"How did the United States advance from the relatively primitive rocket technology of the Sputnik era to the almost routine ability to access outer space in the 1980s? This comprehensive book answers the above question by tracing the convoluted technological trajectory from Robert H. Goddard's first imaginative rockets to the huge Saturn V and the complex Space Shuttle, among other launch vehicles. While the history of these vehicles has been punctuated by some spectacular failures, on the whole, the engineering achievements have been remarkable." "In this definitive study, J.D. Hunley traces the program's development from Goddard's early rockets (and the German V-2 missile) through the Titan IVA and the Space Shuttle, with a focus on space-launch vehicles. Since these rockets often evolved from early missiles, he pays considerable attention to missile technology, not as an end in itself, but as a contributor to launch-vehicle technology." "Unique in its single-volume coverage of the evolution of launch-vehicle technology from 1926 to 1991, this book will inform scholars and engineers interested in the history of technology and innovation, as well as those specializing in the history of space flight."--Jacket.