci-fi authors.
ISAAC ASIMOV (1920 - 1992) was an American author and professor of
biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of
science fiction and for his popular science books. A prolific
writer, he published more than 500 books, most notably the science
fiction novels I, Robot and Foundation, and the popular science
works, Guide to Science and Understanding Physics.
"Read this book. You’ll find plenty about John and all the other
sky-high crackpots who were in the field with him and you may even
get (as I did) a glimpse of the heroic excitement that seemed to
make it reasonable to cuddle with death every waking moment—to say
nothing of learning a heck of a lot about the way in which the
business of science is really conducted."
*from the foreword*
"This insider's account of the early years of rocketry captures the
excitement of researching and developing technologies that lie
outside the realm of computer science. While we're accustomed to
think of technological progress in terms of Moore's law, in a few
short years these engineers went from launching metal tubes small
enough to hold in your hand to propelling a two ton metal capsule
containing three humans all the way to the moon."
*9 Powerful Books Elon Musk Recommends*
"Ignition! is a hard-to-get-your-hands-on account of early rocket
science...Clark was an American chemist active in the development
of rocket fuels back in the 1960s and 1970s, and the book is both
an account of the growth of the field and an explainer of how the
science works."
*Business Insider*
"A good book on rocket stuff...that's a really fun one."
*Elon Musk*
"Ignition! is a history of liquid rocket propellants, but it's
also a history of cold war and the space race, told from a
particular point of view....That humor helps the accessibility, and
as long as you remember some high school chemistry you shouldn't
have a problem with the science either."
*Ars Technica*
"Ignition!, originally written in 1972, is back in print after a
long hiatus. A classic book, it tells a rollicking story of an era
when space was the frontier. An informative history, it reads like
an adventure story."
*Galveston County Daily News*
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