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Houston, lecimy!
Kim są ci, do których skierowane były słynne słowa: „Houston, we have a problem"? Na czym polegała ich rola w pionierskich przedsięwzięciach, jakimi były loty załogowych promów, co widzieli na ekranach monitorów, jakie decyzje podejmowali i jak z ich strony wyglądały pierwsze wyprawy w kosmos wahadłowców? Książka Paula Dye'a, najdłużej pełniącego obowiązki dyrektora lotów NASA, pozwala zajrzeć w miejsca na co dzień niedostępne – za kulisy centrum dowodzenia lotów kosmicznych – i poznać ich tajemnice.
416 pages, Paperback
Published March 10, 2021
92 people are currently reading
3073 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
June 23, 2020
I won an advanced reader copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you!
Quite honestly, the first several chapters of the book are hard to get through, and this book almost became one I didn’t finish several times. They are a little technical in explaining scientific principles and how space flight works, as well as tons of acronyms and the inter functionality of NASA (a cheat sheet of acronyms and maybe an organizational chart would have been helpful)! I would have rated that part of the book 2 stars.
But, that’s interspersed with Paul Dye’s anecdotes and stories of his personal experiences, and they fill most of the rest of the book - that’s where it really comes into its own and shines. Less academic and more human, we see more of those aspects of what it was like to be in Mission Control - from a catastrophic coffee pot failure, to other highs and lows, we see the trials, tribulations and triumphs of being a member of the team responsible for the lives of the astronauts and mission success. Dye’s passion is evident, and he sounds like a guy I’d love to have a beer with while he shared war stories of his time at NASA. The rest of the book rated at least 4 stars, and I’ll certainly take some lessons learned on his views of leadership and organizational development- which is my wheelhouse.
If you’re interested in NASA’s story, space flight, international relations, leadership, and more, I’d recommend this book, but with some caution flags about the first couple chapters and how it changes moving forward. Best of luck with this publication!
Quite honestly, the first several chapters of the book are hard to get through, and this book almost became one I didn’t finish several times. They are a little technical in explaining scientific principles and how space flight works, as well as tons of acronyms and the inter functionality of NASA (a cheat sheet of acronyms and maybe an organizational chart would have been helpful)! I would have rated that part of the book 2 stars.
But, that’s interspersed with Paul Dye’s anecdotes and stories of his personal experiences, and they fill most of the rest of the book - that’s where it really comes into its own and shines. Less academic and more human, we see more of those aspects of what it was like to be in Mission Control - from a catastrophic coffee pot failure, to other highs and lows, we see the trials, tribulations and triumphs of being a member of the team responsible for the lives of the astronauts and mission success. Dye’s passion is evident, and he sounds like a guy I’d love to have a beer with while he shared war stories of his time at NASA. The rest of the book rated at least 4 stars, and I’ll certainly take some lessons learned on his views of leadership and organizational development- which is my wheelhouse.
If you’re interested in NASA’s story, space flight, international relations, leadership, and more, I’d recommend this book, but with some caution flags about the first couple chapters and how it changes moving forward. Best of luck with this publication!
May 4, 2020
I finally got this book on my reading device. It was a pleasure.
You must overcome the initial chapters, in which Paul was setting a certain tone of the book. Using a lot of acronyms and abbreviations, he pretty much tells the story of a mission. Explaining these abbreviations once helps, but their sheer number are hard to memorize, so that some of the story gets lost.
After the first few chapters though, the lingo gets less, and the stories more interesting. Whatever your mission is, you learn how to plan and how to execute. You learn principles of decision making and leadership. In the abstract, there are a lot of leadership trades or project management skills one can learn from the book and apply in their personal lives.
4 stars, because of the rough start, but still a smooth flight and solid landing.
You must overcome the initial chapters, in which Paul was setting a certain tone of the book. Using a lot of acronyms and abbreviations, he pretty much tells the story of a mission. Explaining these abbreviations once helps, but their sheer number are hard to memorize, so that some of the story gets lost.
After the first few chapters though, the lingo gets less, and the stories more interesting. Whatever your mission is, you learn how to plan and how to execute. You learn principles of decision making and leadership. In the abstract, there are a lot of leadership trades or project management skills one can learn from the book and apply in their personal lives.
4 stars, because of the rough start, but still a smooth flight and solid landing.
May 7, 2023
Trzeba przebrnąć przez pierwsze 100 stron najeżonych technicznymi zwrotami i żargonem, a potem to już czysta przyjemność. Dwa ostatnie rozdziały za bardzo w coaching idą, mógł je sobie podarować, ale są krótkie, więc nie rzutują na całość.
December 10, 2025
This book was enjoyable, but felt like it kinda petered off in the last third.
March 4, 2020
This seemed to be well written but there were a lot of technical terms and acronyms tossed out at you. The author did explain each initially but there were so many in continual use it got to feel like a foreign language. I felt overwhelmed and couldn't finish it.
I received a free e-galley from netgalley.com.
I received a free e-galley from netgalley.com.
May 26, 2021
Paul Dye is one of those people you want to sit next to on a long plane ride when you can listen to story after story about his experiences as NASA’s longest-serving Flight Director. But if Fate doesn’t offer that opportunity, you now have the option to read (or listen to the audio version of) his book, Shuttle, Houston while flying above the clouds.
Dye first joined NASA as a co-op student in 1980. He accepted a permanent position upon graduation in 1982. He worked the Command and Data Management Systems console for three Spacelab flights prior to the Challenger accident in 1986. Then he became the first Mechanical Maintenance Arm and Crew Systems (MMACS, pronounced “Max”) controller, a position created for STS-26.
