Average customer rating:
- Laura S.
- Mr. Hickam for national pundit!
- A novel written while Hickam was developing his skills
- I really enjoyed it
- One of the best space novels I have ever read
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Back to the Moon: A Novel
Homer Hickam
Manufacturer: Delacorte Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0385334222
Release Date: 1999-06-15 |
Amazon.com
Space is the final frontier--and its mysteries have fascinated Homer H. Hickam since childhood. In 1957, at age 14, he built his first rocket--and so began his space-age career, which eventually led to an engineering job at NASA. But in 1998, his calling blasted off in a new, unexpected way with the release of a bestselling memoir, Rocket Boys, (made into the mesmerizing movie, October Sky). Now, with Back to the Moon, the man-of-science-turned-memoirist dabbles in the world of fiction.
Despite its high-tech premise and lunar locale--Back to the Moon is no science fiction saga. It is, instead, a fast-paced technological thriller--filled with exceptional scientific know-how. (The author describes how spices are essential for astronauts because the normal aroma of food does not "drift into the sinuses or caress the palate in a microgravity environment.")
The space shuttle Columbia has been hijacked by an ex-astronaut and former employee of NASA, Jack Medaris. But Jack is by no means the bad guy--he has simply grown disillusioned with NASA, with its "timid" bureaucracy that no longer works for the good of mankind. Earth's supply of fuel is in jeopardy, and Jack believes that the moon holds the secrets of an alternative source of power. But a shady organization called the Millennium group is determined to stop the space shuttle from reaching the moon. As the shuttle hurtles through the galaxy, the renegade astronaut battles to steer the ship towards its destination. He also fights to keep himself from falling in love with one of the ship's crew members--a feisty female astronaut named Penny High Eagle.
Even if the plot complexities seems to defy gravity at times, Back to the Moon still dares to tread where few thrillers have gone before--into space. --Naomi Gesinger
Book Description
A renegade rocket man haunted by his past. A beautiful daredevil who thinks she can do it all--until she finds herself on the adventure of her life. A death-defying mission so risky, so audacious that no one would try it...unless the fate of the world depended on its success.
Thirty years after man's first lunar landing, retired NASA engineer Homer Hickam, Jr., offers a brilliantly imagined, endlessly entertaining return to space adventure in his spectacular first novel,
Back to the Moon. In his bestselling memoir,
Rocket Boys, Hickam memorably evoked our captivation with our nation's first halting ventures into space. Now he reminds us of the long-lost wonder with which we once watched America's conquest of the moon--and celebrated the triumph of mind, soul, and spirit that got us there--in this page-turning tale of the first moon shot of the new millennium.
Jack Medaris doesn't "borrow" the space shuttle Columbia to be a hero or a villain. A man of science driven by the memory of the woman who once inspired him, Jack risks his life, his name, and everything he has, to sidetrack the shuttle crew and take her on an unscheduled detour to the moon, where the secrets of his past--and the future of the world--await him. But when the meticulously plotted launch goes fatally wrong, and payload specialist Penny High Eagle further complicates Jack's plan, he must confront unforeseen challenges both in space and on the ground, where deadly forces are amassing to prevent the Columbia from reaching the moon.
Writing with the detail and intelligence that only an insider could have, Hickam takes us to places few have ever seen, strapping us into the cockpit of the shuttle and hurtling us into orbit and beyond. From the crackling tension of mission control to the savage emptiness of deep space, from the massive rocket engines capable of generating millions of pounds of thrust to the tiny killing machines awaiting a bygone era's orders to unleash their high-tech fury, here are the sights and science of space as you've never seen them before. Here, too, are the men and women of unfailing invention and intelligence who are soon caught up in the story: astronauts and attorneys, physicists and politicians, unsung heroes behind the scenes and shadowy agents of darkness behind the veil of history. And at the spiraling tale's isolated center are Jack and Penny, locked in a battle of wit and wills, rocketing weightless through space as their fates grow inextricably intertwined.
A no-holds-barred joyride of a thriller,
Back to the Moon confirms that Homer Hickam is a master storyteller like no other, spinning a tale of high-flying adventure while expertly navigating the vast expanses of both the far-flung universe and the human heart.
Download Description
In the year 2002, America's space program is a faded shadow of its former self. Before becoming a permanent display at the Smithsonian, the space shuttle Columbia is scheduled for one final, routine flight. Hijacked on the launch pad by a renegade group of former NASA insiders, Columbia is soon headed for the moon instead of a museum.
At the helm of the rogue spacecraft is Jack Medaris, a brilliant, troubled scientist whose covert refitting of the shuttle for a moon mission has been funded by a mysterious, deep-pocketed consortium. Once in space, Medaris learns that there's more to the story than he has been told. Defending the shuttle against a series of attacks, the fate of his mission, and the future of Earth, depends on his ability to decide who he can trust to bring Columbia back safely.
