Riding Rockets

Riding Rockets PDF Author: Mike Mullane
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743276833
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
Selected as a Mission Specialist in 1978 in the first group of shuttle astronauts, Mike Mullane completed three missions and logged 356 hours aboard the Discovery and Atlantis shuttles. It was a dream come true. As a boy, Mullane could only read about space travel in science fiction, but the launch of Sputnik changed all that. Space flight became a possible dream and Mike Mullane set out to make it come true. In this absorbing memoir, Mullane gives the first-ever look into the often hilarious, sometime volatile dynamics of space shuttle astronauts - a class that included Vietnam War veterans, feminists, and propeller-headed scientists. With unprecedented candour, Mullane describes the chilling fear and unparalleled joy of space flight. As his career centred around the Challenger disaster, Mullane also recounts the heartache of burying his friends and colleagues. And he pulls no punches as he reveals the ins and outs of NASA, frank in his criticisms of the agency. A blast from start to finish, Riding Rockets is a straight-from-the-gut account of what it means to be an astronaut, just in time for this latest generation of stargazers.

Riding Rockets

Riding Rockets PDF Author: Mike Mullane
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743276833
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 404

Get Book Here

Book Description
Selected as a Mission Specialist in 1978 in the first group of shuttle astronauts, Mike Mullane completed three missions and logged 356 hours aboard the Discovery and Atlantis shuttles. It was a dream come true. As a boy, Mullane could only read about space travel in science fiction, but the launch of Sputnik changed all that. Space flight became a possible dream and Mike Mullane set out to make it come true. In this absorbing memoir, Mullane gives the first-ever look into the often hilarious, sometime volatile dynamics of space shuttle astronauts - a class that included Vietnam War veterans, feminists, and propeller-headed scientists. With unprecedented candour, Mullane describes the chilling fear and unparalleled joy of space flight. As his career centred around the Challenger disaster, Mullane also recounts the heartache of burying his friends and colleagues. And he pulls no punches as he reveals the ins and outs of NASA, frank in his criticisms of the agency. A blast from start to finish, Riding Rockets is a straight-from-the-gut account of what it means to be an astronaut, just in time for this latest generation of stargazers.

Columbia Accident Investigation Board Report

Columbia Accident Investigation Board Report PDF Author: United States. Columbia Accident Investigation Board
Publisher: U.S. Independent Agencies and Commission
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
CD-ROM accompanying vol. 1 contains text of vol. 1 in PDF files and six related motion picture files in Quicktime format.

Preparing for the High Frontier

Preparing for the High Frontier PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309218705
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 114

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Book Description
As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) retires the Space Shuttle and shifts involvement in International Space Station (ISS) operations, changes in the role and requirements of NASA's Astronaut Corps will take place. At the request of NASA, the National Research Council (NRC) addressed three main questions about these changes: what should be the role and size of Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Flight Crew Operations Directorate (FCOD); what will be the requirements of astronaut training facilities; and is the Astronaut Corps' fleet of training aircraft a cost-effective means of preparing astronauts for NASA's spaceflight program? This report presents an assessment of several issues driven by these questions. This report does not address explicitly the future of human spaceflight.

NASA Space Shuttle

NASA Space Shuttle PDF Author: Piers Bizony
Publisher: Motorbooks International
ISBN: 0760370044
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 199

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Book Description
Rare photography and stunning artworks illustrate the history of NASA’s Space Shuttle program from 1981 to 2011, providing an unprecedented look at the missions, equipment, and astronauts.

Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident

Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident PDF Author: DIANE Publishing Company
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 0788119125
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description


The Space Shuttle Decision

The Space Shuttle Decision PDF Author: T. A. Heppenheimer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Space shuttles
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Long before the NASA was the throes of planning for the Apollo voyages to the Moon, many people had seen the need for a vehicle that could access space routinely. The idea of a reusable space shuttle dates at least to the theoretical rocketplane studies of the 1930s, but by the 1950s it had become an integral part of a master plan for space exploration. The goal of efficient access to space in a heavy-lift booster prompted NASA's commitment to the space shuttle as the vehicle to continue human space flight. By the mid-1960s, NASA engineers concluded that the necessary technology was within reach to enable the creation of a reusable winged space vehicle that could haul scientific and applications satellites of all types into orbit for all users. President Richard M. Nixon approved the effort to build the shuttle in 1972 and the first orbital flight took place in 1981. Although the development program was risky, a talented group of scientists and engineers worked to create this unique space vehicle and their efforts were largely successful. Since 1981, the various orbiters -Atlantis, Columbia, Discovery, Endeavour, and Challenger (lost in 1986 during the only Space Shuttle accident)- have made early 100 flights into space. Through 1998, the space shuttle has carried more than 800 major scientific and technological payloads into orbit and its astronaut crews have conducted more than 50 extravehicular activities, including repairing satellites and the initial building of the International Space Station. The shuttle remains the only vehicle in the world with the dual ability to deliver and return large payloads to and from orbit, and is also the world's most reliable launch system. The design, now almost three decades old, is still state-of-the-art in many areas, including computerized flight control, airframe design, electrical power systems, thermal protection system, and main engines. This significant new study of the decision to build the space shuttle explains the shuttle's origin and early development. In addition to internal NASA discussions, this work details the debates in the late 1960s and early 1970s among policymakers in Congress, the Air Force, and the Office of Management and Budget over the roles and technical designs of the shuttle. Examining the interplay of these organizations with sometimes conflicting goals, the author not only explains how the world's premier space launch vehicle came into being, but also how politics can interact with science, technology, national security, and economics in national government.

