Better-written than Heppenheimer's shuttle history but lighter on technical details. Creates a persuasive profile of Nixon's thinking (or lack thereof) on the space program. For Heppenheimer, Nixon was a peripheral player. For Lodgson, Nixon Absconditus is ever-present,

Lodgson rules that the shuttle can be viewed as a success if the goal was a space program stripped of all ambition to push the envelope as the NASA of Kennedy and Johnson had done. ( )