Customer Reviews:
Laura S........2006-01-04
Back to the Moon by Homer H. Hickam Jr. is an interesting story about a group of people who travel into space to the Shorty crater to solve the age old question of how the crater was originally formed. Gene Cernan and Harrison "Jack" Schmitt were the first men to go on the mission to the moon, aboard the Challenger, to solve the mystery. They collect "fire beads" and soil from the surface of the crater for evidence. Years later, Jack plans another mission, aboard a new shuttle, to the moon for more research. Destroying his plans, someone ruins the facility and the shuttle. Meanwhile, another crew, including Jack Medaris, Virgil, Katrina "Kate" Suttner, and Penney High Eagle, prepare to take off aboard the Columbia. Jack Medaris is in love with Kate, but towards the end, he falls for Penney as well. The crew on Columbia faces many obstacles while in space. They were attacked by defense satellites and bombs. Jack is on his own shuttle, and lands on the moon, recovering pieces from the Challenger, including a love note from Kate to her future husband. While there, he falls into the Short crater and pulls in the Lunar Rover in an attempt to get out, also burying the note from Katrina. The crew heads back to the shuttle and eventually return back to earth. Yet another obstacle comes their way. The shuttle began to fall apart and landed in the ocean. A few of the members escaped by parachutes and the others were safely rescued.
I did not particularly enjoy this novel as much I would have liked to. It was very confusing at times, and I had trouble understanding it. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a detailed story about travels into space, with a bit of a love story addded.
Mr. Hickam for national pundit!.......2003-12-01
I found this a really good read, filled with interesting characters and a great plot.
It starts out with a highjacking of the space shuttle. Hickam has enough inside knowledge to make that perfectly plausible. There is a lot of work in space suits involved, something Hickam apparently was involved in a lot at NASA. Penny High Eagle, the payload specialist, is a great and sympathetic characture. Paco the cat who's aboard is a funny touch. There's a lot of fun to this novel. I think a lot of it is tongue in cheek that some reviewers can't figure out. It definitely is not boring and is a real page-turner.
It is very thought-provoking about the "Star Wars" killer satellites around the moon, plausible, too.
In a lot of ways, this novel is a love story. Jack wants most of all to go to find a message on the moon from his late wife. Yet, his wife never went to the moon so how could it be there? I teared up when I read what Jack actually finds there.
I noticed a note on a review about a pistol being fired in space. Gun powder does not require air to burn. It contains all the ingredients in it to work in a vacuum. A form of gun powder, after all, is what is used in solid fuel rockets! As for a space-suited astronaut getting his finger on the trigger, a .45 caliber pistol has plenty of room in its trigger guard. Recoil is a problem but Hickam has his astronaut well wedged in.
I enjoyed rummaging around the old Apollo 17 site with Medaris. Some really good writing here.
All in all, much recommended. Let there be no doubt that Homer Hickam knows how to write a novel. I love all his books. Remember, even his memoirs are written as novels
Keep it up, Mister Hickam! Can't wait for the Back to the Moon movie!
A novel written while Hickam was developing his skills.......2003-11-21
First off, this was written before Hickam's Rocket Boys according to his web site even though it came out afterwards. Clearly, when he wrote this novel, Hickam was just developing his skills as a writer. Still, even though it's dated (he uses the ill-fated shuttle Columbia for this trip to the moon) this is a very good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hickam's inside knowledge of NASA makes it a unique book. I think his tongue was very much in cheek most of the time while he was writing this but I still get the idea that the characters are based on real people he knew while working for the agency. After reading the novel, I felt as if I actually knew each and every one of the people in this book from old gruff Sam the head of mission control to Cecil the lawyer. I especially liked Cecil. He's a great character and is a good example of Hickam's development while writing this book into the great novelist he's become. Like his latest novel, The Keeper's Son, this is a novel filled with action and adventure but it is also a love story, too, and a good one. Not only is there love between the hero Jack Medaris and the beautiful Amerindian science reporter Penny High Eagle aboard the shuttle but there is also the memory of love still with Jack's dead wife who was also a rocket scientist. The scenes on the moon were especially well done. Hickam makes you feel as if you really are there. And the idea of having Jack walking around the old Apollo 17 site was pure genius. How lonely it must be there in reality. Hickam gave me that sense but also wrote it with wonder and hope. Then when Penny joins him and Jack reads the letter (I won't tell you who it's from), I got goose bumps! Even then, Hickam's talent was very impressive in his ability to make you feel for his characters. I read this novel in one long reading and was very impressed, especially since I've read Hickam's most recent work. He is a much better writer now and it's interesting to see his early work as he learned his trade. I look forward to reading all of his work from here on and I certainly don't hold this early effort against him. Read it for what it is and simply enjoy the ride.