Though I was also a flight controller prior to Challenger, Dye first came to my attention (after I’d left NASA) as the controller who scrubbed the launch of STS-31 in 1990. (I interviewed him about that in 1992 for my book Shuttle Mission Control). He was soon promoted to management of the MMACS Section and groomed to become a Flight Director.
The Flight Director leads the flight control team. To appreciate the scope and context of this position, Shuttle, Houston (after a lengthy Introduction) opens with an overview of Mission Control’s positions and the challenges of flying in space. His assessment of what it takes to be a flight controller may come across to some as boasting and to others as an exciting challenge. But I can attest he is just being frank when he states, “Potential flight controllers either had or developed this quick mind—or they simply didn’t make it.”
His writing style reflects his honest, and often humorous, evaluations of people, equipment, and situations. His interactions with the Russians offer many examples such as saying their Mir docking system was “clearly designed by elves using magic fairy dust and built by relatives of Swiss watch makers.”
Perhaps my favorite story is the one about his time as lead flight director of the Space Radar Topography Mapper mission (on STS-99 in 2000). The SRTM was mounted on a long boom sticking up out of the payload bay that had to be pointed very precisely at the ground. Constant attitude adjustments were to be provided by a small thruster. When that thruster failed, the Shuttle’s jets took over, jeopardizing fuel reserved for entry contingencies.
The trade-off Dye faced was stowing the boom the night before entry to protect the fuel reserve; or allowing the boom to continue mapping and risk tossing it overboard if the payload bay doors wouldn’t close. Dye lays out how the mission unfolded, the options considered, the decision process, and the value of the map to the world. Next time I visit the Udvar-Hazey museum in DC, I’ll be looking for the boom that would have been jettisoned if it hadn’t been for some quick-thinking flight controllers.
A series of anecdotes portray the less serious aspects of life in Mission Control. “Doctor Capcom” about physician astronaut Story Musgrave is absolutely priceless. Sitting beside Dye as Capcom during a flight, Musgrave noticed Dye suffering from back pain. During a communications break, Story offered to fix the problem. Thus the Director of Mission Control, with the safety of the crew and the success of the mission in his hands, was dragged across the floor by his head while the team gawked. “Wow,” Dye said afterwards. “I feel great!” Typical of flight controllers’ sharp focus on solving problems, it wasn’t until he stood back up that he thought to ask the Public Affairs Officer if the cameras had been on!
Shuttle, Houston concludes with a summary of lessons learned such as “Better is the Enemy of Good.” Leaders of teams in high-risk businesses, future flight controllers, and space enthusiasts will be left with much to savor after spending a few hours “above the clouds” listening to the stories of one fascinating flight director.
Dye first joined NASA as a co-op student in 1980. He accepted a permanent position upon graduation in 1982. He worked the Command and Data Management Systems console for three Spacelab flights prior to the Challenger accident in 1986. Then he became the first Mechanical Maintenance Arm and Crew Systems (MMACS, pronounced “Max”) controller, a position created for STS-26.
Though I was also a flight controller prior to Challenger, Dye first came to my attention (after I’d left NASA) as the controller who scrubbed the launch of STS-31 in 1990. (I interviewed him about that in 1992 for my book Shuttle Mission Control). He was soon promoted to management of the MMACS Section and groomed to become a Flight Director.
The Flight Director leads the flight control team. To appreciate the scope and context of this position, Shuttle, Houston (after a lengthy Introduction) opens with an overview of Mission Control’s positions and the challenges of flying in space. His assessment of what it takes to be a flight controller may come across to some as boasting and to others as an exciting challenge. But I can attest he is just being frank when he states, “Potential flight controllers either had or developed this quick mind—or they simply didn’t make it.”
His writing style reflects his honest, and often humorous, evaluations of people, equipment, and situations. His interactions with the Russians offer many examples such as saying their Mir docking system was “clearly designed by elves using magic fairy dust and built by relatives of Swiss watch makers.”
Perhaps my favorite story is the one about his time as lead flight director of the Space Radar Topography Mapper mission (on STS-99 in 2000). The SRTM was mounted on a long boom sticking up out of the payload bay that had to be pointed very precisely at the ground. Constant attitude adjustments were to be provided by a small thruster. When that thruster failed, the Shuttle’s jets took over, jeopardizing fuel reserved for entry contingencies.
The trade-off Dye faced was stowing the boom the night before entry to protect the fuel reserve; or allowing the boom to continue mapping and risk tossing it overboard if the payload bay doors wouldn’t close. Dye lays out how the mission unfolded, the options considered, the decision process, and the value of the map to the world. Next time I visit the Udvar-Hazey museum in DC, I’ll be looking for the boom that would have been jettisoned if it hadn’t been for some quick-thinking flight controllers.
A series of anecdotes portray the less serious aspects of life in Mission Control. “Doctor Capcom” about physician astronaut Story Musgrave is absolutely priceless. Sitting beside Dye as Capcom during a flight, Musgrave noticed Dye suffering from back pain. During a communications break, Story offered to fix the problem. Thus the Director of Mission Control, with the safety of the crew and the success of the mission in his hands, was dragged across the floor by his head while the team gawked. “Wow,” Dye said afterwards. “I feel great!” Typical of flight controllers’ sharp focus on solving problems, it wasn’t until he stood back up that he thought to ask the Public Affairs Officer if the cameras had been on!
Shuttle, Houston concludes with a summary of lessons learned such as “Better is the Enemy of Good.” Leaders of teams in high-risk businesses, future flight controllers, and space enthusiasts will be left with much to savor after spending a few hours “above the clouds” listening to the stories of one fascinating flight director.
