Burning the Sky

Operation Argus and the Untold Story of the Cold War Nuclear Tests in Outer Space

De: Mark Wolverton

Narrado por: John Lescault

After the Soviet Union proved to the United States that it possessed an operational intercontinental ballistic missile with the launch of Sputnik in October 1957, the world watched anxiously as the two superpowers engaged in a game of nuclear one-upmanship. Amid this rising tension, eccentric physicist Nicholas Christofilos brought forth an outlandish, albeit ingenious, idea to defend the US from a Soviet attack: detonating nuclear warheads in space to create an artificial radiation belt that would fry incoming ICBMs. Known as Operation Argus, this plan is the most secret and riskiest experiment in history, and classified details of these nuclear tests have been long obscured.

Combining his investigation of recently declassified documents with more than a decade of experience in researching and writing about the science of the Cold War, Mark Wolverton tells the unknown and controversial story of this scheme, chronicling Christofilos' unconventional idea from inception to execution, and examines the scientific, political, and environmental implications of Argus, as well as that of the atmospheric tests that followed.

Burning the Sky is an engrossing audiobook that will intrigue any lover of scientific or military history and will remind listeners why Project Argus remains frighteningly relevant nearly 60 years later.

©2018 Mark Wolverton (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Excellent History

This book looks at a very little known testing program in the early days of ballistic missile defense, using high altitude nuclear explosions to potentially create an atmospheric barrier. With an almost journalistic style, the author goes in-depth into the scientific ideas, but more importantly the personalities and politics of the late 1950s into the early 70s. Fascinating listen on the controversies of the times and the science that proved to be off base.

Liked it, and didn't

I really enjoyed the first couple chapters, about Christofilos, but then this book took a strange turn. Kind-of all-over-the-map, like a bunch of historical facts in search of a story-line requiring me to figure out what was important. By the end, felt like a sausage grinder loaded with facts.

Extreme detail Argus & beyond

It was good to learn more about Dr James van Allen and his role in this effort.

Great Listen

I grew up in the era. Parents worked at Los Alamos. I recall some of the names. Fills some holes fro that time

fantastic

this historical account is one of the best I've ever listened to. its a must have in the library.