I really enjoyed it.......2003-09-05
I am 14 years old. This novel is fun to read. I couldn't pt it down because I wanted to know what was going to happen to Jack and Penny and Paco (who is a cat). I've really enjoyed all of Mr. Hickam's books, especially his books about Coalwood and growing up there. I and my parents are going to visit Coalwood this October 4 to meet Mr. Hickam and the other rocket boys. It should be a lot of fun. But on this novel, I really think it's a great book. My mom and dad both read it before me and said so. I just like the idea of us going back to the moon but I also really got into Jack and Penny's love story. I also loved when he wrote about Paco. A cat in space is a very funny and interesting idea. I think a cat in space would be just like Paco is described. I felt really bad for Jack when he found the message on the moon. I cried over that. I am getting all my friends to read this book.
One of the best space novels I have ever read.......2003-08-25
It is remarkable to me that a space engineer/reviewer would not like this book. I am such, have worked in the industry for decades, and believe that Homer Hickam has written a delightful techno-thriller that not only is a compelling page turner but gives the reader, space insider or not, much to think about. I guess you'd have to say Hickam is nor has ever been much of a "in the box" kind of thinker. If he was, he wouldn't have written Rocket Boys/October Sky which has sold ten times more copies than any astronaut biography.
The plot of this novel is centered around the Apollo 13 type of "can do" engineering whereby what is available is modified to do the impossible. But this is more than a book of engineering. It is a deeply philosophical look at the American space program and the very real people who are in it. Hickam has created characters that I deeply cared about as I read their adventures although he, as evinced in all his books, has his tongue firmly in his cheek much of the time. Homer, by the way, no longer works for NASA and from what I can tell rarely devotes any time to it these days. Most of his writing has centered around the town of Coalwood, West Virginia and I notice that his new novel is set on the Outer Banks and is a seafaring novel. Much can be learned about Hickam the writer on his site... In any case, this is a great novel for everybody. Don't miss it.
Download Description
Riding Rockets is a story of life in all its fateful uncertainty, of the impact of a family tragedy on a nine-year-old boy, of the revelatory effect of a machine called Sputnik, and of the life-steering powers of lust, love, and marriage. It is a story of the human experience that will resonate long after the call of "Wheel stop."
Customer Reviews:
Buy it.......2007-10-08
What an incredible book. A real page turner. An honest and personal account of the shuttle program.
Simply Outstanding - Wonderful Read!.......2007-10-06
This was an amazing book! Extremely entertaining from start to finish. An honest, in-depth account of the early space shuttle program is overdue and Mike created just that. With 3 flights under his belt, Mike is more than qualifed to tell this story. I highly recommend this book.
Riding Rockets Rocks.......2007-08-31
This not the normal book about space adventure; it tells the real story with true humor. Enjoy!
A true inside look at the STS program.......2007-08-11
WOW!!!!!!!!!! Want to know what it's really like to be inside the Shuttle astronaut program... this is your book!! Col. Mullane gives us a true inside feel for what it's like to be an STS astronaut. Hardly a page went by that I didn't laugh out loud!! Oh dear... I also found out that I too am from Plant AD!!
Riding Rockets takes you on an incredible journey!.......2007-06-29
Your blood pressure will boil as you read Mike's detailed descriptions on his three Space Shuttle assignments. There is so much more, however, and all of his stories from beginning to end are simply amazing, funny, witty, and tear-jerking. A boring page does not exist and you'll be sad when you realize you've read the last page.
Book Description
This best-selling reference guide contains the most reliable and up-to-date material on launch programs in Brazil, China, Europe, India, Israel, Japan, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States.
Packed with illustrations and figures, the third edition has been extensively updated and expanded, and offers a quick and easy data retrieval source for policymakers, planners, engineers, launch buyers, and students.
New Features:
New systems included are Angara, Beal's BA-2, Delta III and IV, H-IIA, VLS, LeoLink, Minotaur, Soyuz 2, Strela, Proton M, Atlas III and V, Dnepr, Kistler's K-1, Shtil, with details on Sea Launch using the Zenit vehicle. ; Completely updated, expanded, and standardized performance data. ; Updated flight records with added details (e.g. payload mass, delivery orbit, manifest type). ; More detailed failure descriptions ; Reorganized alphabetically by system (e.g., Angara, Ariane, Athena, Atlas, Beal, Delta, etc.) to reflect the international cooperation in vehicle development, marketing, and operation. ; SI units used throughout. ; New chapter on spaceports, with detailed maps
Standard sections describe each of the launch systems in detail, including: One Page Vehicle Summaries, Cost, Availability, Performance Graphs for a Variety of Orbits, Flight History and Failure Descriptions, Vehicle Design and Technical Data, Payload Accomodations, Production and Launch Operations, Vehicle History
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Reference.......2006-01-28
There is no other reference source out there like this. We use it around the office quite a bit. Looking forward to the 5th edition....
Guide to Space Launch Systems!.......2001-10-28
A complete and technically detailed enumeration of rockets from all around the world (yes, outside the USA). Very well done, and very instructive. Diagrams, charts and statistics... it has it all.
