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Notes from the Last Days of American Spaceflight Leaving Orbit (Paperback) - Common
Winner of the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize, a breathtaking elegy to the waning days of human spaceflight as we have known itIn the 1960s, humans took their first steps away from Earth, and for a time our possibilities in space seemed endless. But in a time of austerity and in the wake of high-profile disasters like Challenger, that dream has ended. In early 2011, Margaret Lazarus Dean traveled to Cape Canaveral for NASA’s last three space shuttle launches in order to bear witness to the end of an era. With Dean as our guide to Florida’s Space Coast and to the history of NASA, Leaving Orbit takes the measure of what American spaceflight has achieved while reckoning with its earlier witnesses, such as Norman Mailer, Tom Wolfe, and Oriana Fallaci. Along the way, Dean meets NASA workers, astronauts, and space fans, gathering possible answers to the What does it mean that a spacefaring nation won’t be going to space anymore?
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First published May 19, 2015
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About the author
Margaret Lazarus Dean
5 books73 followersMargaret Lazarus Dean grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, and received a BA in anthropology from Wellesley College and an MFA from the University of Michigan. She is currently a lecturer at the University of Michigan and lives in Ann Arbor.
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August 14, 2015
Leaving Orbit: Notes from the Last Days of American Spaceflight by Margaret Lazarus Dean
“Leaving Orbit" is a personal quest to understand the end of NASA’s space shuttle program. Author, professor and space enthusiast, Margaret Lazarus Dean provides readers with a sentimental eulogy of sorts of the space program from a first-person perspective. This heartfelt 240-page book includes the following nine chapters: 1. The Beginnings of the Future: This Is Cape Canaveral, 2. What It Felt Like to Walk on the Moon, 3. Good-bye, Discovery, 4. A Brief History of the Future, 5. Good-bye, Endeavour, 6. A Brief History of Spacefarers, 7. Good-bye, Atlantis, 8. The End of the Future: Wheel Stop, and 9. The Future.
Positives:
1. An accessible, well-written and very descriptive book.
2. A fascinating topic. A look at the end of NASA’s space shuttle program.
3. Dean is an excellent storyteller. No shortage of words to describe her launch visits.
4. A good mix of personal anecdotes mixed with historical references.
5. Interesting facts provided. “Together the five orbiters Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour have flown a total of 133 successful missions, an unequaled accomplishment of engineering, management, and political savvy.”
6. Much of the story of this book revolves around the last three space shuttle missions. “The era of American spaceflight that started in 1961 when Alan Shepard became the first American to travel in space is about to come to an end, and few people seem to notice or care. Two more space shuttle missions are scheduled: STS-133 and STS-134. (STS stands for Space Transportation System, the original name for the space shuttle program from the seventies). A third mission, STS-135, will be added if NASA can get approval from Congress. This would mean one final launch for each of the three remaining space shuttle orbiters: Discovery, Endeavour, and Atlantis.”
7. Interesting spaceflight history. “American spaceflight did not begin at the Kennedy Space Center; nor did it begin at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station across the Banana River from here. It began in the early twentieth century when three men working independently in three different countries all developed the same ideas more or less simultaneously about how rockets could be used for space travel. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky in Russia, Hermann Oberth in Germany, and Robert Goddard in the United States all came up with an eerily similar concept for using liquid fuel to power rockets for human spaceflight.”
8. The origin of NASA. “A tiny government agency called the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics had been in charge of overseeing the development of new airplane technology, including the plane that Chuck Yeager had flown to break the sound barrier in 1947, but their ambitious plans for sending pilots into space had always been dismissed as too expensive, too dangerous, and ultimately pointless. After Sputnik, President Eisenhower took a new interest in the activities of NACA and turned it into NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, with an infusion of funding. NASA was meant to beat the Soviets at their own game. The space race was on, and it seemed that the Soviets already might have won it.”
9. The three causes behind Kennedy’s decision to land on the moon.
10. An interesting look at the Vehicle Assembly Building.
11. Loved the story of Omar Izquierdo and the important role he played throughput this book and his career at the Kennedy Space Center.
12. How space history is divided. “Space historians divide the fifty-year period of American spaceflight into two eras: the “heroic era,” which includes the Mercury project to put the first Americans into space, the Gemini project to expand NASA’s abilities and test techniques for getting to the moon, and the Apollo project, which achieved the moon landings.”
13. Michal Collins list of the eleven points in Apollo 11 flight plan.
14. The fascinating life of Buzz Aldrin. “He tells stories about getting to the moon and back, about the world tour he, Neil, and Mike took upon their return, about the travel reimbursement form he received from NASA that detailed his work-related travel: Houston to Cape Canaveral; Cape Canaveral to Moon; Moon to Cape Canaveral; Cape Canaveral to Houston. His total reimbursement for the trip was thirty-three dollars.”
15. Individual chapters for the final space-shuttle missions of Discovery, Endeavor and Atlantis.
16. The politics of flying. “There are four warring interests in spaceflight: ambitiousness of vision, urgency of timetable, reduction of cost, and safety to astronauts. These can never be entirely reconciled. In the sixties, urgency and ambitiousness were the driving factors, and because this was understood and accepted, the massive cost and risk were accepted as well. We now seem to be at a moment when reduction of cost is paramount, with safety coming in a very close second. This being the case, we should not be surprised that ambitiousness and urgency have had to be set aside altogether. But it’s ludicrous to claim, as I often hear people do, that “NASA has lost its vision.” NASA has lost support, not vision.”
17. Dean touches the topic of women pilots. “The women were experienced pilots. Many of them had broken records; some had broken the sound barrier. Their efforts to get NASA to recognize them as potential astronaut candidates were met with evasion. When the women managed to gain access to the same rigorous physical and psychological testing the Mercury Seven had gone through at the Lovelace Clinic, thirteen of them passed. Some of the women beat records set by the men. By doing so, these thirteen women managed to create enough pressure that a congressional hearing was held to address the question of women joining the astronaut corps.”
18. The role of probes. “Atlantis was the first orbiter to launch an interplanetary probe, Magellan, which traveled to Venus. On its next flight, Atlantis launched the Galileo probe to Jupiter. Both probes’ missions were considered enormous successes, and both have greatly expanded our knowledge of the solar system.”
19. A lot of interesting behind the scenes events.
20. The future of spaceflight is discussed.
21. Formal bibliography and timeline of American spaceflight provided.
Negatives:
1. My biggest complaint about this book is the lack of scientific/engineering rigor. I understand that Ms. Dean’s background is in anthropology and English but collaboration with a science-minded educator would have provided more value.
