Space Shuttle Stories: Firsthand Astronaut Accounts from All 135 Missions

by Tom Jones

Experience all 135 NASA space shuttle missions ever flown through the words of the astronauts themselves in this spectacularly illustrated volume

With more than 600 photos from the NASA archives, this guide is perfect for fans of space history and spaceflight

NASA's space shuttle was the world's first reusable spacecraft, accomplishing many firsts and inspiring generations across its 30-year lifespan as America's iconic spaceship. In Space Shuttle Stories , shuttle astronaut Tom Jones interviewed more than 130 fellow astronauts for personal vignettes from each mission, complemented by their written accounts for all 135 space shuttle missions, from Columbia 's maiden flight in 1981 to the final launch of Atlantis in 2011. The book is a major contribution to the historical record of a momentous era of spaceflight.

Each mission profile


The Space Shuttle program’s 6 orbiter vehicles ( Enterprise , Columbia , Challenger , Discovery , Atlantis , and Endeavour) carried a total of 355 astronauts into orbit on 135 missions aimed at cutting-edge scientific research, satellite launch, retrieval and repair, collaborative work with the Russian Mir station, the launching and servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope, and the construction of the International Space Station. Space Shuttle Stories focuses on the lived, human experiences of larger-than-life space missions. It's a definitive oral history that captures the importance, wonder, and exhilaration of the Space Shuttle era.

Genres: Space, Nonfiction, Science, History, American History

320 pages, Hardcover

Published October 31, 2023

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Clay Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good coffee table book that should be read if only to savor the pictures.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this book, astronaut Tom Jones has compiled the most extensive collection of astronaut primary sources from the Space Shuttle era. Whereas Dennis Jenkins has done a great job with the technical side of the shuttle and Valerie Neal has done a great job with the cultural side of the shuttle, this book is the best at conveying the human experience of being inside the vehicle. Each of the shuttle's 135 missions receives two pages: one containing details of the mission and crew along with the recollections of one of the crewmembers, and another containing the best images from the mission. In reading the reflections of the more than one hundred astronauts who contributed to the book, the reader can take away several valuable points. First, the reader can understand the value of the shuttle in terms of paving the way for the International Space Station era. Much of the scientific research on the one to two week long shuttle flights presaged the work that has now progressed for nearly a quarter of a century aboard the ISS, not to mention the 37 shuttle flights that contributed to assembly of the ISS. Second, the reader can understand the skill of the astronauts and flight controllers in responding to problems. I learned a great deal about the problems and the effort to solve them on countless flights. Third, the reader can understand just what flying in outer space meant to the human beings who flew aboard the vehicles. Their perspectives on the value of Earth when seen from afar and their place in the universe shifted, and the fact that the shuttle facilitated this for more than three hundred people may be its most significant contribution to spaceflight. Jones has done well to capture their words before they leave us.

[Samantha Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a space nerd's dream. Tom Jones compiles firsthand accounts from astronauts on every single one of the 135 Space Shuttle missions — which is honestly incredible in scope. Each story gives a short, vivid glimpse into what made that mission unique: the science, the challenges, the camaraderie, the emotion. Some are funny, some are intense, and many are quietly awe-inspiring.

I especially appreciated how Jones didn't shy away from the hard parts. The chapters on Challenger and Columbia are handled with care, and the reflections from fellow astronauts are deeply moving. It’s a stark reminder of the risks involved and the humanity behind the hardware.

That said, the format (chronological and mission-by-mission) can get a bit repetitive if you're trying to read it straight through. It might work better as a book to dip into — read a few missions at a time rather than all at once.

The photos included are stunning and add so much personality to the stories. If you love spaceflight or want to understand what the Shuttle era meant to the people who lived it, this is worth your time.

