Space was published by Random House in 1982. The novel follows the American space program from its origins in captured German V-2 technology through the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs to the Space Shuttle era. Michener creates composite characters representing the major constituencies: test pilots, aerospace engineers, politicians who funded the program, and journalists who covered it. The novel also follows a German rocket scientist (modeled loosely on Wernher von Braun) whose expertise was essential but whose wartime complicity in slave labor at Mittelbau-Dora remains unacknowledged.
The novel is unique among Michener’s works in covering a period within living memory at the time of writing, and in dealing with technology rather than land as its organizing subject. The Space Race, Michener argues, was the twentieth century’s equivalent of the great explorations — driven by the same combination of curiosity, nationalism, and individual courage.
Collecting Space
First edition (Random House, New York, 1982): Boards with dust jacket.
Market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $40–$100
- Very good: $15–$40
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation.
The Space Race as National Epic
Space treats the American space program as the 20th century’s equivalent of westward expansion — a national project that combines scientific ambition, Cold War competition, individual heroism, and institutional politics. Michener’s typical multi-character structure follows fictional astronauts, engineers, politicians, and journalists who represent different facets of the program, from the capture of German rocket scientists through the triumphant Apollo landings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Space adapted for television? Yes. A five-part CBS miniseries aired in 1985, starring James Garner and Bruce Dern. It was a prestige production that attempted to capture the novel’s multi-decade scope, though at 900+ pages, significant compression was required.