The Wrong Stuff: How the Soviet Space Program Crashed and Burned
Jun 2024 · Sold by PublicAffairs
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A witty history of the surprisingly ridiculous and ramshackle Soviet space program.
“A brisk, rip-roaring account.” —The Wall Street Journal
The Space Race should have been over before it started. The USSR was battered from World War II and up against an ascendant United States. Nevertheless, the Soviets scored a series of victories―starting with the 1957 launch of Sputnik―that seemed to accomplish the impossible.
Yet as John Strausbaugh shows, these were PR victories as much as scientific ones. The reality was less impressive and much more farcical. The Soviet supply chain was a disaster, and many machines barely worked. The cosmonauts aboard the iconic Vostok 1 rocket had to remove their space suits just to fit inside. Soviet scientists, under intense government pressure, had essentially made their rockets out of spit and Band-Aids.
The Wrong Stuff is a vivid and entertaining journey beyond the Iron Curtain, revealing the dysfunctional reality behind the Soviet Union’s seemingly ingenious space program.
“A brisk, rip-roaring account.” —The Wall Street Journal
The Space Race should have been over before it started. The USSR was battered from World War II and up against an ascendant United States. Nevertheless, the Soviets scored a series of victories―starting with the 1957 launch of Sputnik―that seemed to accomplish the impossible.
Yet as John Strausbaugh shows, these were PR victories as much as scientific ones. The reality was less impressive and much more farcical. The Soviet supply chain was a disaster, and many machines barely worked. The cosmonauts aboard the iconic Vostok 1 rocket had to remove their space suits just to fit inside. Soviet scientists, under intense government pressure, had essentially made their rockets out of spit and Band-Aids.
The Wrong Stuff is a vivid and entertaining journey beyond the Iron Curtain, revealing the dysfunctional reality behind the Soviet Union’s seemingly ingenious space program.
A witty history of the surprisingly ridiculous and ramshackle Soviet space program.
“A brisk, rip-roaring account.” —The Wall Street Journal
The Space Race should have been over before it started. The USSR was battered from World War II and up against an ascendant United States. Nevertheless, t...
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Ratings and reviews
1 review
Andrea Romance
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June 5, 2024
Behind Soviet propaganda, an untold saga of chaos and dysfunction raged in the race for space supremacy. Outward triumphs hid the malfunctioning machines and desperate improvisations behind every milestone. This exposé reveals the human cost of reaching for the stars at any price. This book is every bit as good as I hoped it would be. It’s cogent, well-researched, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Smart, entertaining, and enlightening, it’s a pleasure to read. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.
About the author
John Strausbaugh is an award-winning historian and journalist. He is the author of City of Sedition, The Village, and Duchamp Takes New York. He has written about history and culture for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications. He lives in New York.
John Strausbaugh is an award-winning historian and journalist. He is the author of City of Sedition, The Village, and Duchamp Takes New York. He has written about history and culture for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications. He lives in New York.
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