2. Lack of visual material. The author does a wonderful job of narrating her story but where are some of the many photos she took? Links? Copyright issues?
3. Lack of supplemental material. No space shuttle tables that would make it easy for the reader to understand the differences between the five space shuttle orbiters.
4. Descriptive to a fault. More precisely, describing things that likely are of no interest to the public.
5. The danger of making oneself an important element of the story is that one’s traits (good and bad) come to light. A bit self-indulgent and on the whiny side.
6. For the record, I’m very liberal on social issues and felt Ms. Dean could have done a much better job on the subtopic of feminist issues. She has valid observations but I also felt that she didn’t dig deep enough. People do change over time and a person who may have had some reservations about women in space may change over time to realize how wrong that notion was.
7. Too many references to Norman Mailer.
In summary, this was an average book as far as I am concerned. It’s a fascinating topic in the hands of a gifted writer who loves the wonders of space exploration and has a keen eye for detail but it also lacks scientific meat and comes across more as a travelogue than a sound popular science book. The writing is engaging and very descriptive but the science was too basic and the lack of visual materials held this otherwise interesting book back. If you are a space enthusiast by all means read this book with reservations noted.
Further recommendations: “Of a Fire on the Moon” by Norma Mailer, “The Wright Brothers” by David McCullough, “The Right Stuff” by Tom Wolfe, “Moon Shot” by Alan Shepherd, “Thirteen: The Apollo Flight that Failed” by Henry S. Cooper, “First Man” by James R. Hansen, and “Apollo Expeditions to the Moon” by NASA’s Moon Landing Program.
“Leaving Orbit" is a personal quest to understand the end of NASA’s space shuttle program. Author, professor and space enthusiast, Margaret Lazarus Dean provides readers with a sentimental eulogy of sorts of the space program from a first-person perspective. This heartfelt 240-page book includes the following nine chapters: 1. The Beginnings of the Future: This Is Cape Canaveral, 2. What It Felt Like to Walk on the Moon, 3. Good-bye, Discovery, 4. A Brief History of the Future, 5. Good-bye, Endeavour, 6. A Brief History of Spacefarers, 7. Good-bye, Atlantis, 8. The End of the Future: Wheel Stop, and 9. The Future.
Positives:
1. An accessible, well-written and very descriptive book.
2. A fascinating topic. A look at the end of NASA’s space shuttle program.
3. Dean is an excellent storyteller. No shortage of words to describe her launch visits.
4. A good mix of personal anecdotes mixed with historical references.
5. Interesting facts provided. “Together the five orbiters Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour have flown a total of 133 successful missions, an unequaled accomplishment of engineering, management, and political savvy.”
6. Much of the story of this book revolves around the last three space shuttle missions. “The era of American spaceflight that started in 1961 when Alan Shepard became the first American to travel in space is about to come to an end, and few people seem to notice or care. Two more space shuttle missions are scheduled: STS-133 and STS-134. (STS stands for Space Transportation System, the original name for the space shuttle program from the seventies). A third mission, STS-135, will be added if NASA can get approval from Congress. This would mean one final launch for each of the three remaining space shuttle orbiters: Discovery, Endeavour, and Atlantis.”
7. Interesting spaceflight history. “American spaceflight did not begin at the Kennedy Space Center; nor did it begin at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station across the Banana River from here. It began in the early twentieth century when three men working independently in three different countries all developed the same ideas more or less simultaneously about how rockets could be used for space travel. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky in Russia, Hermann Oberth in Germany, and Robert Goddard in the United States all came up with an eerily similar concept for using liquid fuel to power rockets for human spaceflight.”
8. The origin of NASA. “A tiny government agency called the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics had been in charge of overseeing the development of new airplane technology, including the plane that Chuck Yeager had flown to break the sound barrier in 1947, but their ambitious plans for sending pilots into space had always been dismissed as too expensive, too dangerous, and ultimately pointless. After Sputnik, President Eisenhower took a new interest in the activities of NACA and turned it into NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, with an infusion of funding. NASA was meant to beat the Soviets at their own game. The space race was on, and it seemed that the Soviets already might have won it.”
9. The three causes behind Kennedy’s decision to land on the moon.
10. An interesting look at the Vehicle Assembly Building.
11. Loved the story of Omar Izquierdo and the important role he played throughput this book and his career at the Kennedy Space Center.
12. How space history is divided. “Space historians divide the fifty-year period of American spaceflight into two eras: the “heroic era,” which includes the Mercury project to put the first Americans into space, the Gemini project to expand NASA’s abilities and test techniques for getting to the moon, and the Apollo project, which achieved the moon landings.”
13. Michal Collins list of the eleven points in Apollo 11 flight plan.
14. The fascinating life of Buzz Aldrin. “He tells stories about getting to the moon and back, about the world tour he, Neil, and Mike took upon their return, about the travel reimbursement form he received from NASA that detailed his work-related travel: Houston to Cape Canaveral; Cape Canaveral to Moon; Moon to Cape Canaveral; Cape Canaveral to Houston. His total reimbursement for the trip was thirty-three dollars.”
15. Individual chapters for the final space-shuttle missions of Discovery, Endeavor and Atlantis.
16. The politics of flying. “There are four warring interests in spaceflight: ambitiousness of vision, urgency of timetable, reduction of cost, and safety to astronauts. These can never be entirely reconciled. In the sixties, urgency and ambitiousness were the driving factors, and because this was understood and accepted, the massive cost and risk were accepted as well. We now seem to be at a moment when reduction of cost is paramount, with safety coming in a very close second. This being the case, we should not be surprised that ambitiousness and urgency have had to be set aside altogether. But it’s ludicrous to claim, as I often hear people do, that “NASA has lost its vision.” NASA has lost support, not vision.”
17. Dean touches the topic of women pilots. “The women were experienced pilots. Many of them had broken records; some had broken the sound barrier. Their efforts to get NASA to recognize them as potential astronaut candidates were met with evasion. When the women managed to gain access to the same rigorous physical and psychological testing the Mercury Seven had gone through at the Lovelace Clinic, thirteen of them passed. Some of the women beat records set by the men. By doing so, these thirteen women managed to create enough pressure that a congressional hearing was held to address the question of women joining the astronaut corps.”
18. The role of probes. “Atlantis was the first orbiter to launch an interplanetary probe, Magellan, which traveled to Venus. On its next flight, Atlantis launched the Galileo probe to Jupiter. Both probes’ missions were considered enormous successes, and both have greatly expanded our knowledge of the solar system.”
