Taming Liquid Hydrogen The Centaur Upper Stage Rocket 1958-2002

Chronicles the story of Centaur, the world's first liquid-hydrogen rocket. Centaur has enjoyed an unusually long & sometimes controversial career as an upper stage rocket. This book focuses on technical & political hurdles that Centaur faced over the 3 decades that it was managed by NASA Lewis Research Center. Centaur's high-energy hydrogen fuel transformed the Atlas & Titan missiles into launch vehicles capable of sending space probes to the outer reaches of the solar system. Today, Centaur represents the successful transfer of technology from the government to the private sector; it still flies as the upper stage for the redesigned Atlas family of commercial rockets. Winner of the 2004 AIAA History Manuscript Award. B&W illus.Dawson, Virginia P. is the author of 'Taming Liquid Hydrogen The Centaur Upper Stage Rocket 1958-2002', published 2004 under ISBN 9780756743130 and ISBN 0756743133.