Space, the Dormant Frontier - by Joan Johnson-Freese & Roger Handberg (Hardcover)

About the Book

Rather than examining only the civil or military side of the US space program, as have many books in the past, Space, the Dormant Frontier takes a unique look at the space program as a whole. Part of the book's treatise is that the two communities must stop ignoring each other if the US space program is to move forward beyond being a science project, jobs program, or political football. How the program got into its current, semi-desperate state is also examined, as history has given space a legacy once glorious, now an albatross. The authors include information and analysis on the military and civil space programs, challenge the perspective of the Washington Beltway analyst with vested interests in the status quo, and make policy recommendations based on realism, rather than idealism.

Book Synopsis

Rather than examining only the civil or military side of the US space program, as have many books in the past, Space, the Dormant Frontier takes a unique look at the space program as a whole. Part of the book's treatise is that the two communities must stop ignoring each other if the US space program is to move forward beyond being a science project, jobs program, or political football. How the program got into its current, semi-desperate state is also examined, as history has given space a legacy once glorious, now an albatross. The authors include information and analysis on the military and civil space programs, challenge the perspective of the Washington Beltway analyst with vested interests in the status quo, and make policy recommendations based on realism, rather than idealism.

Review Quotes

?In this ambitious book, Johnson-Freese and Handberg offer a fresh look at the structure of the nation's space activities, attempting to lay out a road map for major changes in the way the United States conceives and executes these activities....The authors, both of whom have been involved in policy analysis of space activities for some years, succeed very well in raising issues that need to be addressed.?-Space Times

"In this ambitious book, Johnson-Freese and Handberg offer a fresh look at the structure of the nation's space activities, attempting to lay out a road map for major changes in the way the United States conceives and executes these activities....The authors, both of whom have been involved in policy analysis of space activities for some years, succeed very well in raising issues that need to be addressed."-Space Times

About the Author

JOAN JOHNSON-FREESE is Professor of International Security Studies on the faculty of the Air War College. Dr. Johnson-Freese received the Meritorious Civilian Award for work on Spacecast 2020 and is the author of numerous books.

ROGER HANDBERG is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Space Policy and Law at the University of Central Florida. He is the author of The Future of the Space Industry (Quorum, 1995).