Space Shuttle: The First 20 Years -- The Astronauts' Experiences in Their Own Words

by Tony Reichhardt (Editor), Lovell James (Forward)

An unprecedented look at the Space Shuttle experience, as told by the astronauts themselves. The editors of Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine wrote all of the people who have flown on the Space Shuttle since 1981 with a simple request: Tell us your best stories. The astronauts' fascinating and candid responses reveal the drama of the Shuttle experience, from launch to landing, like no other book has to date. More than 300 stunning pictures selected from deep in the NASA archives, most have never been published. Personal anecdotes drawn from written submissions or original interviews with 77 Shuttle astronauts. Historical section highlights in words and pictures the greatest accomplishments of the Shuttle's first two decades. Complete with brief descriptions of all 103 flights from April 1981 to April 2001, Space Shuttle includes a foreword written by astronaut Jim Lovell, who was portrayed by Tom Hanks in the film Apollo 13.

Genres: Space, Science

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2002

Reviews

[Karl Kindt · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read about space, I want one of two things: either first-hand accounts of the explorers themselves or hard-core explanations of how the tech works. This book has both--about 80% of one and 20% of the other, with no junk filler. My only knock on the book is that it is only 300 pages, not 600.