When future generations review the history of the twentieth century they will undoubtedly judge humanity's movement into space space, with both machines and people, as one of its seminal developments. Even at this juncture, the complex nature of spaceflight and the activity that it has engendered on the part of many peoples and governments makes the U.S. civil space program a significant area of investigation. People from form all avenues of experience and levels of education share an interest in the drama of spaceflight. This book is the most up-to-date synthesis of the American civil space program available, and the only one designed especially for use as a college textbook. Written by NASA's chief historian, itit describes the history of this effort from its earliest origins to the early 1990s and offers a powerful analysis of the space program that merges political, economic, technological, scientific, and foreign affairs into a meaningful whole. As in all the Anvil Series texts, it has both a sound historical narrative and a set of key documents which suggest other aspects of the story.

As civil space policies and programs have evolved, the geopolitical environment has changed dramatically. Although the U.S. space program was originally driven in large part by competition with the Soviet Union, the nation now finds itself in a post-Cold War world in which many nations have established, or are aspiring to develop, independent space capabilities. Furthermore discoveries from developments in the first 50 years of the space age have led to an explosion of scientific and engineering knowledge and practical applications of space technology. The private sector has also been developing, fielding, and expanding the commercial use of space-based technology and systems. Recognizing the new national and international context for space activities, America's Future in Space is meant to advise the nation on key goals and critical issues in 21st century U.S. civil space policy.