{"product_id":"eccentric-orbits-the-iridium-story-paperback","title":"Eccentric Orbits: The Iridium Story - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJohn Bloom\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Good corporate drama . . . an enlightening narrative of how new communications infrastructures often come about.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e, \"A Book of the Year 2016\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the early 1990s, Motorola developed a revolutionary satellite system called Iridium that promised to be its crowning achievement. Its constellation of 66 satellites in polar orbit was a mind-boggling technical accomplishment, surely the future of communication. The only problem was that Iridium the company was a commercial disaster. Only months after launching service, it was $11 billion in debt, burning through $100 million a month and crippled by baroque rate plans and agreements that forced calls through Moscow, Beijing, Fucino, Italy, and elsewhere. Bankruptcy was inevitable--the largest to that point in American history. And when no real buyers seemed to materialize, it looked like Iridium would go down as just a \"science experiment.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat is, until Dan Colussy got a wild idea. Colussy, a former head of Pan-Am now retired and working on his golf game in Palm Beach, heard about Motorola's plans to \"de-orbit\" the system and decided he would buy Iridium and somehow turn around one of the biggest blunders in the history of business.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eImpeccably researched and wonderfully told, \u003ci\u003eEccentric Orbits\u003c\/i\u003e is a rollicking, unforgettable tale of technological achievement, business failure, the military-industrial complex, and one of the greatest deals of all time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Deep reporting put forward with epic intentions . . . a story that soars and jumps and dives and digresses . . . [A] big, gutsy, exciting book.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \"A Top 10 Nonfiction Book of 2016\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Spellbinding . . . A tireless researcher, Bloom delivers a superlative history . . . A tour de force.\" --\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Bloom\u003c\/b\u003e is a veteran investigative journalist, a three-time finalist for the National Magazine Award, and a Pulitzer Prize nominee. He was a long-time columnist for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Syndicate\u003c\/i\u003e and has written for \u003ci\u003eRolling Stone\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePlayboy\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNewsweek\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Village Voice\u003c\/i\u003e, among many other publications. He is the author of nine books, including \u003ci\u003eEvidence of Love\u003c\/i\u003e, which won the Edgar Allan Poe Award and was made into an Emmy-winning film. Bloom has also written several books of humor and film criticism and hosted several television shows as his alter ego, Joe Bob Briggs. He lives in New York City.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 560\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.6 x 8.3 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 13, 2017\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53457746067763,"sku":"9780802126788","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0990\/0746\/3731\/files\/P8utEsi7Op9780802126788.webp?v=1781271537","url":"https:\/\/rbangel-store.myshopify.com\/products\/eccentric-orbits-the-iridium-story-paperback","provider":"The Celestial Starlit Phoenix ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}