19. A lot of interesting behind the scenes events.
20. The future of spaceflight is discussed.
21. Formal bibliography and timeline of American spaceflight provided.
Negatives:
1. My biggest complaint about this book is the lack of scientific/engineering rigor. I understand that Ms. Dean’s background is in anthropology and English but collaboration with a science-minded educator would have provided more value.
2. Lack of visual material. The author does a wonderful job of narrating her story but where are some of the many photos she took? Links? Copyright issues?
3. Lack of supplemental material. No space shuttle tables that would make it easy for the reader to understand the differences between the five space shuttle orbiters.
4. Descriptive to a fault. More precisely, describing things that likely are of no interest to the public.
5. The danger of making oneself an important element of the story is that one’s traits (good and bad) come to light. A bit self-indulgent and on the whiny side.
6. For the record, I’m very liberal on social issues and felt Ms. Dean could have done a much better job on the subtopic of feminist issues. She has valid observations but I also felt that she didn’t dig deep enough. People do change over time and a person who may have had some reservations about women in space may change over time to realize how wrong that notion was.
7. Too many references to Norman Mailer.
In summary, this was an average book as far as I am concerned. It’s a fascinating topic in the hands of a gifted writer who loves the wonders of space exploration and has a keen eye for detail but it also lacks scientific meat and comes across more as a travelogue than a sound popular science book. The writing is engaging and very descriptive but the science was too basic and the lack of visual materials held this otherwise interesting book back. If you are a space enthusiast by all means read this book with reservations noted.
Further recommendations: “Of a Fire on the Moon” by Norma Mailer, “The Wright Brothers” by David McCullough, “The Right Stuff” by Tom Wolfe, “Moon Shot” by Alan Shepherd, “Thirteen: The Apollo Flight that Failed” by Henry S. Cooper, “First Man” by James R. Hansen, and “Apollo Expeditions to the Moon” by NASA’s Moon Landing Program.
September 10, 2017
Until I read this book I did not know that the American space shuttle program has ended. This is a meditative and melancholy exploration of what that may mean. I enjoyed learning more about the space program historically and reading about Lazarus Dean's friendship with a NASA shuttle worker and increasing introduction to the world of 'space fans,' and liked the atmospheric writing. It could have been tighter, and lighter on the Norman Mailer references, but was a slow, worthwhile read.
June 10, 2015
more a travelogue than anything else. she sure is obsessed with norman mailer (graywolf prize selector robert polito's similar fascination with mr. mailer, detailed in a "judge's note" at the end of the book, seems possible cause for leaving orbit taking that award). her final chapter's disdain for SpaceX, and a particularly bewildering suggestion that mathematically-inclined students won't study linear algebra because "only the rich will have access to spaceflight" (i was a mathematically-inclined student, ms. dean. my enjoyment of linear algebra had nothing to do with wanting to become an astronaut), suggests she likes big government programs more than the idea of spaceflight. in any case, the numerous folks i know at SpaceX, Orbital Sciences, and Blue Origin are all incredibly thrilled about their mission -- she should have tried talking to more of them. mrs. dean does have a smooth and competent style going for her--the book's a quick read, though don't expect any details of science or engineering.
April 13, 2015
Excellent. One of my favorite books on the exploration of space. If you have read more than a few books on the space program you need to add this. I'm a bit more optimistic than the author about the non governmental exploration of space. And her view from the stands was a refreshing change. Recommended.
Much better than Norman Mailer. (Aquarius Norman...really?)
Much better than Norman Mailer. (Aquarius Norman...really?)
September 6, 2015
3.5.
I learned a lot of things that I feel like I should have already known. It was very interesting but at the same time the voice just didn't do it for me... She wrote a book about writing a book about the end of American space flight, and her great new friend Omar, instead of writing a book about the end of American space flight.
I learned a lot of things that I feel like I should have already known. It was very interesting but at the same time the voice just didn't do it for me... She wrote a book about writing a book about the end of American space flight, and her great new friend Omar, instead of writing a book about the end of American space flight.
April 28, 2021
I'd probably rate this at 3.5 stars. It's a very personal look at the end of NASA's space program, following the line from Mercury to the final flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. It's full of melancholy and sadness, a solid presentation of facts, and much personal memoir. I'm not entire sure it's as focused as it could be...especially in its final section, which brings up many interesting ideas, but they feel lost in the shuffle of parties and social gatherings and personal worries. I'm also not impressed with the dismissive attitude towards the prototype shuttle Enterprise, or the slightly condescending nature of the author's description of the letter campaign to give it that name. Does she not realize what kind of influence Star Trek had on that second and third generation of NASA astronauts and engineers? To say nothing of Nichelle Nichols being at the heart of recruiting astronauts that were women and people of colour, and not all chiseled crew cut white military pilots. There is much to enjoy here, and much to commiserate over...but there's something missing from the mix.
February 8, 2024
Feeling mixed about this. On one hand, I really learned a lot about the whole history of NASA, how we went from rockets to shuttles, and where NASA's at now (well, at least where NASA was 10 years ago when the book was written....yes, I procrastinated on reading this for whatever reason). I enjoyed reading about the author's friendship with Omar (a NASA employee), and hearing about what these final launches were like.
On the other hand, her whole point of writing this book, she says multiple times, is "What does ending the shuttle program mean about us" and she does not come anywhere near exploring some interesting pathways leading from that question. She barely touches on how society's changed since the 60s other than through the lens of the other nonfiction writers who wrote about NASA at that time.
On the other hand, her whole point of writing this book, she says multiple times, is "What does ending the shuttle program mean about us" and she does not come anywhere near exploring some interesting pathways leading from that question. She barely touches on how society's changed since the 60s other than through the lens of the other nonfiction writers who wrote about NASA at that time.
February 6, 2016
The death of Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell earlier this week made me realize I had never reviewed Leaving Orbit, Margaret Lazarus Dean's memoir about the "last days" of American Spaceflight. Her reflections on the end of the Space Shuttle program are woven into broader reflections on the decades-long history of American spaceflight that began with the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions.
The question Dean raises over and over again is what makes the end of American spaceflight so significant. She never really answers it, preferring to just keep asking and pondering it. And it's a difficult question, made more difficult by the fact that American spaceflight and exploration actually does (thankfully) continue...just not quite in the same way that it used to, when it garnered more official governmental support and funding. While I understand her nostalgia for the heroic spaceflight age and her deep admiration for shuttle, I'm not sure I feel it's necessary to mourn an end to American spaceflight quite yet. It's true that we now have to "hitch rides" with the Russians and others when we go into space, but I find that less cause for wincing and more cause for rejoicing; it feels more exciting to celebrate spaceflight as a shared human endeavor than simply an American one. I also think the rise of social media has enabled many more people to follow American and international spaceflight and exploration, and that the more people learn, the more likely we are as a country to commit more resources to it. At least that's my hope.