[Craig Beyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s one thing to read about the design of the Space Shuttles, the politics and decision-making that led to the design, read the photo books showing the glorious sights seen by the astronauts and cosmonauts from the Shuttles, Mir, and the ISS, but it’s another thing to read the words of the astronauts who flew the missions, what they did and accomplished, and how they felt about and during their flights. This book has those words, accompanied by mission-specific photos of astronauts and cosmonauts, launches, Shuttles in flight, Mir, the ISS, and various components that comprise the ISS. It’s all stunning. I’ve met and spoken to an Apollo astronaut and had dinner with an astronaut friend and feel lucky just to be in their company. In some respects, all of the astronauts from all of the space programs are heroes and are clearly some of the most intelligent people on the planet. We owe a lot to the engineers, managers, trainers, and others who devoted their careers to the U.S. space program in their efforts to learn about how humans can learn to live, work, and learn in space.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this thought-provoking, eye-opening book, astronaut Tom Jones has gathered firsthand accounts of the astronauts from all one hundred thirty-five Space Shuttle missions. Along with the astronauts’ comments, the book includes information on the development of the Space Shuttle and a list of anacronyms.

First, meet astronauts from the earliest missions, flown during the testing phase of the Space Shuttle. Then hear from astronauts involved in the return to flight and using the Space Shuttle as a science platform. Then investigate the building of the International Space Station.

More than six hundred photographs from the NASA archives are included, providing a pictorial accompaniment to the astronauts’ words. Explore, in a new way, NASA’s first reusable spacecraft.

Readers interested in space exploration, space history, the Space Shuttle, and astronauts living and working in space will find much to appreciate here.

Highly recommended.

[R.J. Southworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s brilliant to have a book listing all 135 Space Shuttle missions, providing a complete picture of how the Shuttle was used. Put together, the use of individual astronauts’ stories - accompanied by a great collection of images - helps the reader to imagine the full experience of a space mission and appreciate how much work went into each one; and there are a few very inspirational quotes in there too. If I had one problem with the book, it’s that it needed some proofreading as there are some mistakes here and there: in the section for Endeavour’s first mission, the orbiter is listed as Discovery, even though a picture of the Shuttle and the mission patch - both of which have ‘Endeavour’ clearly visible - are right there, so not sure how anyone missed that.

[D.K. Broadwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great book that captures the width and breadth of the Space Shuttle program over nearly 4 decades. It can be enjoyed in short spurts because every shuttle mission gets great photos, a summary, and comments from 1 or 2 of astronauts who flew the mission. Author and former astronaut Tom Jones did a meticulous job of collecting the data for his book, including interviews with some astronauts who are now no longer with us. Many of the events in RUTHLESS SKY were inspired by events chronicled here, including some of the amazing satellite captures and repairs from the eighties that are now 'ancient history' by space travel standards.

[Terri Wangard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each flight has one page of text written by a member of the crew and one page of beautiful space photos. Full of anecdotes, both humorous and endearing, like the rat that enjoyed sitting on the astronaut's shoulder, finding Hubble thoroughly pitted with tiny craters from micrometeoroids, higher CO2 levels in Mir threatened to put astronauts to sleep, the emotional impact of seeing earth from space.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible book that summarizes every one of the 135 Space Shuttle missions, describes the different phases of the program (flight test, assembly of the ISS, etc.), provides fantastic photos from each mission, and, most importantly, provides firsthand stories from the astronauts who flew each mission. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in human spaceflight and exploration.

[Stephanie Dargusch Borders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the comprehensiveness, the photos, the quality, the graphics. Was a bit dry and repetitive but I liked that the astronauts told their own stories. Would have preferred better coverage on Challenger and Columbia.

[Arnold Grot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book in March prior to The Planetary Society Live Q&A with "Space Shuttle Stories" author Tom Jones on Thursday March 28. The last several months I had finished the books selected after these monthly Q&A.
The second reason was that I had brought Mission Specialist Roger Chaffee, STS83 and STS94, as a speaker to a ASM Hartford Chapter meeting at UConn. We also had “Doctor Flush”, the lead engineer for the space toilet there with a model of a space suit. Roger brought interactive CDs of design of the ISS, which we raffled off as chances to tour the space station.
The third reason was that I had worked with materials engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center in studing superalloys and materials experiments facilities in thee late ‘80’s and flew on the “Vomit Comet”. During that week I met astronaut Burster Shaw, toured the Johnson Space Center and had lunch with the woman (the mother of my neighbor at that time) who was Chris Krafts personal secretary during the Apollo program.
Jones truly captured the spirit of the shuttle program and its astronauts.

[Scott Kardel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful "coffee table" style book with beautiful photos and personal accounts of all 135 flights of the space shuttle program.

[Krissy Davenport · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of all the missions