Books about Ballooning from Amazon.com

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In the 1950s and early 1960s a small fraternity of daring, brilliant men made the first exploratory trips into the upper stratosphere, reaching the edge of outer space in tiny capsules suspended beneath plastic balloons. This book tells the story of these tenacious men as they labored on the cusp of a new age, seeing things that no one had ever seen and experiencing conditions no one was sure they could survive.

Mostly U.S. Air Force and Navy officers, among them doctors, physicists, meteorologists, engineers, astronomers, and test pilots, they struggled with meager budgets, bureaucratic politics, and one another. It is a thrilling story of tremendous personal sacrifice and great risk for the promise of adventure and the opportunity to uncover a few precious aspects of the universe. Capt. Joseph Kittinger, for example, rode a balloon up to 103,000 feet in an open gondola and then stepped out and freefell to Earth, becoming the only person to break the sound barrier without a vehicle. Lt. Col. David Simons stayed aloft for a full day and night in a primitive pressurized capsule to become one of the first to see the curvature of the planet. In this work, Craig Ryan masterfully captures the drama of their spectacular achievements and those of many of the other space pioneers who made America's stratospheric balloon programs possible. 344 pages. 20 photographs. Line drawings. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Paperback. 6 x 9 inches..
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The Union Army Balloon Corps holds a significant place in the annals of Civil War and military history. From 1861 to 1863 the corps contributed invaluable surveillance and reconnaissance information to the Union Army's war effort during the Virginia campaign. It also accomplished such significant military feats as the initial air-to-ground communication by telegraph, the first use of the "aircraft carrier" for launch of the balloon, and the first artillery barrage directed by an aerial observer where gun batteries were unable to see their targets from the ground. This book traces the history of the intrepid airborne force, from its creation by pioneer balloonist Thaddeus Lowe to its unceremonious disbanding in 1863. .
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In Alex & Penny Ballooning over Italy, readers meet twins Alex and Penny, aspiring young secret agents who undertake an adventurous mission that finds them soaring over Italy in a souped-up hot air balloon outfitted with gadgets that would make James Bond envious. While completing their top-secret mission, they discover the history, arts, food, and culture of Italy. Throughout the book, spectacular aerial photography spotlights the sights as seen from above by Alex & Penny. Along the way, the twins learn about the art of Michelangelo, Botticelli, Giotto, and other eminent artists, and sample regional food. Throughout the book, mazes, word games, and other brain-teasers reinforce the historical and cultural facts presented in the story (the solutions to the games appear at the back of the book). Packaged with a bonus fold-out poster sized game, this unique and accessible introduction to the history, landscape, and culture of Italy makes learning fun..
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The definitive work on the creation of the United States Balloon Corps during the Civil War

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