Rocketeers and Gentlemen Engineers: A History of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics...and What Came Before

Commissioned on the occasion of its 75th Anniversary, here is the fascinating historical account of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics -- and its predecessor organizations, the American Rocket Society and The Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences -- and the significant contributions each has made to the evolution of flight. From the early struggles to create and distinguish aeronautics as a distinct profession, through the technological necessities brought on by two world wars, to the incredible advances spawned by the Space Age, this narrative covers it all in a highly readable, thoroughly researched way. Reading like an aeronautical and astronautical “who’s who,” it is also the amazing story of the organizations’ founders, leaders and members -- visionary individuals and dedicated engineers advancing theories and technologies in a profession that has forever changed society and shaped everyday life as we know it.