The book is a combination of some truly lovely passages regarding spaceflight and rather rambling meandering about the author's fascination with spaceflight history -- and particularly the written history of spaceflight, a tradition in which she is clearly trying to find her own place. I kept feeling that the book could have benefited from a stronger overall structure. Instead, it seemed to keep circling, much like the orbiting pilots who helped get the moon but never landed on the surface themselves. Plenty to observe from that fascinating perspective, but sometimes you wished she could have stepped out onto more solid ground.
The question Dean raises over and over again is what makes the end of American spaceflight so significant. She never really answers it, preferring to just keep asking and pondering it. And it's a difficult question, made more difficult by the fact that American spaceflight and exploration actually does (thankfully) continue...just not quite in the same way that it used to, when it garnered more official governmental support and funding. While I understand her nostalgia for the heroic spaceflight age and her deep admiration for shuttle, I'm not sure I feel it's necessary to mourn an end to American spaceflight quite yet. It's true that we now have to "hitch rides" with the Russians and others when we go into space, but I find that less cause for wincing and more cause for rejoicing; it feels more exciting to celebrate spaceflight as a shared human endeavor than simply an American one. I also think the rise of social media has enabled many more people to follow American and international spaceflight and exploration, and that the more people learn, the more likely we are as a country to commit more resources to it. At least that's my hope.
The book is a combination of some truly lovely passages regarding spaceflight and rather rambling meandering about the author's fascination with spaceflight history -- and particularly the written history of spaceflight, a tradition in which she is clearly trying to find her own place. I kept feeling that the book could have benefited from a stronger overall structure. Instead, it seemed to keep circling, much like the orbiting pilots who helped get the moon but never landed on the surface themselves. Plenty to observe from that fascinating perspective, but sometimes you wished she could have stepped out onto more solid ground.
September 17, 2015
As a space launch worker (coincidentally flying to Cape Canaveral for a SpaceX ISS Resupply launch as I finish this), there were a lot of very interesting things to read in this book. The narrative is smooth and easy to read; accessible to both the space loving audience and the general public. However, I just can't give this book 5 stars for a few reasons. First, the obsession with Norman Mailer just is distracting. The references weren't too bad at first, but they just pervade the book and pop up at every turn. If I'd wanted to know what Mr. Mailer thought about Apollo 11, I would have read his book. My second reason is silly, but I don't understand why there aren't any pictures. Not even a middle section of a few pages. I point this out because the author describes pictures, both historical and ones she takes, and it seems like a serious oversight to have not included any with the text. Lastly, her completely negative response to commercial spaceflight and the future of those programs is depressing and super negative. After spending an entire book bemoaning the lack of American rockets, to turn around and disparage an American company that is making strides towards putting astronauts back into space from American soil just seems either shortsighted or narrow minded. Sure - it isn't the glory days of NASA anymore. Its a new era of spaceflight. And whether she likes it or not, its going in a new direction.
July 24, 2015
I was really excited about this book because I've always wanted to know more about the space shuttle program and this seemed like an accessible route for the layperson to do so. I definitely did learn more about the key facts about the program and its history (I even got 10/10 on a coincidental pub trivia round on the subject), so that's a plus. When Dean delves into the factual side of things I really enjoyed the book. However, she's attempting creative nonfiction in the style of Mailer, so she spends a lot of time in her own thoughts and personal experience, almost verging on the memoir. I enjoyed that less because sometimes it felt a little exaggerated, or like she was fishing for things to fill the book, which made me question the authenticity of the emotion. I understand that she references Mailer a lot because he wrote a book about Apollo back in the 60s, but it feels almost a little obsessive. Also, Mailer really is the worst. Dean also talks a lot about pictures/social media, and I was bummed there wasn't a pictures insert in the book, though that's probably something with the publishers (I can always rely on Google Images). "Leaving Orbit" definitely worked as a primer for me to search for more books, and possibly more technical ones, on the history of NASA. Check out more at www.iwantmichikosjob.com.
July 26, 2015
I struggled with this book because I love the topic but found the author and book itself to be a whiny mess. Page after page of putting down other people because they love spaceflight, yet the author puts herself above them because she's not really a fan, she's an "author". Her liberal bias shows which is always a touchpoint for me and usually makes me stop reading but because of the subject I didn't this time. She's states throughout the book that she is writing a book about the end of shuttle and what that means except she doesn't know what it means. She also goes on and on in her lovefest for Norman Mailer. Finally, it's full of boring "I did this", "I did that" details. No one cares that you went to a Twitter party and ate pudding shots four times or that the hotel you stayed at had shiny brown bedspreads. I wish there was a better book about the end of the shuttle program because this is not it.
September 8, 2015
Really enjoyed this one. Dean makes science poetic, and examines the specific cocktail of sentiments that took us to the moon, asking what it means to end american space exploration. Not something I'd ever really thought about, and definitely interesting stuff.
I'm not sure she answers her own question, though, and I feel like the insertion of herself and her process into a book that could've been much more far flung was occasionally distracting. (I do think it serves to anchor the book in the present, but she could perhaps do without all the "and then I texted my buddy" & "and now I'm writing a book! but what will I write it about??" moments.)
I'm not sure she answers her own question, though, and I feel like the insertion of herself and her process into a book that could've been much more far flung was occasionally distracting. (I do think it serves to anchor the book in the present, but she could perhaps do without all the "and then I texted my buddy" & "and now I'm writing a book! but what will I write it about??" moments.)
August 15, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. I was a little hesitant at first since I am not a science minded person, but considering the author is an English professor, I quickly was able to relate. I've never read creative non-fiction before but I think it might be a new favorite. Especially with topics like space flight. I think it allows for the STEM novice like myself to understand what's going on. The book also strangely made me feel simultaneously patriotic and enraged at our country's lack of vision. For any child or adult who has ever been fascinated by space flight, or for the new generation who didn't grow up with seeing shuttles launched into space, this is a great read.
February 9, 2017
This is basically a book on the space shuttle written by an English professor. While Dean's passion for the topic is clear, there is also so much meandering detail on irrelevant events that it made this book a chore to read. I get it that Florida is warm, you had to drive a lot to get there, and that you are obsessed with Norman Mailer but did you really have to write about these things in every chapter?
There was some detail that I enjoyed, overall I had to skim through to much stuff to get to the things actually about Spaceflight.
There was some detail that I enjoyed, overall I had to skim through to much stuff to get to the things actually about Spaceflight.
