The Superpower Odyssey: A Russian Perspective on Space Cooperation

The Superpower Odyssey: A Russian Perspective on Space Cooperation gives a complete picture of the superpower transition from competition to cooperation in space. This book covers the history of the first satellite launch through the early stages of the International Space Station, with the Apollo–Soyuz mission in 1975 and the Shuttle–Mir missions of the 1990s in between. In 1985 alone, beginning with Mikhail Gorbachev’s perestroika, there were nearly 100 joint space projects involving government and private sector parties. The book shows how Soviet/Russian and U.S. relations as well as internal political and economic developments in both countries influenced bilateral space cooperation. The Superpower Odyssey: A Russian Perspective on Space Cooperation effectively explains how competition and cooperation were critical in determining the space policies of today. The Russian perspective of this book makes it a unique contribution to the field of space history.