Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A History of the Italian Space Adventure

Pioneers and Achievements from the XIVth Century to the Present

  • Book
  • © 2020

Overview

Authors:
  1. Giovanni Caprara

    1. Milan, Italy

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Explores the lives of pioneers in Italy’s history in space

  • Recounts the history of Italian space exploration

  • Discusses recent developments and future prospects

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (13 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
    Download chapter PDF

  2. The Word “Razzo” (Rocket) Is Born in Venice

    • Giovanni Caprara
    Pages 1-12

  3. The Nineteenth Century, The Rocket Launchers of the Savoy Army and of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

    • Giovanni Caprara
    Pages 13-28

  4. Early Twentieth Century Pioneers and Visionaries

    • Giovanni Caprara
    Pages 29-49

  5. The First Italian Rockets and Two German Scientists in Italy

    • Giovanni Caprara
    Pages 51-85

  6. Professor Luigi Broglio’s African Adventure

    • Giovanni Caprara
    Pages 87-136

  7. Italy in Europe and the World of Telecommunications

    • Giovanni Caprara
    Pages 137-174

  8. From SIRIO, a Telecommunications Satellite, to a National Space Plan

    • Giovanni Caprara
    Pages 175-241

  9. The Creation of ASI, the First Astronauts, Numerous Satellites and an Italian Launch Vehicle

    • Giovanni Caprara
    Pages 243-300

  10. Parmitano’s Cosmic Walk, the Flight of Cygnus and Battiston at Asi

    • Giovanni Caprara
    Pages 301-310

  11. The Comet, Astro_Samantha and Re-entry from Space

    • Giovanni Caprara
    Pages 311-324

  12. A Plan for the Space Economy and a Step in the Direction of Mars

    • Giovanni Caprara
    Pages 325-334

  13. Space Governed by the Presidency of the Council

    • Giovanni Caprara
    Pages 335-351

  14. From the Lunar Station to the Space Economy

    • Giovanni Caprara
    Pages 353-370

  15. Back Matter

    Pages 371-390
    Download chapter PDF
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

This well-documented and fascinating book tells how, over the centuries, a series of visionaries, scientists, technologists, and politicians fostered the involvement of Italy in space exploration. The lives of these pioneers was often far from easy, yet they persevered. The fruits of their efforts can today be witnessed in Italy’s success within the cutting-edge space sector. Italy’s history in space started at the end of the fourteenth century and continued with the development of fireworks. Later, the nineteenth century marked the beginning of research into rockets in a more scientific way. After World War II, rocket technology was advanced with the aid of German scientists, and in the 1960s Luigi Broglio, the father of Italian space exploration, designed the San Marco satellite. In 1979 the first Italian Space Plan was launched, but it was the foundation of the Italian Space Agency in 1988 that kick-started a program of exploration in various fields of cosmic research. The outcome was construction of the Vega launcher and collaboration in the International Space Station. Now the Italian space industry stands ready to play an important role in the Gateway orbital station. All of this history, and more, is explored in this riveting book.

Reviews

“Nevertheless, A History of the Italian Space Adventure provides English speaking readers with a rare and useful look at Italy’s many underappreciated contributions to space exploration over the past few decades and the promise of its current programs.” (Christopher Gainor, Quest, Vol. 29 (1), 2022)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Milan, Italy

    Giovanni Caprara

About the author

Giovanni Caprara is scientific editor of the Corriere della Sera and Professor of History of Space Exploration at the Politecnico di Milano (Polytechnic University of Milan). He is also curator of the Space section of the National Museum of Science and Technology "Leonardo da Vinci" in Milan. He has received many awards, including the ConScientia Award (scientific journalist of the year) from the universities of Milan in 2000, the European Science Writers Award from the Euroscience Foundation in 2010, and the Award for Scientific Communication from the Italian Physical Society (SIF) in 2016. Since 2011 he has been President of UGIS, the Union of Italian Scientific Journalists. In 2014 he was made a Knight of the Italian Republic. An asteroid in orbit between Mars and Jupiter bears his name (Caprara 10928). He is the author of numerous publications on the history of space science and exploration, published in Europe and the United States. Examples include: The Space Age (Mondadori), The Adventure of Science (Rizzoli), A Brief History of the Great Scientific Discoveries (Bompiani), Discovering the Solar System (with Margherita Hack, Mondadori), Living Space (FireFly), Italy on the Shuttle (Mondadori), and The Complete Encyclopedia of Space Satellites (FireFly). 

Bibliographic Information

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation