The Politics of Space

This first political history of the U.S. and Soviet/Russian space policies to emerge since the end of the Cold War offers an up-to-date analysis of their development and interaction from the start of the Space Age through the present. The author shows how the two countries programs intertwined with other, broader policy interestsinterests that coalesced both in a frenzied space race and in surprisingly persistent attempts at cooperation. }This is the first political history to emerge since the end of the Cold War that analyzes the development and interactions of the U.S. and Soviet/Russian space programs throughout the Space Age. Taking advantage of American and Russian sources previously unavailable, the author shows how U.S. and Soviet space policies intertwined with other, broader policy interestsinterests that coalesced both in a frenzied space race and in surprisingly persistent attempts at cooperation. This ambivalent interaction did not end with the demise of the USSR. Von Bencke traces history through to the present, exploring the most recent opportunities that the two great space rivals have found to work togetherand the new challenges they must yet surmount. }