Spatiale première

Published in May 1982, on the eve of the first French spaceflight, Spatiale première brings together the testimonies of Jean-Loup Chrétien and his backup Patrick Baudry, shaped by aviation journalist Bernard Chabbert. The book traces the history of astronautics from the pioneers (Tsiolkovsky, Korolev, von Braun) to the major programmes, the two spationauts' paths, their selection and their training at Star City near Moscow. It describes the Franco-Soviet PVH mission (launch aboard Soyuz T-6, stay aboard the Salyut 7 station, French scientific experiments and return) before reflecting on Europe's space future.