March 30, 2018
"...I have come to feel that the end of the space shuttle is going to be the ending of a story, the story of one of the truly great things my country has accomplished, and that I want to be the one to tell it."
For some reason, I associate spaceflight with the month of February. I'm not sure why. I tried to unpack this reasoning as I read Leaving Orbit, but I cannot say there is any cause for my association. Perhaps it is because when I think of spaceflight, I think of Challenger. I was only six at the time of the explosion. We didn't watch the launch in my first grade classroom—I recall little talk of it beforehand—though neighboring, older classes were watching that day. I remember a teacher from one of those classes came into the room, whispered to my teacher who responded with a gasp. She cautiously announced the accident to the class. We watched this strange adult behavior with awe for only a couple minutes, then returned to coloring our paper coins copper and silver. By the time I unpacked and processed what had happened during the January launch it may have been February. Perhaps this is the reason for my association. Maybe none of this matters, but each February since this book has been published, I have set it on my reading table only to put it off for one more year.
I don't have the same love for spaceflight that Margaret Lazarus Dean does. I am amazed by the cosmos. I appreciate the beauty of the universe and of stars and planets. It is the majesty of space that I love. Space vehicles in and of themselves do nothing to excite me. That said, I always thought the shuttle was a majestic vehicle. Unlike the rockets before it which ripped apart the sky and penetrated the exosphere, the shuttle was a graceful and beautiful bird that merely skirted space. Unlike the gruff military men of 1960s spaceflight, the astronauts of the shuttle were men and women of the sciences and engineering. Apollo delivered gray lifeless stones. The shuttles set into motion the objects that sent back images of distant galaxies, images that far exceeded our expectations.
So I may not be the target audience for this book. Certainly, I have a greater appreciation for the shuttle than perhaps the average person, but I have no strong opinion about the likes of Aldrin. Even so, I really enjoyed Leaving Orbit. Dean gorgeously unpacks the history of spaceflight throughout this book. It's a wonderful blend of expert research and personal reflection. Leaving Orbit is the story of spaceflight, but it is also the story of Dean's love for spaceflight. This is unlike any work of non-fiction I've read before because it's clear that the author pours her heart into every page. She is incredibly passionate about the topic. Leaving Orbit is a eulogy for not only the shuttle, but modern spaceflight in general, and it is written by someone who knew and loved the deceased very much.
Dean's love for all-things NASA is so great that it could easily be called a religion. She makes pilgrimages, studies the holy works, and offers sacrifices. But Leaving Orbit's appeal wanes in those moments when the author becomes overly evangelical. When she attempts to explain away the doubters, the book becomes less about the glorious experience of spaceflight and more about the argument. Look, I've had doubts about the feasibility of humans traveling 240,000 miles in a metal cone with a twelve-foot diameter and a computer with less memory than the flash drive in my pocket. Even more unbelievable is the fact that without any previous experience, truly accurate data or test runs, they were able to get off the surface of the moon and return to earth. Honestly, it would be much more believable if the first two or three missions failed to return. It's natural for any intelligent person to question. All religion asks us to do is move a mountain from time to time. We either have the faith to believe in the impossible or we do not. Apollo is no different from any other god.
Despite these few hiccups, Leaving Orbit is such a stupendous read. Even though it is bursting with so many marvelous facts, I wanted more. I watched the launch videos. I read the official reports. I developed a greater appreciation for spaceflight in general. And it wasn't enough. My heart was broken for those who've invested their lives into the space program, and I hope against hope that one day the program will soar again.
For some reason, I associate spaceflight with the month of February. I'm not sure why. I tried to unpack this reasoning as I read Leaving Orbit, but I cannot say there is any cause for my association. Perhaps it is because when I think of spaceflight, I think of Challenger. I was only six at the time of the explosion. We didn't watch the launch in my first grade classroom—I recall little talk of it beforehand—though neighboring, older classes were watching that day. I remember a teacher from one of those classes came into the room, whispered to my teacher who responded with a gasp. She cautiously announced the accident to the class. We watched this strange adult behavior with awe for only a couple minutes, then returned to coloring our paper coins copper and silver. By the time I unpacked and processed what had happened during the January launch it may have been February. Perhaps this is the reason for my association. Maybe none of this matters, but each February since this book has been published, I have set it on my reading table only to put it off for one more year.
I don't have the same love for spaceflight that Margaret Lazarus Dean does. I am amazed by the cosmos. I appreciate the beauty of the universe and of stars and planets. It is the majesty of space that I love. Space vehicles in and of themselves do nothing to excite me. That said, I always thought the shuttle was a majestic vehicle. Unlike the rockets before it which ripped apart the sky and penetrated the exosphere, the shuttle was a graceful and beautiful bird that merely skirted space. Unlike the gruff military men of 1960s spaceflight, the astronauts of the shuttle were men and women of the sciences and engineering. Apollo delivered gray lifeless stones. The shuttles set into motion the objects that sent back images of distant galaxies, images that far exceeded our expectations.
So I may not be the target audience for this book. Certainly, I have a greater appreciation for the shuttle than perhaps the average person, but I have no strong opinion about the likes of Aldrin. Even so, I really enjoyed Leaving Orbit. Dean gorgeously unpacks the history of spaceflight throughout this book. It's a wonderful blend of expert research and personal reflection. Leaving Orbit is the story of spaceflight, but it is also the story of Dean's love for spaceflight. This is unlike any work of non-fiction I've read before because it's clear that the author pours her heart into every page. She is incredibly passionate about the topic. Leaving Orbit is a eulogy for not only the shuttle, but modern spaceflight in general, and it is written by someone who knew and loved the deceased very much.
Dean's love for all-things NASA is so great that it could easily be called a religion. She makes pilgrimages, studies the holy works, and offers sacrifices. But Leaving Orbit's appeal wanes in those moments when the author becomes overly evangelical. When she attempts to explain away the doubters, the book becomes less about the glorious experience of spaceflight and more about the argument. Look, I've had doubts about the feasibility of humans traveling 240,000 miles in a metal cone with a twelve-foot diameter and a computer with less memory than the flash drive in my pocket. Even more unbelievable is the fact that without any previous experience, truly accurate data or test runs, they were able to get off the surface of the moon and return to earth. Honestly, it would be much more believable if the first two or three missions failed to return. It's natural for any intelligent person to question. All religion asks us to do is move a mountain from time to time. We either have the faith to believe in the impossible or we do not. Apollo is no different from any other god.