December 29, 2021
Pierwsze, co przychodzi nam do głowy, gdy myślimy o NASA, to prawdopodobnie astronauci siedzący w fotelach na górnym pokładzie statku kosmicznego i ogon płonącego paliwa, ciągnący się za rakietą podczas startu (ewentualnie bluzy z tym fikuśnym logo albo teorie spiskowe płaskoziemców... ale o tym nie będziemy tutaj rozmawiać!). Przyzwyczailiśmy się już do myśli, że możemy wysłać człowieka w kosmos, prawda? Dlatego zazwyczaj w ogóle nie zastanawiamy się, jak wiele osób stało za tym, by tych kilku astronautów mogło wyruszyć w swoją kosmiczną misję.
Paul Dye przez czterdzieści lat pracował w NASA, z czego przez trzydzieści piastował stanowisko dyrektora lotów i to na nim spoczywała odpowiedzialność za cały zespół techników, inżynierów i kontrolerów, którzy planowali misje, nadzorowali każdy krok astronautów i pilnowali, by wrócili oni bezpiecznie do domu. Swoje doświadczenia z tej "drugiej", tylko teoretycznie mniej spektakularnej strony lotów kosmicznych, opisał w "Houston, lecimy!".
Pierwsza myśl, która przyjdzie Wam do głowy, podczas czytania tej książki? Jak ci ludzie muszą być niesamowicie ogarnięci i inteligentni! Niby zdawałam sobie z tego sprawę, ale dopiero czytanie o ich pracy z pierwszej ręki otwiera oczy na to, jak ogromna odpowiedzialność spoczywa na pracownikach kontroli lotu, jak wiele zaangażowania się od nich wymaga i na ilu rzeczach muszą się znać! Dye przybliża nam zakres pracy wszystkich zespół i istotnych ludzi, ale raczy nas nie tylko suchymi faktami - pokazuje, jak wyglądała ich rutyna, jak się do siebie zwracali w "nasowskim" slangu i jakie mieli zwyczaje.
Kolejnym niesamowitym aspektem tej książki, jest jej wartość historyczna. Dye zaczął pracować dla NASA w czasach, gdy używano jeszcze poczty pneumatycznej, a komputery dopiero raczkowały. Kiedy pojawił się tam w latach 80., większość dostępnego sprzętu pochodziła z lat 60. i 70. (z programu Apollo) i to wtedy był szczyt techniki (co dzisiaj wydaje się absurdalne)! Dzięki tej książce będziemy w stanie prześledzić, jak rozwijała się technologa kosmiczna. Swoją drogą, trochę to przerażające, że wahadłowce zaprojektowano w latach 70., a latano nimi do 2011 roku, kiedy większość samolotów była już dużo bardziej rozwinięta od maszyn, które wynosiły ludzi w kosmos!
Mimo że książce nie można oczywiście odmówić walorów naukowych i merytorycznych, ton autora pozostaje lekki, poprzetykany drobnymi żartami ("Spalanie jest dobre, gdy chcemy zapobiec temu, by kosmiczne kamienie spadały ludziom na głowy. Nieco gorsze, kiedy próbujemy w jednym kawałku sprowadzić na ziemię pojazd z załogą.") i anegdotkami z pracy. Na śmieszne anegdotki Dye poświecił zresztą cały rozdział i był to jeden z najprzyjemniejszych momentów tej książki!
Z drugiej strony momentami pozycja sprawia wrażenie przegadanej, często powtarzają się też te same informacje, co na dłuższą metę może być trochę irytujące. W dodatku ilość informacji, które trzeba przyswoić, "nasowego" slangu i skrótów, sprawia, że książkę czyta się po prostu wolno. Ale niech Was to nie zniechęca, bo sama treść jest niesamowicie interesująca! Na szczęście nie trzeba też być znawcą tematu, żeby czerpać z tej lektury przyjemność i zrozumieć kosmiczne oraz naziemne zawiłości pracy w NASA - Dye rzetelnie tłumaczy wszystko, od nazw stanowisk w centrum kontroli, przez teorię związaną z mechaniką orbitalną, na budowie schowków w wahadłowcu kończąc. Autor kreuje też przed nami zapierającą dech w piersiach wizję przyszłości, w której prywatni przewoźnicy organizują komercjalne loty w kosmos - na co czekam!
Czytanie o doświadczeniach i wspomnieniach człowieka, który brał udział w jednym z najbardziej niesamowitych momentów w rozwoju technologii i historii ludzkości jest naprawdę świetnym doświadczeniem! Jeśli choć trochę interesujecie się tematem, nie możecie przejść obojętnie obok tej książki!
Paul Dye przez czterdzieści lat pracował w NASA, z czego przez trzydzieści piastował stanowisko dyrektora lotów i to na nim spoczywała odpowiedzialność za cały zespół techników, inżynierów i kontrolerów, którzy planowali misje, nadzorowali każdy krok astronautów i pilnowali, by wrócili oni bezpiecznie do domu. Swoje doświadczenia z tej "drugiej", tylko teoretycznie mniej spektakularnej strony lotów kosmicznych, opisał w "Houston, lecimy!".