Book Description
Deke Slayton was one of the first seven Mercury astronauts--and he might have been the first American in space. Instead, he became the first chief of American Astronaut Corps. It was Deke Slayton who selected the crews who flew the Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab missions. It was Deke Slayton who made Neil Armstrong the first man on the moon.Deke! is Deke Slayton's' story--told in his own words and in the voices of the men and women who worked with him and knew him best. Deke Slayton's knowledge of how the .S. manned space program worked is the missing piece of every space buff's puzzle. Now, after decades of silence, he tells his priceless stories of those years when American was engaged in the greatest voyage of exploration in human history.
Customer Reviews:
Deke!: An Autobiography.......2007-03-15
The book arrived within the scheduled delivery time in excellent condition.
Thank you,
Mark & Francine Keehnel
You Can't Argue With Success, But...........2007-02-16
There is no question about it, Deke Slayton was one of the people
most responsible for the amazing success of the American Space
Program in the 1960's. As Director of Flight Crew Operations, he
chose the astronaut crews that flew the missions. When looking
back at the flights, there is no question that Slayton knew
who to put where in order to get the job done. However, to this
day, there are still a lot of questions in the air which Slayton
did not really address in his otherwise outstanding book. For example, in
Andrew Chaikin's book "A Man On the Moon", or Apollo 7 astronaut
Walt Cunningham's book, many astronauts say that they never got
a handle on how Slayton made his choices. Astronauts, particularly those chosen
in later groups, even though they were fine pilots, highly educated
and hard workers, would seemingly be passed over for flights by more veteran
astronauts that didn't seem to be as well qualified. This was
due to what Cunningham called "the pecking order" and a prime
qualification of that pecking order was to be a personal pal of Slayton's.
One example of this was Slayton's choice of Alan Shepard to be commander
of Apollo 13, later switched to 14, even though Shepard had only his single 15-minute Mercury flight 10 years earlier (Shepard had been grounded due to an inner-ear problem). Many thought that Shepard
should be required to do duty on a back-up crew prior to his being
given command, and that otherwise he would have a lot of problems getting
up to speed with the complex Apollo and Lunar Module (LM) spacecraft. In the end, Shepard did a fine job piloting the LM to a pinpoint touchdown in the Fra Mauro region of the Moon, but he, like many of the original Mercury astronauts, had little interest in the scientific aspects of space exploration, and as a result, the scientific yield of the mission was very disappointing. Another example was Gene Cernan who was chosen to command the final Apollo 17 mission in spite of reservations from important people in the program like Jim McDivitt, former astronaut and later head of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office. Cernan crashed his helicopter while he was ogling sunbathing girls. Something like this is usually unforgiveable, but Slayton covered up for him.
Slayton does not really clarify questions like these. He states that he originally chose the crew of Grissom, Eisele and Chaffee to fly the first Apollo mission (Eisele was replaced by Ed White-and it was they who perished in the Apollo 1 fire). Slayton states directly that since there would be no rendezvous and docking with a LM in this mission, it wouldn't be as difficult as later ones so he could use astronauts who were "weaker". He does not explain why he felt they were weaker.
Slayton also states that he was prepared for scientist-astronaut Harrison Schmitt (the only professional geologist to qualify as an astronaut) to fly as LM Pilot in Apollo 18 (giving him a chance to walk on the Moon), but he strongly objected to moving him up to fly Apollo 17 after it became clear that Apollo 17 would be the last mission. In the end, he capitulated to the political pressure from the scientific community and Congress, but it is hard for me to see why someone qualified for Apollo 18 should not fly Apollo 17 if he was able to handle the LM Pilot duties in addition to the scientific work he was best qualified to handle.
In summary, this is a very good book with a lot of information, and it is clear that Slayton knew what he was doing, but he doesn't really
clarify how he ultimately evaluated the abilities of the astronauts who worked for him which would have really made the book that much more interesting.
Details about life in the early astronaut office........2005-02-26
The best insiders book about the early astronaut office. It has so much good stuff about which astronaut was assigned what duties and a good behind the scenes view of each spaceflight. There are also good stories about some of the lesser known astronauts who never flew in space. A great book!
Great Book.......2004-10-12
A revealing story of the least known of the original mercury astronauts, this book gives great details of Deke's life from the beginning of his childhood to his tragic death. Deke, himself knew of the brain tumor which eventually ended his life. He was worried that it would affect his memory, so we are able to benefit from his detailed recollections. Lucky for us that he was able to complete the book. This is a rare insight into a hero, written at a time in his life were he was very reflective. He obviously wanted to leave an accurate picture of his life (maybe his perceived misjudgment of Gus Grissom in "The Right Stuff" was a motivation). In any event, thanks Deke! I hope to meet you one day!
A Pretty Good Astronaut Autobiography.......2004-05-24
This is the autobiography of one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts, selected in April 1959 to fly in space. Deke Slayton served as a NASA astronaut during Projects Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP), and while he was originally scheduled to pilot the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission he was relieved of this assignment due to a mild, occasional, irregular heart palpitation discovered in August 1959. His only space flight took place in July 1975 as a crewmember aboard the ASTP mission.
