Rocketeers & gentlemen engineers: history of the American Institute of Aeronautics & astronautics & what came before

Commissioned on the occasion of its 75th Anniversary, here is the fascinating historical account of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and its predecessor organizations, the American Rocket Society and The Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences and the significant contributions each has made to the evolution of flight. From the early struggles to create and distinguish aeronautics as a distinct profession, through the technological necessities brought on by two world wars, to the incredible advances spawned by the Space Age, this narrative covers it all in a highly readable, thoroughly researched way. Reading like an aeronautical and astronautical "who's who", it is also the amazing story of the organizations' founders, leaders and members, visionary individuals and dedicated engineers advancing theories and technologies in a profession that has forever changed society and shaped everyday life as we know it.

Chapter 1. Creating a Profession: The Prehistory of the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences, 1881-1928. Chapter 2. The Rocketeers: The American Rocket Society, 1930-1940. Chapter 3. Organizing a Profession, The Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences, 1928-1935. Chapter 4. Coming of Age: The Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences. Chapter 5. Turning Professional: The American Rocket Society, 1941-1952. Chapter 6. Engineering the Space Age: The American Rocket Society, 1953-1958. Chapter 7. Years of Victory and Growth: The Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences. Chapter 8. The Merger and Beyond: IAAS, ARS, AIAA, 1957-1980. Chapter 9. The AIAA, 1980-2003.