Aujourd'hui l'espace...

Martin Caidin
Translated from the American by Pierre Nicolas
Year1966
PublisherNouveaux Horizons
PlaceParis
LanguageFR
Pages247
Rating★★★☆☆ (3/5)
AudienceGeneral, Student
LevelBeginner
Keywords
space biologyspace medicine
ThemesHuman Spaceflight

An abridged French edition of The Greatest Challenge (E. P. Dutton, 1965), this book surveys the medical, physiological, and psychological challenges of human spaceflight as they stood midway through the Mercury and Gemini programs. Martin Caidin examines the effects of prolonged weightlessness on the cardiovascular system (including the two-week safety limit set by Soviet physicians), visual perception disturbances in orbit, the psychology of isolation, and the logistical constraints of future interplanetary travel. The book also argues for the irreplaceable role of human judgment over automated systems in space exploration.

📖 Editorial Review

Published midway between the Mercury and Apollo programs, this condensed volume by Martin Caidin offers an accessible survey of the biomedical challenges posed by human spaceflight at the dawn of the space age. A prolific science journalist with close ties to NASA circles, Caidin draws on direct sources (medical …