Instead of flying, Slayton became the titular head of the astronauts, officially being named Coordinator of Astronaut Activities in September 1962, and was responsible for the operation of the astronaut office. In November 1963, he resigned his commission as an Air Force Major to assume the role of Director of Flight Crew Operations. For a decade he oversaw the activities of the astronauts, most importantly making crew assignments and managing the full range of astronaut activities. Slayton personally chose all of the crews, determining among other things that Neil Armstrong would be the first person to walk on the Moon in July 1969.
As one might expect, Slayton wielded enormous power at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston (renamed the Johnson Space Center in 1973) in his role as director of the astronaut office. He effectively kept a collection of egotistical-for good reason-hot-shot pilots under control and maximized their role in the NASA of the 1960s. His place in helping to ensure the success of Project Apollo cannot be underestimated. This book is the recollection of Slayton during his NASA career. It contains a lot of standard information that most space history buffs are aware of, as well as some new stories. As always in such books as this, Slayton seeks to get behind the techno-nerd facade of NASA and emphasize its human side. Accordingly, we see astronauts in social settings and in embarrassing situations, as well as in their hardworking day jobs. A high point of the book is the discussion his early experiences as a farm boy from Wisconsin who flew bombers in World War II, went to college on the GI Bill, and became a member of one of the most celebrated teams in modern American history, the Mercury Seven.
Michael Cassutt, an outstanding writer with a string of other superb books, ensures that this is an excellent memoir. Especially so, since Cassutt saw it through publication after the death of Slayton on June 13, 1993, in League City, Texas, from a brain tumor. This is not the best of the astronaut autobiographies, that distinction belongs to Michael Collins' "Carrying the Fire," but it is a pretty good one.
Book Description
Rick Husband wanted to be an astronaut since his fourth birthday, but it wasn't always for the right reasons. Initially, he thought it would be neat . . . cool . . . a fun thing to do. It wasn't until he came to a spiritual crossroads and was able to give that dream up to discover the true desires of his heart before he actually got into the space shuttle program at NASA. Three failed attempts didn't daunt this driven pilot-and the fourth interview process, though lengthy and difficult, proved successful for him.
Husband's years at NASA served not only to develop his integrity and character, but also to increase his faith in a Creator that could not be denied in the vastness of space. His story is not only inspirational but exhilarating and invigorating, as readers will witness the life of a man who consistently pursued the desires of his heart even as he served a faithful God.
Customer Reviews:
Everything you want to know aabout NASA.......2007-04-10
I was surprised how really good this book was. As well as telling you tons of fascinating info about NASA and lots of interesting detail about the work of the astronauts, the reader is given an intimate look into what their families are put through. I highly recommend it.
Pretty good book.......2006-05-22
The book High Calling is good. I recommend that if you enjoy real life novels you buy this book. It is about the astronaut Rick Husband and his wife Evelyn Husband. I liked it for that reason. Also, it gets to the point without too much detail but it has enough. It was also interesting how it told about all of the procedures that astronauts do and how their lives are. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books about real people in real situations. Another good thing is that the book is spiritual and tells people who read it to become more spiritual.
Excellent.......2005-08-25
Very meaningful personal testimony to a most important event in our Nation's history.
Should be read by everyone.
A Good Story and a Decent Book.......2005-07-30
Like Rick, I grew up in Amarillo Texas and attended Texas Tech University as an engineering major so his story was naturally interesting to me. Unfortunately, the book seemed to focus too much on his faith. I realize his faith was a large part of his life. Remember this is the life AND faith of Rick. Ultimately I was left with the impression that working on this book provided an avenue of closure for a mourning wife.
An American hero.......2005-06-11
Astronaut Rick Husband was a true American hero in more than one way. From childhood, his dream was to be an astronaut, and he was willing to do whatever it took to fulfill his dream.
Rick Husband was also a devoted husband and father who took the time to record daily inspirational video messages for his children.
But, most of all, Husband was a devout Christian man who was dedicated to serving the Lord.
The Columbia tragedy happened only two years ago, so it is still easy for most of us to remember that terrible day. In this book, you can truly feel Evelyn Husband's pain and sorrow when she learned that she had lost Rick. Evelyn also remembers the other six astronauts who lost their lives that day.
Amazon.com
Imagine a version of The Right Stuff whose protagonists are engineers rather than cocky test pilots-turned-astronauts. Author Mike Gray gives a gripping account of the men who led the North American Aviation Company through one of the largest and most daunting engineering projects in history, the development of the S-2 rocket engine, and the Apollo spacecraft. Filled both with detailed technical background and explorations of the psyches who drove--and were sometimes crushed by--the race to the moon, Angle of Attack offers a captivating look at the monumental accomplishments of a bygone era.