Despite these few hiccups, Leaving Orbit is such a stupendous read. Even though it is bursting with so many marvelous facts, I wanted more. I watched the launch videos. I read the official reports. I developed a greater appreciation for spaceflight in general. And it wasn't enough. My heart was broken for those who've invested their lives into the space program, and I hope against hope that one day the program will soar again.
October 31, 2020
Creative non-fiction, a genre that started in the 1960s by writers such as Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter Thompson, Norman Mailer. And it is those creative moments, where she talks about leaving her family to drive to the Kennedy Space Center, or ruminates on the lack of women and "minorities" in the early ranks of the astronauts, that liven up what could be a dull, sad story. Lots of interesting facts and personal insights. One part I enjoyed was when she asked students in her current college classes about their thoughts of the American and realized that they were pretty ignorant of the history of the US in space. One of her students, in response to her questions, wrote this: The US got to space first, in 1956. The USSR put a man on the moon first, in 1962; the US put John Glenn on the moon in 1965, he traveled there by space shuttle. About 400 astronauts have walked on the moon. NASA gets 20-30% of the federal budget. Depending on your age, you can probably make some of the corrections: the Soviet Union was the first in space, the USA was the first on the moon, 12 humans have walked on the moon, all white male Americans. NASA got less than 1% of the federal budget. Recommended.
July 29, 2022
This is a book about the last NASA shuttle launches as told by a civilian who has fond feelings towards space travel. While on one hand, it is amazing to think about these feats and the romance of space, but on the other, those feelings are inevitably tied up with extreme feelings of patriotism, which I'm always going to be a bit wary about. Additionally, Dean seems fairly obsessed with Norman Mailer, all though she does acknowledge his flaws. That being said, this was a book that I enjoyed picking up, and like most people, didn't even realize that this era was over for us as a country.
June 6, 2015
I read this book, and at the end of it didn't really know whether I enjoyed it or not. I found it to be a book not so much about spaceflight and the shuttle as about one author's reactions to spaceflight and the shuttle. Unlike Tom Wolfe, who tucked himself neatly out of the way in The Right Stuff, Dean tells the story of the shuttle's last days very much through her own eyes.
It's interesting, but to my mind a little self-conscious (she is a teacher of creative writing at a university), and constantly harks back to other accounts of the space age (Norman Mailer, for example). Happily she doesn't refer to herself in the third person, as Mailer did, but there is a definite feeling of the writer watching the protagonist (who happens also to be the writer). The "diary" style interspersed with history failed to work for me.
The present tense which is used in many places may be intended to draw a distinction between the then of the history of spaceflight and the now of her experience observing the shuttle, but I found it irritating. There is also a feminist thread running through the book, which I also found irritating, not because of its content, or its intent, but because of the way it was handled. The whole concept of women in spaceflight could have done with deeper more concentrated treatment, rather than being scattered throughout the book.
Having said all of which, the factual aspects of the book were interesting, and I learned a lot more about shuttle as a result of reading it. But this is not the heroic age of spaceflight. There are no John Glenns or Buzz Aldrins (though both make cameo appearances here), let alone Pete Conrads or Gordo Coopers. The shuttle program is much more of a bureaucratic exploration of space, and Dean's comments on the politics of space are well worth the read.
It's interesting, but to my mind a little self-conscious (she is a teacher of creative writing at a university), and constantly harks back to other accounts of the space age (Norman Mailer, for example). Happily she doesn't refer to herself in the third person, as Mailer did, but there is a definite feeling of the writer watching the protagonist (who happens also to be the writer). The "diary" style interspersed with history failed to work for me.
The present tense which is used in many places may be intended to draw a distinction between the then of the history of spaceflight and the now of her experience observing the shuttle, but I found it irritating. There is also a feminist thread running through the book, which I also found irritating, not because of its content, or its intent, but because of the way it was handled. The whole concept of women in spaceflight could have done with deeper more concentrated treatment, rather than being scattered throughout the book.
Having said all of which, the factual aspects of the book were interesting, and I learned a lot more about shuttle as a result of reading it. But this is not the heroic age of spaceflight. There are no John Glenns or Buzz Aldrins (though both make cameo appearances here), let alone Pete Conrads or Gordo Coopers. The shuttle program is much more of a bureaucratic exploration of space, and Dean's comments on the politics of space are well worth the read.
September 20, 2017
Totally misses the point. No vision. She says space travel is over for the USA. Doesn't see the parallels between space exploration and aviation. The first flight programs were government departments, military and the US Mail. Then entrepreneurs and the free market got involved to the great benefit of society and the world. Commercial airlines were born.
She even says Space X isn't American? What? Just because space exploration is being taken on by the private sector doesn't mean it is over. It IS entering an excitingly new era! Progress and innovation will surely accelerate now that the government isn't controlling every aspect of space exploration. I do feel for the laid off NASA workers, but that is the price of progress. What about all the workers who used to make incandescent light bulbs put out of work by government regulation?
I predict in my lifetime you will see explorers paying for rides to the moon. Just as anyone fit enough and with enough money can join an expedition to the summit of Mount Everest. Who could have imagined that only 63 years since Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first, climbing Everest is a commercial success. When rides to the moon become commercial you see space exploration really take off!
PS. Way too much print spent on Norman Mailer.
She even says Space X isn't American? What? Just because space exploration is being taken on by the private sector doesn't mean it is over. It IS entering an excitingly new era! Progress and innovation will surely accelerate now that the government isn't controlling every aspect of space exploration. I do feel for the laid off NASA workers, but that is the price of progress. What about all the workers who used to make incandescent light bulbs put out of work by government regulation?
I predict in my lifetime you will see explorers paying for rides to the moon. Just as anyone fit enough and with enough money can join an expedition to the summit of Mount Everest. Who could have imagined that only 63 years since Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first, climbing Everest is a commercial success. When rides to the moon become commercial you see space exploration really take off!
PS. Way too much print spent on Norman Mailer.
March 27, 2016
One of the more heartfelt books about space exploration I've read so far. I liked the personal narrative, and the fact that this book is also accessible to people who are not familiar with the details of Shuttle and the Shuttle program. It was detailed without being technical. I also liked the parallels to Norman Mailer's "Of a Fire On the Moon" – which is the book that more or less gave her the idea for "Leaving Orbit" in the first place – and to Fallaci's works. I think she asks a lot of good questions, but I was a bit disappointed by the abrupt ending with a very short chapter about SpaceX – I'd have loved to either see a more in-depth look at NASA's current and future programs since she only briefly mentions Curiosity, or to have her leave out the part about the privatisation of space exploration & SpaceX entirely. Great read nevertheless.
