This book is the first academic study on the birth of the Soviet space program and situates the birth of cosmic enthusiasm within Russian and Soviet history.

Introduction; 1. A space for science and a science for space; 2. 'Grief and genius'; 3. Imagining the cosmos; 4. Local action, state imperatives; 5. 'All of this requires investigation'; 6. Russians in Germany; 7. Cold War and the creation of the Soviet ICBM; 8. Fellow travelers; 9. Launching Sputnik; Conclusion.

Asif A. Siddiqi is an Assistant Professor of History at Fordham University. He specializes in the social and cultural history of modern Russia and the history of science and technology. His work has been supported by the American Historical Association, the Smithsonian Institution, the Social Science Research Council, the National Science Foundation, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His prior book, Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945-1974 (2000), received a number of awards including a citation by the Wall Street Journal as one of the best books ever written on space exploration. He received his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University and currently lives in New York.