Pierwsza myśl, która przyjdzie Wam do głowy, podczas czytania tej książki? Jak ci ludzie muszą być niesamowicie ogarnięci i inteligentni! Niby zdawałam sobie z tego sprawę, ale dopiero czytanie o ich pracy z pierwszej ręki otwiera oczy na to, jak ogromna odpowiedzialność spoczywa na pracownikach kontroli lotu, jak wiele zaangażowania się od nich wymaga i na ilu rzeczach muszą się znać! Dye przybliża nam zakres pracy wszystkich zespół i istotnych ludzi, ale raczy nas nie tylko suchymi faktami - pokazuje, jak wyglądała ich rutyna, jak się do siebie zwracali w "nasowskim" slangu i jakie mieli zwyczaje.
Kolejnym niesamowitym aspektem tej książki, jest jej wartość historyczna. Dye zaczął pracować dla NASA w czasach, gdy używano jeszcze poczty pneumatycznej, a komputery dopiero raczkowały. Kiedy pojawił się tam w latach 80., większość dostępnego sprzętu pochodziła z lat 60. i 70. (z programu Apollo) i to wtedy był szczyt techniki (co dzisiaj wydaje się absurdalne)! Dzięki tej książce będziemy w stanie prześledzić, jak rozwijała się technologa kosmiczna. Swoją drogą, trochę to przerażające, że wahadłowce zaprojektowano w latach 70., a latano nimi do 2011 roku, kiedy większość samolotów była już dużo bardziej rozwinięta od maszyn, które wynosiły ludzi w kosmos!
Mimo że książce nie można oczywiście odmówić walorów naukowych i merytorycznych, ton autora pozostaje lekki, poprzetykany drobnymi żartami ("Spalanie jest dobre, gdy chcemy zapobiec temu, by kosmiczne kamienie spadały ludziom na głowy. Nieco gorsze, kiedy próbujemy w jednym kawałku sprowadzić na ziemię pojazd z załogą.") i anegdotkami z pracy. Na śmieszne anegdotki Dye poświecił zresztą cały rozdział i był to jeden z najprzyjemniejszych momentów tej książki!
Z drugiej strony momentami pozycja sprawia wrażenie przegadanej, często powtarzają się też te same informacje, co na dłuższą metę może być trochę irytujące. W dodatku ilość informacji, które trzeba przyswoić, "nasowego" slangu i skrótów, sprawia, że książkę czyta się po prostu wolno. Ale niech Was to nie zniechęca, bo sama treść jest niesamowicie interesująca! Na szczęście nie trzeba też być znawcą tematu, żeby czerpać z tej lektury przyjemność i zrozumieć kosmiczne oraz naziemne zawiłości pracy w NASA - Dye rzetelnie tłumaczy wszystko, od nazw stanowisk w centrum kontroli, przez teorię związaną z mechaniką orbitalną, na budowie schowków w wahadłowcu kończąc. Autor kreuje też przed nami zapierającą dech w piersiach wizję przyszłości, w której prywatni przewoźnicy organizują komercjalne loty w kosmos - na co czekam!
Czytanie o doświadczeniach i wspomnieniach człowieka, który brał udział w jednym z najbardziej niesamowitych momentów w rozwoju technologii i historii ludzkości jest naprawdę świetnym doświadczeniem! Jeśli choć trochę interesujecie się tematem, nie możecie przejść obojętnie obok tej książki!
February 1, 2020
Shuttle, Houston is quite a story as the reader gets to learn about the space program from the inside out. Most if it is fascinating, but I found the first chapters to be technologically above my head. They are very detailed about the mechanics of how things work. However, once I got past that part of the book, it was much easier to follow.
We are provided a lot of information that many of those outside of the space program do not know. The incredible amount of knowledge that a Flight Director must have in his head and at his fingertips is mindboggling. The ability to access and apply what he knows on a moments notice can be critical to the success of a mission. We learn about the difference in function between the Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center, with work at JSC being the focus of Shuttle, Houston.
The reader learns about our collaboration on the space program with Russia. For some reason I did not remember that Norm Thagard was the first American astronaut to ride on Mir (I had friends who went to school with him). I was amused by the anecdotal story of June Lockhart’s visit to the space center. However, one of the most interesting chapters comes at the end when Paul Dye reflects on how and why the changes in the U.S. space program have occurred.
As challenging as I found the first few chapters, this was a great way to learn about the space
program from an insider’s point of view.
I requested an advance copy of this book from Netgalley.com because I have been fascinated by space flight for most of my life. It didn’t hurt that one of the early astronauts lived within shouting distance of my childhood home (I did not know him) when he was selected. There was no promise of a positive review and any opinion shared here is strictly my own.
We are provided a lot of information that many of those outside of the space program do not know. The incredible amount of knowledge that a Flight Director must have in his head and at his fingertips is mindboggling. The ability to access and apply what he knows on a moments notice can be critical to the success of a mission. We learn about the difference in function between the Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center, with work at JSC being the focus of Shuttle, Houston.
The reader learns about our collaboration on the space program with Russia. For some reason I did not remember that Norm Thagard was the first American astronaut to ride on Mir (I had friends who went to school with him). I was amused by the anecdotal story of June Lockhart’s visit to the space center. However, one of the most interesting chapters comes at the end when Paul Dye reflects on how and why the changes in the U.S. space program have occurred.
As challenging as I found the first few chapters, this was a great way to learn about the space
program from an insider’s point of view.
I requested an advance copy of this book from Netgalley.com because I have been fascinated by space flight for most of my life. It didn’t hurt that one of the early astronauts lived within shouting distance of my childhood home (I did not know him) when he was selected. There was no promise of a positive review and any opinion shared here is strictly my own.
July 16, 2020
4 stars
Shuttle, Houston captured my attention from the first page. The intro set the scene and the prelude had me on the edge of my seat (I won’t say more - spoilers!). Dye reminds us of the grandeur, the giant leap, that was the Space Shuttle. Mechanically, electronically, and aerodynamically, it was more complex than Apollo.
