William E. Burrows, Historian of the Space Age, Is Dead at 87

William E. Burrows, who as a journalist and author explored the promise and perils posed by outer space — including the proliferation of weapons and spy satellites and the threat of potentially earth-shattering asteroids — died on June 29 in Bridgeport, Conn. He was 87.His death, in a hospital, was confirmed by his former wife, Joelle Hodgson, who said the cause was kidney failure.Presaging his career by…