Customer Reviews:
Full of amusing anecdotes.......2007-05-08
Great introductory overview of the engineering that got Apollo to the moon. A lot of the issues are only summarized and retold in sound-bite-sized anecdotes, but at 300 pages, the book isn't meant to be much more. Very enjoyable read.
A good read and very informative.......2006-01-29
Well, when I first got this book about ten years ago, I heard there was controversy related to it. After reading other accounts about Apollo and NAA's involvement after reading this book, I am pretty certain this book is accurate in its portrayal and doesn't make any deliberate attempt to slant history. The author might be guilty of being a bit over enthusiastic about the point he's trying to make, but thats all. It certainly isn't a boring read.
It should be interesting to note as well that elements from this book were used in the Apollo 1 episode of "From the Earth to the Moon" as the episode focused rather heavily on NAA's involvement in the fire investigation. But, it is possible Mark Gray had an involvement with the writing of that episode as well as this book, given his history in Hollywood. Another thing worth noting as well is that Penguin Books also published "A Man on the Moon" by Andrew Chaikin.
In any event, "Angle of Attack" is a good read IMHO. The technical challenges listed for the development of the Apollo CSM and S-II rocket stage are a fascinating read and easy to understand. It also helps to reveal that not all the changes made to the Apollo Block 2 spacecraft which flew to the Moon were made after the fire as this is something that tends to be glossed over by media accounts of the post Apollo 1 time period. The media also tends to focus on NAA not using any of the work done on Gemini in Apollo spacecraft design when in reality both Gemini and Apollo were essentially two programs done in parallel and there wasn't all that much that could be transferred from one program to the other.
Probably the best benefit I got from reading this book was it gave me an inside account of what a company went through in the 1960s to get contracts to build hardware for the Moon flights and then going about building that hardware. You've got the back and forth disagreements with NASA, the efforts undertaken to get the contracts, the tests that went wrong as well as those that went right and other interesting glimpses into an extraordinary time. It all worked out in the end though and it took a lot of talent to get men on the moon by the summer of 1969.
But I wouldn't use it as your only reference of the Apollo program. The moon program was very big, and it can't really be fully explained in one book. This is just one part of the story.
Houston, we have a problem with this writer........2005-08-31
I am in complete agreement with the reader who made those rude comments back in December 1997: for anyone who likes good prose, 'Angle of Attack' is a shocker, obviously a pathetic attempt to imitate Tom Wolfe's 'The Right Stuff', but without the wit. To put it simply, the writing is crap. I've read that Mike Gray is a Hollywood script writer-hack: what did he write, 'Pearl Harbour'? 'Independence Day'? 'Dude, Where's My Capsule?'?
The Apollo project was an extraordinary period in technological history, but this gung-ho and adolescent garbage does the project and its people a disservice.
Perhaps only aerospace engineers are tough enough to endure the pain this book induces. Stay away from Houston, Mike.
I Was There.......2005-08-05
I don't intend to write a long analytical review like some already posted. I just want to say that I was there at NAA as a young engineer during the period covered by this book. I absolutely loved the book. I couldn't put it down and wanted it to never end. To those critics who ask "Is it really true?", I can only say that those parts that covered events that I witnessed personally are uncannily in sync with my recollections. What an adventure it was! I don't think we could do it again, in today's environment, even with twice as much budget and time.
A magnificent engineering obsession.......2005-03-30
A very worthwhile book for engineers, project managers
and people who want to understand the challenges
those people face. It is very readable and intensely
interesting.
Engineers and others with project experience will
recognize this book has the "ring of truth".
The Apollo project had a number of extremes that the
book explains well, such as:
balancing design goals such as light weight and strength
building on a bigger scale than had been done before
going someplace that had only been a dream before
working incredible numbers of hours
Some people complained this book was not a footnoted history.
Good thing it isn't that boring.
Others complained that it ignored someone else's experience.
They should write another book and hope it is half as good.
Book Description
After Columbia disintegrated during entry on February 1, 2003, NASA grounded the entire Space Shuttle fleet until it could ascertain what had gone wrong and fixed the problem. Whenever an aerospace program is grounded for a prolonged period, the first flight after the grounding is often called the Return-to-Flight. After 30 months of work, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Program's Return-to-Flight, STS-114, using Discovery. This flight was the most photographed Space Shuttle flight ever, with numerous cameras on the ground, ships, and aircraft tracking the vehicle during ascent, and the crew of the International Space Station taking a series of detailed photographs as the Orbiter approached the ISS. In addition, the crew of the Discovery used cameras in the cockpit and on a long, robotic arm to examine almost every inch of the Orbiter. The result was some stunning photography that shows the Space Shuttle in ways that have never before been seen. It is presented here, in full color, as the program readies to fly the second Return-to-Flight launch, STS-121, also using Discovery.