I liked that Dye started off by acknowledging that he was in the right place at the right time to get his job - NASA was getting ready to launch the Space Shuttle and they needed to staff up. He was in the early rounds and got to work with and train from legends like Gene Krantz. He establishes his creds (30-year career, working with Krantz!) and demonstrates his humility all the while. Given the magnitude of what NASA employees accomplish, they can get big heads - i always appreciate these types of books starting out with a dose of humility.
Some chapters go deeeep into specific missions. Those chapters nearly made my eyes glaze over and I have a high tolerance for NASA nerdery (that’s not a word okay I know). I loved the chapters on life in mission control. Having reading Gene Krantz’s book, it’s so cool to hear about the traditions he started from someone who picked up the torch.
In closing, Dye takes a strong stance on the commercial space program and NASA management. It’s probably more impactful for industry professionals, but I still enjoyed hearing his POV on the direction of the agency.
Overall, Shuttle, Houston is less layman friendly than other NASA memoirs I’ve read, but I still enjoyed it tremendously. If, like me, you hunger to gobble up all things space related, this is absolutely a must read. For the casual fan, be prepared to skip past a chapter if it gets too in the weeds.
Thanks to Paul Dye, Hachette Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
Shuttle, Houston captured my attention from the first page. The intro set the scene and the prelude had me on the edge of my seat (I won’t say more - spoilers!). Dye reminds us of the grandeur, the giant leap, that was the Space Shuttle. Mechanically, electronically, and aerodynamically, it was more complex than Apollo.
I liked that Dye started off by acknowledging that he was in the right place at the right time to get his job - NASA was getting ready to launch the Space Shuttle and they needed to staff up. He was in the early rounds and got to work with and train from legends like Gene Krantz. He establishes his creds (30-year career, working with Krantz!) and demonstrates his humility all the while. Given the magnitude of what NASA employees accomplish, they can get big heads - i always appreciate these types of books starting out with a dose of humility.
Some chapters go deeeep into specific missions. Those chapters nearly made my eyes glaze over and I have a high tolerance for NASA nerdery (that’s not a word okay I know). I loved the chapters on life in mission control. Having reading Gene Krantz’s book, it’s so cool to hear about the traditions he started from someone who picked up the torch.
In closing, Dye takes a strong stance on the commercial space program and NASA management. It’s probably more impactful for industry professionals, but I still enjoyed hearing his POV on the direction of the agency.
Overall, Shuttle, Houston is less layman friendly than other NASA memoirs I’ve read, but I still enjoyed it tremendously. If, like me, you hunger to gobble up all things space related, this is absolutely a must read. For the casual fan, be prepared to skip past a chapter if it gets too in the weeds.
Thanks to Paul Dye, Hachette Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
March 24, 2021
Paul Dye jest byłym dyrektorem lotów NASA. Nigdy nie wiązał swojej przyszłości z kosmosem, bardziej skupiał się na samolotach (jak sam pisze: „byłem po prostu zakochany we wszystkim, co lata). Jednak NASA ogłosiło program wahadłowców, a w związku z tym nabór stażystów i studentów. I tak Paul trafił do programu kształcenia zawodowego.
W swojej książce przybliża nam temat załogowych promów kosmicznych oraz pozwala zajrzeć do Centrum Kontroli Lotów NASA. Opowiada o systemach i pracy wielu ludzi, pokazuje ich zadania.
Pięć statków, które wykonało łącznie 135 lotów. Pierwszy w 1981 roku, ostatni w 2011. Niesamowite!
Z naszej perspektywy wszystko wygląda tak prosto i bajecznie, a tak naprawdę za sukcesem astronautów stoi także rzesza ludzi wraz ze swoimi działami i skomplikowanymi metodami współpracy. W „Houston, lecimy” przeczytamy o pracy większości z nich, o presji z jaką musieli się mierzyć, o obowiązkach na nich nałożonych. O kontrolerach lotu, dyrektorze lotu, specjaliście do spraw systemów napędowych, specjalistach od oprzyrządowania i komunikacji itd. Zobaczymy komunikację na linii załoga – Ziemia i pomiędzy poszczególnymi działami, będziemy świadkiem symulacji (ten fragment czytałam z zapartym tchem!). Dowiemy się nawet o budowie orbitera. W książce jest również miejsce na dogłębniejsze poznanie historii autora i kilka fotografii przedstawiających tę pracę. Uważam, że książka jest ciekawostką nie tylko dla zainteresowanych kosmosem, ale również dla tych, którzy lubią dowiadywać się nowych informacji o zawodach, które są specyficzne i rzadko kiedy są szerzej pokazywane w mediach. Są fragmenty, przez które przechodzi się opornie – w końcu to książka o promach kosmicznych, pracy nad nimi i lotach. Mimo wszystko warto się wysilić, by zajrzeć za kulisy podboju kosmosu.
W swojej książce przybliża nam temat załogowych promów kosmicznych oraz pozwala zajrzeć do Centrum Kontroli Lotów NASA. Opowiada o systemach i pracy wielu ludzi, pokazuje ich zadania.
Pięć statków, które wykonało łącznie 135 lotów. Pierwszy w 1981 roku, ostatni w 2011. Niesamowite!
