Asif Azam Siddiqi
Encyclopedia
Asif Azam Siddiqi is a Bangladeshi American
space historian. He is an assistant professor of history at Fordham University
and member of advisory board at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
. He specializes in the history of science and technology and modern Russian history. He has written several books on the space race
between the U.S.
and the USSR during the Cold War
. His book Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945-1974 is widely considered to be the best English-language history of the Soviet space program in print and was identified by the Wall Street Journal as "one of the five best books" on space exploration. This book was later published in paperback in two separate volumes, Sputnik and the Soviet Space Challenge and The Soviet Space Race with Apollo.
Siddiqi's major contribution to space history scholarship has been to apply academic training, theory, and methodology to the study of Soviet space history. Siddiqi utilized newly available archival materials from Russia, published works such as memoirs, and other sources and essentially pioneered Soviet space history scholarship in the post Cold War-era. Even current Russian-based space history tends to rely heavily upon memoirs and as a result Siddiqi is acknowledged by Russian space officials as one of the few people conducting original archival research on the subject worldwide. His articles have been published in the leading Russian space journal Novosti kosmonavtiki (News of Cosmonautics) as well as the official history journal of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki (Problems in the History of Natural Sciences and Technology). He also regularly publishes pieces in the Moscow English language daily, Moscow Times.
Siddiqi is also the editor of the series Rockets and People which are the four volume English-language translation of the memoirs of Boris Chertok
, a leading designer who worked under Korolev. These volumes are being published by the NASA History Division.
He was featured in the NOVA WGBH-TV special Astrospies broadcast in 2008, and has been featured in various media as a specialist in the history of spaceflight.
He has received the American Historical Association's Fellowship in Aerospace History, the Eugene Emme Award for Astronautical Literature, the History Manuscript Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a National Science Foundation award for work on his Ph.D. dissertation.
He has published widely in many different journals, including the Osiris
, Technology and Culture
, History and Technology, Europe-Asia Studies, Acta Astronautica, Air & Space
, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, and Spaceflight.
Siddiqi received his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in 2004. He is the son of Dr. Hafiz G. A. Siddiqi, Vice-Chancellor of North South University
in Dhaka
and Najma Siddiqi, a retired Professor of Philosophy at Jahangirnagar University
.
Bangladeshi American
Bangladeshi Americans are Americans of Bangladeshi descent. The overwhelming majority of Bangladeshi Americans are Bengalis. Most of them have immigrated from Sylhet region with a long trading history. Bangladeshi immigrants arrived in the United States especially since the early 1990s to become...
space historian. He is an assistant professor of history at Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
and member of advisory board at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, commonly known by its initials SUST, is a state supported public research university located in Sylhet, Bangladesh. It is the first specialized Science & technology University of the country. The medium of instructions is English...
. He specializes in the history of science and technology and modern Russian history. He has written several books on the space race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
between the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the USSR during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. His book Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945-1974 is widely considered to be the best English-language history of the Soviet space program in print and was identified by the Wall Street Journal as "one of the five best books" on space exploration. This book was later published in paperback in two separate volumes, Sputnik and the Soviet Space Challenge and The Soviet Space Race with Apollo.
Siddiqi's major contribution to space history scholarship has been to apply academic training, theory, and methodology to the study of Soviet space history. Siddiqi utilized newly available archival materials from Russia, published works such as memoirs, and other sources and essentially pioneered Soviet space history scholarship in the post Cold War-era. Even current Russian-based space history tends to rely heavily upon memoirs and as a result Siddiqi is acknowledged by Russian space officials as one of the few people conducting original archival research on the subject worldwide. His articles have been published in the leading Russian space journal Novosti kosmonavtiki (News of Cosmonautics) as well as the official history journal of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki (Problems in the History of Natural Sciences and Technology). He also regularly publishes pieces in the Moscow English language daily, Moscow Times.
Siddiqi is also the editor of the series Rockets and People which are the four volume English-language translation of the memoirs of Boris Chertok
Boris Chertok
Boris Evseyevich Chertok is a prominent Soviet and Russian rocket designer, responsible for control systems of a number of ballistic missiles and spacecraft. Author of a four-volume book Rockets and People, the definitive source of information about the history of the Soviet space program.-Books...
, a leading designer who worked under Korolev. These volumes are being published by the NASA History Division.
He was featured in the NOVA WGBH-TV special Astrospies broadcast in 2008, and has been featured in various media as a specialist in the history of spaceflight.
He has received the American Historical Association's Fellowship in Aerospace History, the Eugene Emme Award for Astronautical Literature, the History Manuscript Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a National Science Foundation award for work on his Ph.D. dissertation.
He has published widely in many different journals, including the Osiris
Osiris
Osiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...
, Technology and Culture
Technology and Culture
Technology and Culture is a quarterly academic journal founded in 1959. It is an official publication of the Society for the History of Technology, whose members routinely refer to it as "T&C." Besides scholarly articles, the journal publishes reviews of books and museum exhibitions. Occasionally,...
, History and Technology, Europe-Asia Studies, Acta Astronautica, Air & Space
Air & Space
Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine is a bimonthly magazine put out by the National Air and Space Museum. Because the museum is a part of the Smithsonian Institution, which puts out its own Smithsonian magazine, the magazine's full title is Air & Space/Smithsonian...
, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, and Spaceflight.
Siddiqi received his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in 2004. He is the son of Dr. Hafiz G. A. Siddiqi, Vice-Chancellor of North South University
North South University
North South University or NSU is the first government-approved private university of Bangladesh. The university, where the language of instruction is English, offers a number of undergraduate and masters degrees in the fields of Business Administration, Computer Science, Electrical and...
in Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
and Najma Siddiqi, a retired Professor of Philosophy at Jahangirnagar University
Jahangirnagar University
Jahangirnagar University is a public university of Bangladesh. It is the one and only residential university in the country.The university was established in 1970 by the government of Pakistan by the Jahangirnagar Muslim University Ordinance, 1970. During the first two years, it operated as a...
.