Customer Reviews:
A seminal work and a core addition.......2007-07-09
The collaborative work of Dennis R. Jenkins (a thirty year veteran engineer and manager on the Space Shuttle Program and other space-related programs and currently the Verville Fellow at the Smithsonian Institutions' national Air and Space Museum) and Jorge R. Frank (an aerospace engineer with eighteen years' experience on the Space Shuttle Program), "Return-To-Flight: Space Shuttle Discovery Photo Scrapbook" is the illustrated story of how NASA grounded the entire Space Shuttle fleet after the Columbia disaster on February 1, 2003, in order to find out what had gone wrong and fix it. After thirty months of hard work, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Program's Return-to-Flight (STS-114) using the space craft Discovery. This was the most photographed flight in Space Shuttle history (including images taken from inside the cockpit and from a camera mounted on a long, robotic arm used to examine almost every inch of the Orbiter) and the foundation for this informed and informative history of this cutting edge aviation program. Superbly illustrated with 350 full color mission photos and an informative text, "Return-To-Flight is a seminal work and a core addition to personal, academic, and community library Aviation & Space Exploration History collections.
Space shuttle Return to Flight Book.......2007-04-21
This is a great book for anybody who is interested in manned spaceflight. It is a very thorough photo documentation of STS-114, the first flight of the Space Shuttle after the Columbia disaster. All aspects of the flight are covered, from training, launch, rendezvous with the International Space Station, on-orbit activities, EVAs, through re-entry and landing, plus a preview of the next Shuttle flight. The pictures are all in full color and are reproduced very clearly. I highly recommend this book!
Some of the best shuttle photos ever.......2006-11-06
This book has some amazing photos. The level of detail that can be seen in the photos almost rivals the kind of detail that you get by wathcing an IMAX movie.
Fascinating book about the space shuttle.......2006-07-13
This book captures all the fascinating details of Discovery's long journey to the launch pad, launch and time at the Space Station. Dennis Jenkins and Jorge Frank have done a wonderful job of putting these amazing pictures together and creating a great book about Return to Flight. I would highly recommend this book to any space shuttle enthusiast of any age.
Best format of its kind.......2006-07-11
The format presented by the authors of this book is really unique. STS 114 was one of the most photo- documented spaceflights of all time. The book presents every aspect of the flight in some of the best photographs taken whether on the ground, or taken in space by the astronauts themslves. NASA is the repository for some of the best pictures of manned spaceflight. The authors have done a magnificent job of compiling the many thousands of pictures taken of this mission and presenting them in a truly awe inspiring way. The photos in the book taken of Discovery while engaged in the "pitch manuever" were as breath taking as when the manuever was actually performed.
All space enthusiast will relish the idea of being able to acess in book form the photographs taken during this mission. My congratulations to the authors for doing what should have been done a long time ago. The adventure is for "all mankind". I can't think of a better way to enjoy the ride other than by actually doing it! The authors should seriously think about follow on volumns which document the remaining shuttle spaceflights.
Michael H. Cooper
Average customer rating:
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The Space Shuttle (Pull Ahead Books)
Jeffrey Zuehlke
Manufacturer: First Avenue Editions
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ASIN: 0822564262 |
Book Description
It is the early 1980s, and America is in love with space. Growing up in the shadow of Cape Canaveral, young Dolores Gray has it particularly bad: she dreams of becoming an astronaut.
At school, Dolores finds herself caught between her desire for popularity and her secret friendship with the smartest and most unpopular boy in her class, whose father is NASA's Director of Launch Safety. At home, discord begins to grow between her parents when her father's job as a NASA technician is threatened.
Looking for escape, Dolores loses herself in her scrapbook, where she files away newspaper articles about the astronauts and the shuttles, weather reports on launch scrubs, and stories about her idol, Judith Resnik.
Then, on the morning of January 28, 1986, seventy-three seconds after liftoff, the space shuttle Challenger explodes, killing all seven astronauts on board -- including Judith Resnik. It is a moment that shakes America to its core, and nowhere is it more deeply felt than in central Florida. Dolores becomes determined to reconstruct what went wrong, both in her parent's marriage and at NASA, in the hope that she can save her father's job and keep her family together.
The Time It Takes to Fall is a coming-of-age novel that deftly weaves the story of one family's drama into the larger picture of a touchstone event in American history. It is at once an intimate look at a young girl's loss of innocence and a portrait of America's loss of innocence -- the end of an era that romanticized manned space flight and would never be the same again.
Customer Reviews:
A wonderful first novel!.......2007-09-11
What a terrific book. Dolores is one of the most realistic teens in recent fiction, and her relationship with couldbe best friend Eric, which is affected by Dolores' need to be accepted by the snobbish kids at school, rings terribly true. Her complex relationship with her mother is also very nicely handled. The backdrop of Florida before and after the space shuttle disaster is fascinating and feels painstakingly researched. Dean manages to give the reader lots of background on the space shuttle program without making her prose feel teacherish; we learn about it as Dolores does, and her "space notebook" is a good device for adding that historical detail to the story. Tension definitely mounts as we approach the space shuttle disaster, and it's handled effectively and with great feeling, rather than being exploitative in any way.
