Freedom 7

Colin Burgess’s first book, “The Diggers of Colditz” was published simultaneously in the U.K. and Australia in 1985.  His next few books were on the Australian prisoner-of–war experience and then he turned his efforts to writing about his principal interest: human space exploration. Burgess has written a number of books on the subject for the University of Nebraska Press and Springer-Praxis.  The books he has written or co-authored for Springer-Praxis are “NASA’s Scientist-Astronauts,” “Animals in Space,” “The First Soviet Cosmonaut Team,” and “Selecting the Mercury Seven.”  Recently finished the copyediting/typesetting process is his latest book for Springer-Praxis, “Moon Bound: Choosing and Preparing NASA’s Lunar Astronauts.”  In the interim he has also worked as series editor and sometimes author for the Outward Odyssey set of 12 books on the social history of space exploration for the University of Nebraska Press.

• History and Development of the Mercury-Redstone Program.- The Precursory Flight of Chimpanzee Ham.- NASA’s First Space Pilot.- Countdown to Launch.- Liftoff of Freedom 7.- Fifteen Minutes That Stopped a Nation.- Splashdown.

From the reviews: "The book contains many fascinating photographs and several appendixes, including Shepard's postflight report, transcripts of voice communications, and more. While this volume will interest space flight enthusiasts, it covers little ground that has not been extensively considered by other works. ... Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; comprehensive undergraduate space history collections." (J. Z. Kiss, Choice, Vol. 51 (9), May, 2014)