Ignition!

Tells the story of the search for a rocket propellant which could be trusted to take man into space. Acclaimed scientist and sci-fi author John D. Clark writes with irreverent and eyewitness immediacy about the development of the explosive fuels strong enough to negate the relentless restraints of gravity.

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