Z naszej perspektywy wszystko wygląda tak prosto i bajecznie, a tak naprawdę za sukcesem astronautów stoi także rzesza ludzi wraz ze swoimi działami i skomplikowanymi metodami współpracy. W „Houston, lecimy” przeczytamy o pracy większości z nich, o presji z jaką musieli się mierzyć, o obowiązkach na nich nałożonych. O kontrolerach lotu, dyrektorze lotu, specjaliście do spraw systemów napędowych, specjalistach od oprzyrządowania i komunikacji itd. Zobaczymy komunikację na linii załoga – Ziemia i pomiędzy poszczególnymi działami, będziemy świadkiem symulacji (ten fragment czytałam z zapartym tchem!). Dowiemy się nawet o budowie orbitera. W książce jest również miejsce na dogłębniejsze poznanie historii autora i kilka fotografii przedstawiających tę pracę. Uważam, że książka jest ciekawostką nie tylko dla zainteresowanych kosmosem, ale również dla tych, którzy lubią dowiadywać się nowych informacji o zawodach, które są specyficzne i rzadko kiedy są szerzej pokazywane w mediach. Są fragmenty, przez które przechodzi się opornie – w końcu to książka o promach kosmicznych, pracy nad nimi i lotach. Mimo wszystko warto się wysilić, by zajrzeć za kulisy podboju kosmosu.
August 20, 2020
Is Shuttle, Houston: My Life in the Center Seat of Mission Control by Paul Dye a good book? It depends on what you’re after. It’s not a book for space exploration geeks. Following his many years as NASA’s longest serving Flight Director, Dye has embarked on an encore career as a motivational speaker. His motivational speaker audience is the audience for this book. But if you are a space geek and end up with this book, feel free to skip the first three chapters. You likely know how a rocket works, how satellites stay in earth orbit, and what flight controllers in Mission Control do. That content smacks as if it were added at the insistence of an editor. The closest it comes to tales of technological daring-do is the chapter, “SRTM and the Mast,” involving the Space Radar Topography Mapper, which is quite cool, but the problem was resolved with a trivial solution. Just when it seemed like other technology facets might be explored, the next chapter, “Life in Mission Control” explores issues with coffee makers & telephones. It is difficult to believe that the most interesting things Dye experienced in his thirty years with NASA are the events he covers in this book. The “Return to Flight” post-Challenger disaster chapter isn’t likely to tell you anything you don’t already know – if you’re a space geek. The final chapter is “Leadership in a High-Risk Business” which is an appropriate description of the entire book. It’s not that this is a bad book, it’s just that for a reader such as me seriously interested in space operations the ra-ra Mission Control undercurrent grows tiresome. I heard Dye speak on an Experimental Aircraft Association members event (online, this is 2020, after all), and he’s full of great war stories. Maybe he should write a book….
October 24, 2021
Paul Dye, NASA's longest serving Flight Director, wrote this account of life in Mission Control during the shuttle era. In 1980, he was an engineering student at the University of Minnesota who went to the Johnson Space Center as part of a co-op program. He stuck around Houston until 2013, first working as a flight controller responsible for the Spacelab payload, then moving on to another console position, and finally working as a Flight Director after his selection in 1993. My favorite part of the book was his description of the STS-99 shuttle mission, a monumental effort to provide a topographical map of Earth in February 2000. He relays the importance of that mission from an environmental perspective and the technical challenges that went into gaining data and stowing the mast at the end of the mission. Besides his writing on the numerous problem-solving episodes such as this, his descriptions of working with the Russians on the Shuttle-Mir and International Space Station projects are also valuable in teaching readers about the cultural differences of the two partners in the 1990s and 2000s. He then ends the book with a chapter called "Leadership in a High-Risk Business," in which he relates some of the lessons he has learned as a leader of Mission Control and explains how they are applicable to leaders in any walk of life. Thus any reader who contributes leadership in an organization would benefit from reading this book, as would those who specifically focus on spaceflight and want to learn about how to operate the flights of a winged space plane (which Dye laments has not been possible since 2011 and feels this has been a major loss).
August 18, 2024
🚀 This book is a humbling exercise in how to manage disaster while moving a goal (or science!) forward. Among other favorite entries was how Dye approached the 1997 fire while working with the Russian / Mir space crew. I also loved hearing about cultural aspects of his time on that project; the US team attempted to learn Russian…but gave up 🤷🏻♀️ 🤣 (He mentions at one point that “Nyet doesn’t mean no, it means not yet.”, and I found that poignant for more than just a space reason!)
🥪The vignette about the NASA Mission Control P-Tubes section, which details “The Great Ham and Swiss Sammich Incident” involving Ed Fendell, was another favorite. These systems were akin to bank transport tubes throughout mission command, and there were strict rules about what could/not be sent. As a joke, Fendell’s request for said sammich (which was recorded and can be read as a transcript) was never sent. But he did call each office near a port to check on its status.
I loved how the book ended on what LEADERSHIP means- his quote about "being flexible enough to be flexible minus being limp" was the stuff of life coaching courses that will actually get you somewhere. It was amazing throughout the book to hear about the caliber of folks in his role, and occupying all the others under the same roof as him at NASA...and even yet, how they were capable of (and did) fail. The way he dissects what it means to be honest with yourself, others, your team, and what it truly means to be a leader- live that, be one, and emulate this- is astonishing.
Five stars. And I wish I could technically understand all of what he had to say. Loved it!
🥪The vignette about the NASA Mission Control P-Tubes section, which details “The Great Ham and Swiss Sammich Incident” involving Ed Fendell, was another favorite. These systems were akin to bank transport tubes throughout mission command, and there were strict rules about what could/not be sent. As a joke, Fendell’s request for said sammich (which was recorded and can be read as a transcript) was never sent. But he did call each office near a port to check on its status.
