Discovery: Champion of the Space Shuttle Fleet

by Valerie Neal

This book places Space Shuttle Discovery within the history of the space shuttle program and provides an introduction to space shuttle technology, with a focus on the orbiter itself. Discovery's unique history is presented mission by mission that includes a brief narrative of each mission, a chart of its key statistics (dates, duration, altitude, payloads, etc.), each mission's patch with an explanation of its unique symbolism, a crew portrait, and two to four iconic photos that capture the distinct activities and successes of each mission. The book also features anecdotes and memories of several astronauts who flew on Discovery , as well as its modernization over the years and its final preparation for retirement at the Smithsonian.

Genres: Space

144 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2012

About the author

Dr. Valerie Neal joined the Museum as a curator in 1989 and is responsible for artifact collections from the Space Shuttle era and International Space Station, most prominently the orbiter Discovery. She led the Museum's effort to prepare shuttle test vehicle Enterprise for public display and to acquire Spacelab, SpaceShipOne, and the Manned Maneuvering Unit for the national collection. She worked closely with NASA and Museum staff to orchestrate the transfer of Discovery to the Smithsonian and the release of Enterprise back to NASA in 2012. She has curated three major exhibitions: Where Next Columbus? on the challenges of future exploration; Space Race; and Moving Beyond Earth about spaceflight in and beyond the Space Shuttle era.

Dr. Neal's publications include Discovery, Champion of the Space Shuttle Fleet (2014) and two edited books on space exploration, Spaceflight: A Smithsonian Guide (1995) and Where Next, Columbus? The Future of Space Exploration (1994). Her articles on shuttle history have appeared in History and Technology and Space Policy. She has been instrumental in the production of two Smithsonian Channel documentaries about the shuttle. Her current projects include completing a book about spaceflight in the shuttle era.

Before joining the Museum, Dr. Neal spent a decade as a writer, editor, and manager for some 25 NASA publications on shuttle and Spacelab missions, the Hubble Space Telescope and other great space observatories, the space sciences, and NASA history. She also participated in underwater astronaut-training activities and worked on the mission management support team for four shuttle missions.

She earned a Ph.D. in American studies from the University of Minnesota, following an M.A. in American studies from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in English and history from Texas Christian University. She has taught at the University of Minnesota, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and Vanderbilt University.

Reviews

[Brooke Brodsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This great children's book about the Discovery Shuttle is a wonderful work on nonfiction. It is the story of the American Space shuttle, the launching of the Hubble Space Telescope, and the many launchings and landings that this amazing shuttle and many crews have gone through. I rated this book 4 stars because I felt that the information was written in a very factual manner, and it is very readable for young readers, yet I as an adult reader also learned new information. I liked that the book included real photographs - yes I took away a star because I wish that there had been more information about the astronauts! I did like that the author took the time to introduce new terminology to the young readers, however I felt that it might have been explained in a more entertaining and child friendly way. I thought it was a nice touch to show the different ways that the shuttle has changed during its career, and the different ways that it has become more modern, and better suit the needs of the astronauts. AS a teacher, I would use this book as a staple in my classroom library for any child to pick up and look at. You never know when a book or even a picture in a book can spark one child's interest and lead a whole group into a new world.

[Kevin Knutson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really cool history of one of the flagship space shuttles, from its construction to its current home at the Udvar-Hazy Center at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. We took the kids to see it recently and it was even more fun knowing the history of all 39 missions. Another great Smithsonian book.