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Star-Crossed Orbits: Inside the U.S.-Russian Space Alliance
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Plot Summary of Star-Crossed Orbits: Inside the U.S.-Russian Space Alliance
"The author, a former space engineer with Houston Mission Control for 22 years (his speciality was orbital mechanics), writes about the odd relationship that developed between the U.S. and Russian space programs after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Russian program, starved for funds, often at war with itself, managed to get by on a wing and a prayer (and considerable tinkering and luck), while NASA poured money into Russia, made absurd apologies for Russian screwups and missed deadlines, and covered up a lot of what went wrong on Mir and International Space Station flights. In many ways, Russia continued to behave as if the Cold War was still on: jealously guarding photocopiers, refusing to share information with American astronauts in orbit, insisting on carrying guns on every mission(!). Individually, astronauts, cosmonauts, and engineers got along famously across the borders (well, there was the sexual harassment of Western female astronauts), but political considerations repeatedly trumped safety, engineering, and other values. It's a bracing and depressing tale by an ever-hopeful science journalist."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Star-Crossed Orbits: Inside the U.S.-Russian Space Alliance
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Kind Of History
Time of history: - 1990's - 1980's - 1970's - 1960's
Nationality? - Russia
History of a journey/colonization? Yes
Kind of journey? - space travel
History of a science? Yes
Kind of science - Astronomy

Subjects of this Historical Account
Is the portrayal sympathetic? - Somewhat unsympathetic

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Southeast - Texas - Northeast
Asia/Pacific Yes
Asian country: - Russia

Style
How much gore? - 2 ()
How fast-paced is the book? - 2 ()
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Book makes you feel... - frustrated
How much focus on stories of individuals? - Focuses on brief history of a lot of players
How much romance? - 1 ()
Minor characters feature lots of: - politicians
Pictures/Illustrations? - A handful
Length of book - 300-350 pages
How much emphasis on small details? - 4 ()
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