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Live from Cape Canaveral: Covering the Space Race, from Sputnik to Today

by Jay Barbree

A reporter’s long view of the American space program

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Paperback New English

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Awards & Recognition

  • Critical praise

    Praised by Neil Armstrong

    Armstrong praises the book as encapsulating the technically exciting half century of spaceflight history.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A reporter’s long view of the American space program

Jay Barbree frames the space race through the working life of a journalist based near Cape Canaveral, beginning with Sputnik and extending to the International Space Station. The book combines firsthand reporting history with accounts of launches, failed rockets, astronaut missions, and the changing relationship between the space program and the press. Alongside its broad chronology, it includes personal portraits of astronauts and fellow reporters, plus behind-the-scenes anecdotes involving astronaut pranks. The perspective remains rooted in the place where many U.S. launches began, tracing how public-facing coverage evolved with the program itself.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in U.S. spaceflight history from Sputnik through the International Space Station
  • Fans of journalism and behind-the-scenes accounts of space-program coverage
  • Readers seeking astronaut portraits and anecdotes from Cape Canaveral

Themes

Space raceCape CanaveralSpace journalismAstronautsMedia and public perception

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Book overview

"From Sputnik to the International Space Station, Jay Barbree has seen it all, and reported it well. 'Live from Cape Canaveral' encapsulates the most technically exciting half century in history." -Neil Armstrong

Some fifty years ago, while a cub reporter, Jay Barbree caught space fever the night that Sputnik passed over Georgia. He moved to the then-sleepy village of Cocoa Beach, Florida, right outside Cape Canaveral, and began reporting on rockets that fizzled as often as they soared. In "Live from Cape Canaveral," Barbree--the only reporter who has covered every mission flown by astronauts--offers his unique perspective on the space program. He shares affectionate portraits of astronauts as well as some of his fellow journalists and tells some very funny behind-the-scenes stories--many involving astronaut pranks. Barbree also shows how much the space program and its press coverage have changed over time. Warm and perceptive, he reminds us just how thrilling the great moments of the space race were and why America fell in love with its heroic, sometimes larger-than-life astronauts.

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