I read A LOT, and this book stood out as one of the best things I've read in a while -- it's good enough that I was inspired to fire off an email to the author, something I've never done before.
Keep it up, Ms. Dean -- what a wonderful read.
A great read!.......2007-08-15
Because I have always been interested in the NASA Space Program, I gravitated to this book immediately. I appreciated how well a personal family story was interwoven with the Challenger disaster. The author did a wonderful job of making me aware of facts involving this tradgedy that until now I was unaware of. It is a great read and provided quite in-depth discussion in my book club. I highly recommend this book for everyone!
Slow to start-but gets better.......2007-07-15
At first I thought this book was boring. I kept reading anyway and I'm glad I did. I can remember being in 3rd grade watching the shuttle explode on TV while I was in class. This book made me remember it more...and thanks to You Tube I saw it again. This book had elements that reminded me of many other books, but it is still worth the read.
Delightful.......2007-04-09
A thoroughly delightful read that brings back fond memories of childhood and harsh memories of a national tragedy. The insight into a somewhat dysfunctional (but in so many ways typical) family; feeling the pains of childhood development; the revelation of facts of the Challenger disaster all come together in a easy reading, free flowing story. No violence or sex is necessary to make this a delightful way to wile away the hours.
A wonderful read!.......2007-04-04
This is a wonderful book. It fulfills two great reasons I read a book...a great story, and a little education thrown in. If you have an affinity for the space program (even a little one) you'll love the book. If you don't have that affinity, you'll get a fabulous story of a very complex family dynamic. The characters are complex, yet simple. I loved the mother, who although maybe didn't deal with life as most would hope, she was just trying to figure out what it was all about. The father was a technician at NASA at the launch site in Florida, and I found him a tad on the weak side, but he came through in my mind finally. The two daughters were delightful, the younger of the two being adorable, the older coming of age during the book. Fascinating play on family workings. The space program was covered in a way that I'd not seen it done before...delving lightly into the engineers of NASA and the technicians who work on the shuttles. This wasn't heavy, just informative. The Challenger tragedy (death of Christa McAuliffe) is covered which interested me, no end. I felt her death deeply at the time. You won't be disappointed in this book....it's multi-faceted. And, it's a wonderful read!
Book Description
"Just 'cause I didn't follow the rules doesn't make it my fault that the Space Shuttle almost crashed. Well, okay, maybe it was sort of my fault. But not the part when Pilot O'Brien was spacewalking and I accidentally knocked him halfway to Jupiter, or when I wound up in a space suit and nearly became the first human satellite to orbit the Earth; you can't blame that on me.
"Well, okay, maybe that was sort of my fault, too."
So begins another hilarious Wally McDoogle MISadventure as our boy blunder stows aboard the Space Shuttle and learns the importance of: OBEYING THE RULES!
Customer Reviews:
My Life As An Afterthought Astronaut.......2003-11-12
This book is hilarious! Bill Meyers writes alot of these My Life As books . I am 10 years old and I love his books. One day Wally Mcdoogle is at a rocket site in Florida. The tour guide is leaving and Wally drops his glasses in a space shuttle and goes to get them. While on board,he goes to the lower deck and dozes off.When he wakes up,the shuttle has taken off so he starts to float around and hit the walls.The space crew is on a mission to deliver a piece to the space station. When the crew finds out that they have an extra passenger, they radio ground control and Wally's dad asks Wally if he wants to stay up there so the pilots can finish their job. Wally replies yes because he likes it out there. I like this book because the situations Wally finds himself in are really funny.
great.......2003-10-17
this book was great I just finished reading it to my 8yr old son and we laughed all the way through it. now he is ready to read it by himself. It really got through to him on following the rules and what can happen when you don't.
Hilarious!.......1999-09-13
Wally sneaks aboard the space shuttle and learns the hard way why he should follow the rules. Very funny, and educational!
This book will capture you-- I couldn't put it down!.......1999-04-12
This book has it all-- humor- fun- a great plotline- and a very good lesson to be learned
Everyone that I know loves it!!
Wally accidently gets to go to space in a space shuttle.......1998-10-06
I think this book is very cool. This is my favorite "My LIfe" book from the whole series. I think it is funny when Wally's glasses fall inside the space shuttle. He goes into the space shuttle in tries to find his glasses. He can't find it that easily so he goes into space and he doesn't even know it until later!
Books:
- Beyond the Blue Horizon: Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets
- Binocular Highlights: 99 Celestial Sights for Binocular Users (Sky & Telescope Stargazing)
- Comet/Asteroid Impacts and Human Society: An Interdisciplinary Approach
- Compact Cities: Sustainable Urban Forms for Developing Countries (Compact City)
- Compact Stellar X-ray Sources (Cambridge Astrophysics)
- Constructing a Poetic Universe: The Diane and Bruce Halle Collection of Latin American Art
- Cosmic Rays and Particle Physics
- Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries
- Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries
- Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan
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