NASA's First Space Shuttle Astronaut Selection

NASA's First Space Shuttle Astronaut Selection PDF Author: David J. Shayler
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030457427
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 622

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Book Description
Unofficially they called themselves the TFNG, or the Thirty-Five New Guys. Officially, they were NASA’s Group 8 astronauts, selected in January 1978 to train for orbital missions aboard the Space Shuttle. Prior to this time only pilots or scientists trained as pilots had been assigned to fly on America’s spacecraft, but with the advent of the innovative winged spacecraft the door was finally opened to non-pilots, including women and minorities. In all, 15 of those selected were categorised as Pilot Astronauts, while the other 20 would train under the new designation of Mission Specialist. Altogether, the Group 8 astronauts would be launched on a total of 103 space missions; some flying only once, while others flew into orbit as many as five times. Sadly, four of their number would perish in the Challenger tragedy in January 1986. In their latest collaborative effort, the authors bring to life the amazing story behind the selection of the first group of Space Shuttle astronauts, examining their varied backgrounds and many accomplishments in a fresh and accessible way through deep research and revealing interviews. Throughout its remarkable 30-year history as the workhorse of NASA’s human spaceflight exploration, twice halted through tragedy, the Shuttle fleet performed with magnificence. So too did these 35 men and women, swept up in the dynamic thrust and ongoing development of America’s Space Shuttle program. "This book on the Group 8 Astronauts, the TFNGs, is an excellent summation of the individuals first selected for the new Space Shuttle Program. It provides insight into what it took to first get the Space Shuttle flying. For any space enthusiast it is a must read." - Robert L. Crippen PLT on STS-1 “As a reader, I had many moments where long, lost memories of the triumph and tragedy of the space shuttle program were brilliantly reawakened at the turn of a page. Loved it! This is a must-have book for every space enthusiast’s library.” - TFNG Mission Specialist Astronaut Richard ‘Mike’ Mullane, author of Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut “Many of the anecdotes in the book brought back memories of challenges, opportunities, and a team of men and women who were committed not just to the space program, but to one another...I've gone back to it several times as a reference source.” - TFNG Steve Hawley, 5-time Space Shuttle Mission Specialist Astronaut "The TFNG book is incredible and amazingly thorough! The detail in the book is awesome! It is my go-to book for any of the details I’ve forgotten." - TFNG Dr. Rhea Seddon, 3-time Space Shuttle Mission Specialist Astronaut. "I can't believe how detailed and complete it is!!! FANTASTIC work!!!" - TFNG Robert L."Hoot" Gibson, 5-time Space Shuttle Pilot & Commander and former Chief of the NASA Astronaut Office

British Secret Projects 5: Britain's Space Shuttle

British Secret Projects 5: Britain's Space Shuttle PDF Author: Daniel Sharp
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781910809020
Category : Space shuttles
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Even as America and Russia stepped up their efforts in the early 1960s to design ever faster bombers and put men and equipment into space, Britain quietly set to work devising its own hypersonic aircraft and manned space vehicles. British Secret Projects 5: Britain's Space Shuttletells the story of how, from 1963 to 1966, English Electric/BAC's Preston works secretly led the world in re-useable spacecraft design. A huge variety of designs formed the P.42 project with more than 100 proposals for hypersonic interceptors, bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, satellite launchers, spacecraft launchers, orbital spy planes and satellite killers. The end result was the 'Multi-Unit Space Transport And Recovery Device' (MUSTARD), which pre-dated the USA's Space Shuttle program by six years. Based on unique access to the original project drawings, photographs, archives and interviews with surviving members of the design team, British Secret Projects 5: Britain's Space Shuttleoffers a unique insight into this hitherto little-known chapter in the secret history of the UK manned space flight program.

Jane's Spaceflight Directory 1987

Jane's Spaceflight Directory 1987 PDF Author: Reginald Turnill
Publisher: Ihs Global Incorporated
ISBN: 9780710608383
Category : Astronautics
Languages : en
Pages : 430

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Book Description
The third edition of Spaceflight Directory contains the latest developments in shuttle technology and updated details on the military use of space. It also examines the role of Soviet leadership in manned space activities and includes a more comprehensive space contractors' section.

Handprints on Hubble

Handprints on Hubble PDF Author: Kathryn D. Sullivan
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262355949
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 301

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Book Description
The first American woman to walk in space recounts her experience as part of the team that launched, rescued, repaired, and maintained the Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionized our understanding of the universe. It has, among many other achievements, revealed thousands of galaxies in what seemed to be empty patches of sky; transformed our knowledge of black holes; found dwarf planets with moons orbiting other stars; and measured precisely how fast the universe is expanding. In Handprints on Hubble, retired astronaut Kathryn Sullivan describes her work on the NASA team that made all this possible. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space, recounts how she and other astronauts, engineers, and scientists launched, rescued, repaired, and maintained Hubble, the most productive observatory ever built. Along the way, Sullivan chronicles her early life as a “Sputnik Baby,” her path to NASA through oceanography, and her initiation into the space program as one of “thirty-five new guys.” (She was also one of the first six women to join NASA’s storied astronaut corps.) She describes in vivid detail what liftoff feels like inside a spacecraft (it’s like “being in an earthquake and a fighter jet at the same time”), shows us the view from a spacewalk, and recounts the temporary grounding of the shuttle program after the Challenger disaster. Sullivan explains that “maintainability” was designed into Hubble, and she describes the work of inventing the tools and processes that made on-orbit maintenance possible. Because in-flight repair and upgrade was part of the plan, NASA was able to fix a serious defect in Hubble’s mirrors—leaving literal and metaphorical “handprints on Hubble.” Handprints on Hubble was published with the support of the MIT Press Fund for Diverse Voices.