June 13, 2016
2.5 stars
I thought I'd really like this book - see my Space-Exploration shelf. If I remember correctly my ratings of this sort of book are usually 4 stars. But somehow, this book just didn't do it for me. I didn't really appreciate the NASA history, since I have read about that other places. I see that other reviewers have said "Too much Norman Mailer" and I'll add my vote to theirs.
There was just something about this book that didn't click with me, and I'm finding it difficult to put my finger on it. YMMV.
If you're interested in the US space program try it, you might really enjoy it. I found myself grateful when I was done with it.
I thought I'd really like this book - see my Space-Exploration shelf. If I remember correctly my ratings of this sort of book are usually 4 stars. But somehow, this book just didn't do it for me. I didn't really appreciate the NASA history, since I have read about that other places. I see that other reviewers have said "Too much Norman Mailer" and I'll add my vote to theirs.
There was just something about this book that didn't click with me, and I'm finding it difficult to put my finger on it. YMMV.
If you're interested in the US space program try it, you might really enjoy it. I found myself grateful when I was done with it.
June 8, 2023
This book was very different from other "space" books. I've read many books about space travel. Most are more technical and dry than this one. In Leaving Orbit Margaret Lazarus Dean gives us a personal tour, a behind the scenes look but not from a totally insiders view. Seeing the space program through the eyes of a woman who grew up with fond memories of going to the Air and Space Museum with her father makes it special. Margaret has a love and respect for the space program that comes across clearly in this book. She's an outsider like most of us looking for a way in....to get up close, to become part of an elite group.....the ones with passes to go where others cannot. She gets lucky finding a person to help her ....enter Omar. I was envious of her friendship with Omar. He seems like such a nice guy, with a nice family and as a worker at NASA....he's her "in". With Omar showing her around, giving her a tour as Margaret swoons over all she's seeing....it's like we're there beside them. She made me wish I had gone to the Kennedy Space Center and witnessed launches ....she made me wonder why I didn't. She tells of the grittiness of the experience as she tags along with sweaty, smelly reporters, cameramen and others in the mosquito infested sweltering heat of the Florida site. But I still wanted to be there thanks to her elation when the event came to fruition. She revels in the offbeat things going on around the event as well as the actual event itself. She notices everything.
The end of shuttle was a meaningful experience for her and she tried to capture that feeling, the sense of loss. After 50 years NASA would not be launching anymore rockets or shuttles. Trying to make sense of that fact, one that she did not want to believe, she gets opinions from NASA workers, groupies who gather to watch and people who work in the area and will be negatively affected by the shutdown. The town relies on NASA being there to bring tourists to their hotels, restaurants, etc.. Thousands of workers will be laid off. It's a huge change and adjustments will have to be made.
Margaret looks at all of these things. She gives details about the space program. Citing the feeling of the American public as it changed from excited, proud patriotism with the first Mercury expeditions and waning through the years to an almost apathetic feeling about space travel now. She writes about the tragedies and deaths that had a huge impact on the program. She writes about how other writers have covered this subject. Everything is from her perspective ....as a woman, as an American, as one of the general public. her vantage point is so far from that of astronauts or NASA insiders that it's close to what our own would be.....it makes it personal.....it makes for a good book.
The end of shuttle was a meaningful experience for her and she tried to capture that feeling, the sense of loss. After 50 years NASA would not be launching anymore rockets or shuttles. Trying to make sense of that fact, one that she did not want to believe, she gets opinions from NASA workers, groupies who gather to watch and people who work in the area and will be negatively affected by the shutdown. The town relies on NASA being there to bring tourists to their hotels, restaurants, etc.. Thousands of workers will be laid off. It's a huge change and adjustments will have to be made.
Margaret looks at all of these things. She gives details about the space program. Citing the feeling of the American public as it changed from excited, proud patriotism with the first Mercury expeditions and waning through the years to an almost apathetic feeling about space travel now. She writes about the tragedies and deaths that had a huge impact on the program. She writes about how other writers have covered this subject. Everything is from her perspective ....as a woman, as an American, as one of the general public. her vantage point is so far from that of astronauts or NASA insiders that it's close to what our own would be.....it makes it personal.....it makes for a good book.
April 11, 2019
Maybe I'm writing this review through a biased lens as I was one of Professor Dean's students at UT before. I distinctly remember expressing my desire for a creative non-fiction class - to which she responded that she teaches one and I ended up taking it that following semester. At any rate, I definitely picked up this book because I truly admire her both as an educator and a writer, and I have to say I am not disappointed.
I've always been a huge fan of space. I'm the type of person who gets emotional when I look up at the night sky. I've been prone to crying when watching space documentaries (don't ask me about how COSMOS made me a blubbering mess) and when I was lucky to witness the full solar eclipse in North America back in 2017, I felt something I still can't find words for today. But in spite of all this, my appreciation and admiration for the universe and how small we are in it, I hadn't really let it sink in that American Spaceflight is over.
Or really, that it was ever a big thing. Maybe on account of my age? I don't know, but delving into this book I was given a glance into a perspective and line of thinking I hadn't had a chance to look into before.
Dean's way with words and explaining things made me feel like I was with her through all of this. I felt like I was sharing these special moments with her, feeling the way she was made to feel watching these launches and meeting these people, and the way she explained factual things was also presented in ways that were engaging and beautiful. This book did all the things I want a book to do for me when I read it: it made me think, it made me feel, and it helped me learn.
Biases aside, I would recommend this to anyone who has a soft spot for space-travel and the humanity behind it.
I've always been a huge fan of space. I'm the type of person who gets emotional when I look up at the night sky. I've been prone to crying when watching space documentaries (don't ask me about how COSMOS made me a blubbering mess) and when I was lucky to witness the full solar eclipse in North America back in 2017, I felt something I still can't find words for today. But in spite of all this, my appreciation and admiration for the universe and how small we are in it, I hadn't really let it sink in that American Spaceflight is over.
Or really, that it was ever a big thing. Maybe on account of my age? I don't know, but delving into this book I was given a glance into a perspective and line of thinking I hadn't had a chance to look into before.
Dean's way with words and explaining things made me feel like I was with her through all of this. I felt like I was sharing these special moments with her, feeling the way she was made to feel watching these launches and meeting these people, and the way she explained factual things was also presented in ways that were engaging and beautiful. This book did all the things I want a book to do for me when I read it: it made me think, it made me feel, and it helped me learn.
Biases aside, I would recommend this to anyone who has a soft spot for space-travel and the humanity behind it.
November 5, 2017
What does it mean that Dean doesn't precisely answer her question, What does it mean that we went to space for fifty years and have decided not to go anymore?