I loved how the book ended on what LEADERSHIP means- his quote about "being flexible enough to be flexible minus being limp" was the stuff of life coaching courses that will actually get you somewhere. It was amazing throughout the book to hear about the caliber of folks in his role, and occupying all the others under the same roof as him at NASA...and even yet, how they were capable of (and did) fail. The way he dissects what it means to be honest with yourself, others, your team, and what it truly means to be a leader- live that, be one, and emulate this- is astonishing.
Five stars. And I wish I could technically understand all of what he had to say. Loved it!
March 29, 2021
Moja znajomość z dziedziną kosmosu była na poziomie kilku seriali sci-fi na netflixie, czyli bardzo daleko od kosmosu. Nigdy nie miałam okazji do pogłębiania tej wiedzy aż nie trafiła do mnie książka Paula Dye’a „Houston lecimy!” i jestem pozytywnie zaskoczona. P. Dye przez 40 lat był dyrektorem lotów NASA i swoją przygodę, o której nawet nie pozwalał sobie marzyć, przekazał dla nas. Był zwyczajnym chłopcem widzącym swoją przyszłość w samolotach, ale poszedł wyżej zupełnie przypadkowo, i okazał się na swoim miejscu, do którego pasował jak nikt inny. Książka jest napisana w dość przystępny sposób, na początku trochę się myliłam w skrótach różnych nazw i stanowisk, ale jak się wciągnęłam to już się nie mogłam oderwać. Pomijając stronę techniczną życia na statku kosmicznym lub w samej siedzibie NASA, miałam okazję zapoznać się ze wszystkim, co się działo za kulisami. Osoba, która się ciekawi tematem, może nie znajdzie tu nic odkrywczego, ale dla mnie każdy rozdział był czymś nowym, czymś czego nie wiedziałam wcześniej. Autor pokazał, że aby pracować w takim miejscu, potrzebna jest chęć, zapał i pełne oddanie. Może i nie będę mogła nigdzie wykorzystać tego, czego się dowiedziałam ale na pewno będę wspominać przy okazji znajomym, że śluzy się nie otworzy po prostu przyciskiem, kanapkę można wysłać pocztą pneumatyczną i aby dostać miejsce pracy tam, gdzie nie każdy trafia, nie obowiązkowo musisz być nadczłowiekiem.
March 10, 2020
Fascinating. This book is from a guy that started in NASA in the era right after Apollo and seemingly left right as SpaceX and the other private space agencies were finding their first successes. It is highly technical, yet also very approachable - Dye actively tries to explain as much of his "NASA-speak" (his term) as possible while not getting bogged down in too many details. This covers the entirety of his 40 ish years in NASA, from his first days as a co-op student through his last years planning the recovery missions should a Shuttle be stranded in space in the years after the Columbia disaster. Great insight and sometimes hilarious stories, though it ultimately suffers from the same bad taste of an ending that soured Kranz's Failure Is Not An Option. In its final chapter, it more often comes across as a bitter old man not understanding the new dynamics of the agency he helped mold, rather than as someone truly hopeful for the future of space exploration and what the promise of the new and immediately future eras. Still, a truly worthy read from one of the people who doesn't have the name recognition of a Kranz or a Chris Kraft, but who was arguably just as important in getting NASA to where it is today. Very much recommeded.
August 22, 2021
I collect space books and savor the details. The detail in this book that I keep recounting is how Paul as a flight controller would use the Mission Control systems to coordinate ordering pizza with the teams during a mission. It's frivolous but it make sense to use the systems they are comfortable with to make group decisions with out distracting or adding undue workload and a good demonstration of leadership. First as flight director he had a count down clock set for the order deadline. Next he would deputize some to collect orders. As teams completed the order they changed their status light to green so he can see in realtime on his console which groups are ready and who they are waiting on.
Paul Dye detailed his working his way up in NASA and how everyone there puts their all into doing the best job they can to master every detail of a manned space flight down to the circuit level and how something so complex doesn't get completely ground down in bureaucracy. His writing is very readable and I can imagine his style making boring reports actually readable.
Paul Dye detailed his working his way up in NASA and how everyone there puts their all into doing the best job they can to master every detail of a manned space flight down to the circuit level and how something so complex doesn't get completely ground down in bureaucracy. His writing is very readable and I can imagine his style making boring reports actually readable.
August 8, 2022
Maybe more like 2.5 stars - a lot of the first part of this book was not very good. There was a lot of background in how Mission Control worked, so maybe that would be useful for people who haven't read many NASA books before. It also had a feel of just a collection of essays with repetitive definitions of acronyms and restatements of facts. The last two or three chapters were pretty good though, made it worth it, and upgraded the final rating. The last chapter especially has some really good thoughts on managing and leading high performing engineering organizations. Some good thoughts, including more than a few that are somewhat honest and critical of NASA.
So yeah, I'd suggest you read it if you're into space travel books. It's different from most of the other NASA books I've read, so it might be a good one to start with if you don't have much expertise and want some additional explanation of the systems and organizations.
So yeah, I'd suggest you read it if you're into space travel books. It's different from most of the other NASA books I've read, so it might be a good one to start with if you don't have much expertise and want some additional explanation of the systems and organizations.
October 12, 2022
While there are a little too many jargons for an elementary apprentice trying to know the daily running in NASA mission control center, the author's wisdom from his 30-year-career is a refreshment on those golden rules to practice in life and work:
1. Boring is good: for flight control is a matter of safety first, a thoughtful processure should be set, and emergency plan should also be familiared with; hence, everything goes according to plan, nothing goes unpredicted, which is boring but the best praise for the flight controllers.
