Description
In the pre-dawn darkness of a California morning, the American space shuttle lntrepid blasts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base and begins its ascent over the Pacific Ocean. In its payload bay it carries the crucial components that will make “Star Wars” a working reality.
But on its first orbit after lift-off something goes terribly wrong on lntrepid, its command pilot reports an on-board fire – and then all radio transmissions cease. As the United States Space Command mounts a rescue mission, an American electronic eavesdropping “ferret” satellite detects an astounding “secure” radio communication between lntrepid and a ground station deep in the heart of the 5oviet Union. Intrepid and its priceless cargo are no longer under American control.
This chillingly convincing story of open conflict in space between the United States and the Soviet Union unfolds against a background of total secrecy. A bitter war is being waged in space by a handful of people in the opposing command centres and the most skilled pilots and astronauts from each side. As the truly breathtaking climax reveals, it is a war that neither side can afford to win.
Payne Harrison has created a brilliantly accurate and compelling techno-thriller with a human face. He has the narrative magic that places the reader right smack in the cockpit of an SR-71 Blackbird as it runs the fearful gauntlet of Soviet air defences, at the heart of battles in space and in the midst of fierce arguments and intricate conspiracies in the command centres on Earth.
473 Pages.
Hardcover
In good preloved condition with the exception of slight yellowing to top of pages.