It means that she captured the contradictions of the US and space. Dean explores both the beginning and the end of peopled space flight by Americans. She calls the start a Cold War accident (p 287) and links its ending to concern about the money spent finally beating the romanticization that valued sending people rather than robots.
Dean tells us about the beginnings and end (each of the 3 last shuttles gets a "good-bye" chapter) but also about befriending NASA worker Omar, introducing Buzz Aldrin at a conference, what her university students know about spaceflight (their chronologies are a mess), the books about space that constantly run through her mind, and almost-McPhee-like tidbits on what Florida is like.
The only weak points were repeated incidences along the lines of "I thought of asking Omar how he felt about __, but didn't." Either ask him, or don't tell us. A terrific read that rekindles my interest in space.
It means that she captured the contradictions of the US and space. Dean explores both the beginning and the end of peopled space flight by Americans. She calls the start a Cold War accident (p 287) and links its ending to concern about the money spent finally beating the romanticization that valued sending people rather than robots.
Dean tells us about the beginnings and end (each of the 3 last shuttles gets a "good-bye" chapter) but also about befriending NASA worker Omar, introducing Buzz Aldrin at a conference, what her university students know about spaceflight (their chronologies are a mess), the books about space that constantly run through her mind, and almost-McPhee-like tidbits on what Florida is like.
The only weak points were repeated incidences along the lines of "I thought of asking Omar how he felt about __, but didn't." Either ask him, or don't tell us. A terrific read that rekindles my interest in space.
May 26, 2018
Usually I give overwhelmingly positive reviews of the spaceflight books I read, but I have to admit that I was not a big fan of this book. English Professor Margaret Lazarus Dean has authored a very self indulgent account of the end of the Space Shuttle program. Though she states that her goal is to ascertain the meaning of the end of the program and the end of astronaut crews launching from American soil in 2011, the focus of the book is primarily Margaret Lazarus Dean herself. She describes her travels to Cape Canaveral to watch the last launches of Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour and meeting various Kennedy Space Center engineers, but her focus on this detracted from what I really wanted: the analysis of what it means that the program ended. She does offer some useful insights and opinions concerning the legacy of the shuttle program and the rise of commercial spaceflight (which she does not view very favorably), but I wanted this to be the focus of the book, not simply a sidebar to her travelogue.
September 11, 2018
A very engaging book on American spaceflight that is part memoir, part history, and part philosophy. The book is oozing with emotion and passion, bouncing back and forth from notes on the last year or so of the Space Shuttle program, to the author's recollections of reading or watching about space as a child, to other writers' books on space. The book in general is almost meta, as many of the current-day sections are seemingly about the author trying to write the book, and struggling to do so because of how raw the subject matter is to her (presumably she gave up and thus ended up with the book being about the process of writing as well!).
The only reason this doesn't get a full 5 stars is because this style personally isn't my favorite (even though I enjoyed it greatly), and I would have liked to have more deep-dive analysis into the actual politics and sociology of modern space flight and the end of the Space Shuttle program, instead of just idle musings and speculations.
The only reason this doesn't get a full 5 stars is because this style personally isn't my favorite (even though I enjoyed it greatly), and I would have liked to have more deep-dive analysis into the actual politics and sociology of modern space flight and the end of the Space Shuttle program, instead of just idle musings and speculations.
March 14, 2019
There are many accountings (both books and movies) of the NASA space program in the 1960's, starting with the Mercury astronauts and culminating with the Apollo 11 moon landing. It was an amazing time. As a society, our interest waned after that. The failed launch of the shuttle Challenger in 1986 and the Columbia tragedy in 2003 forced us to pay attention again.
Mrs. Dean wasn't born until 1972, so her first-hand knowledge of NASA exploration began with the shuttle program. Her book focuses on the last three shuttle launches, but she works in wonderful observations of what came before. I'm 20 years older than Mrs. Dean, so I have very clear memories of Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, etc. Her point of view, a generation removed from mine, makes this a great read. Icing on the cake: the startling lack of real knowledge displayed by her college students.
Mrs. Dean wasn't born until 1972, so her first-hand knowledge of NASA exploration began with the shuttle program. Her book focuses on the last three shuttle launches, but she works in wonderful observations of what came before. I'm 20 years older than Mrs. Dean, so I have very clear memories of Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, etc. Her point of view, a generation removed from mine, makes this a great read. Icing on the cake: the startling lack of real knowledge displayed by her college students.
February 5, 2023
A perfect example of creative non-fiction. Dean provies one of the most moving books by a space enthusiast. She captures the spirit of the heroic phase of the space program and space shuttle phase.
As a lifetime follower of the space program Dean matches my own feelings closer than any other author. She has a knack for providing deep insights into the entire space program. She attended the last fhree launches of the shuttle and captures the melancoly and joy of those who attnded.
Her description of meeting and introducing Buzz Aldrin at a book event was very lucid and exciting. She completely captures the excitement of an astronaut enconter with a moon walker. Having personally meeting several astronaunts at similiar events, Dean is spot on about the thrill of meeting a major astronaunt.
A perfect book about the end of an era
As a lifetime follower of the space program Dean matches my own feelings closer than any other author. She has a knack for providing deep insights into the entire space program. She attended the last fhree launches of the shuttle and captures the melancoly and joy of those who attnded.
Her description of meeting and introducing Buzz Aldrin at a book event was very lucid and exciting. She completely captures the excitement of an astronaut enconter with a moon walker. Having personally meeting several astronaunts at similiar events, Dean is spot on about the thrill of meeting a major astronaunt.
A perfect book about the end of an era
September 1, 2018
This book resonated with me, and, to be honest, I found parts of it pretty heartbreaking. At lot of it is that there are points where the author attempts to cut the pervasive sense of loss with glimmers of hope, yet in the few short years since its publication we seem to have entered a period of history in which culture and politics have suddenly swung in a direction that is decidedly anti-science, post-fact, and post-hope. I guess my point is, there are sections of this book that are probably more surreal and depressing now than they were intended to be when written. I loved it, but (or partly because?) it had painful (for me) moments and images embedded in it. It was intensely bittersweet, but the world has become more bitter around it.
February 8, 2017
Was in the mood for another space book after finishing "Martian Summer" so I picked up Leaving Orbit. Don't share the author's love of all things NASA and space or her angst about the end of shuttle but it wasn't all bad. Enjoyed most the background info on the history of American space flight and the astronauts both past and present. Perhaps I should try an actual history of the space program and NASA if I read more outer space books, instead of a personal accounting of the era like Leaving Orbit is. I was most bored reading the descriptions of her personal experiences watching the final launch of all the remaining shuttles. A good read for insomnia...
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