2. Early brings more flexibility for doing projects right.
3. Alternative: at least one alternative when executing a project might have you be more prepared or realize potential problems.
4. Better is the enemy of good: within limited amount of time, pursuing better or perfection could lead to done with nothing.
1. Boring is good: for flight control is a matter of safety first, a thoughtful processure should be set, and emergency plan should also be familiared with; hence, everything goes according to plan, nothing goes unpredicted, which is boring but the best praise for the flight controllers.
2. Early brings more flexibility for doing projects right.
3. Alternative: at least one alternative when executing a project might have you be more prepared or realize potential problems.
4. Better is the enemy of good: within limited amount of time, pursuing better or perfection could lead to done with nothing.
August 13, 2025
This was definitely an interesting and informative book that really opened up the world of space travel for me (I mean… unless all the conspiracy theories are true and it’s all just one big hoax… I’m kidding! I’m kidding! …).
I liked a lot of the notes he made on leadership in the last chapter - Examples being a leaders role is to keep your eyes forward on the vision and behind you with your team to ensure they’re doing ok and able to continue following, but not side to side to garnish favor or win praise from those you report to. He also talked about how a leaders role was to cast vision and get out of the way as your team caught and ran with it, I liked that as well. Honestly, I’d go back just for that last chapter, but a lot of other parts dragged for me. However, it’s still a fascinating topic!
I liked a lot of the notes he made on leadership in the last chapter - Examples being a leaders role is to keep your eyes forward on the vision and behind you with your team to ensure they’re doing ok and able to continue following, but not side to side to garnish favor or win praise from those you report to. He also talked about how a leaders role was to cast vision and get out of the way as your team caught and ran with it, I liked that as well. Honestly, I’d go back just for that last chapter, but a lot of other parts dragged for me. However, it’s still a fascinating topic!
June 13, 2024
This was an interesting book but it would probably be boring to most people. The first half of the book was about how NASA works & some of the technical & managerial setup of NASA. The second half of the book is more of a leadership book that I wouldn’t mind going back & listening to again with a notebook in hand. I will say that while it is clear that Dye loved his career with NASA, he is not a fan of what it became in the last couple of decades. However, I would be interested in what he thinks of the last 5 yrs or so with more of a move toward privatization of space exploration.
September 17, 2020
I love this book. A real behind the scenes view of one of the most important parts of space exploration. Not only do you get the "nuts and bolts" of the most complex flying machine even built and a "Spaceflight 101" tutorial, you get a glimpse of the thought process and problem solving by one of the most intelligent groups of people ever assembled. Anyone who looks to the stars and wonders how we get from here to there will love this book.
January 20, 2025
I overall really enjoyed Shuttle Houston and found it very readable. There was a slight challenge earlier on with the heavy amount of acronyms and concepts to get your head around but these then did give way to some really insightful stories and reflections. I particularly enjoyed the last 12 pages in which Paul very much gave his assessment of the challenges and opportunities now facing NASA. I would recommend to anyone with an interest in the Space Programme and the leadership of it.
May 26, 2025
Having done a similar job, it is all very recognisable. The lessons learned at the end are interesting. It is nice that for once in such books, the author followed a 'normal' path, i.e. didnt get selected at the very first chance, wasn't a child prodigy etc. I kinda liked the lack of attention to the author himself, e.g. there is little in the book about his childhood.
But overall the book drags on a bit with little concrete stories and little depth or introspection.
But overall the book drags on a bit with little concrete stories and little depth or introspection.
December 3, 2022
Probably worth reading if you're interested in Mission Control or the Shuttle program (or if you're just a completionist for books about the space program in general), but not particularly insightful overall. Most interesting chapters were the ones on Shuttle-Mir and the birth of the ISS program, and the final chapters about lessons learned in NASA Flight Operations.
December 30, 2024
What an interesting insight about the inner workings of Mission Control. I remember where I was when Neil Armstrong took his first step on the face of the moon. This book took me to the other side of the mission back at Mission Control. Things I never would have thought about before, during, and after that rocket leaves the launch pad.
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November 2, 2025Shuttle, Houston is a gripping, behind-the-scenes memoir that takes readers straight into NASA’s Mission Control during the Space Shuttle era. Written by Paul Dye, NASA’s longest-serving Flight Director, the book offers an insider’s perspective on the technical brilliance, intense decision-making, and human drama that defined more than three decades of Shuttle missions.
March 12, 2021
Mimo, że nie lubię technicznych opisów (nie umiem sobie wyobrazić wielu rzeczy) to ta książka mnie zachwyciła.
Opis ponad 4 dekad pracy przy lotach kosmicznych to coś niesamowitego. Do tego zmiany w podejściu do programu lotów, polityka.
Świetna lektura.
Opis ponad 4 dekad pracy przy lotach kosmicznych to coś niesamowitego. Do tego zmiany w podejściu do programu lotów, polityka.
Świetna lektura.
January 29, 2023
It feels sometimes like this was written as a series of essays rather than a book to be read through - there is a surprising amount of repetition. The sections towards the end on leadership and management and what the author thinks NASA should be doing are interesting.
May 11, 2024
This book is full of information about the workings behind the scenes of the space shuttle. It is an eye-opener if you are interested in all the people who work in all aspects of creating a space mission. Incredible details are included in this book.
October 12, 2025
Väldigt mycket nördig och rolig information om allt space control och shuttle etc men blev lite för mycket för mig.
Gilla dock om infon om space shuttle och orbital mexhanics. Om man ska bli jobba i dessa typer av jobb är detta en bibel
Gilla dock om infon om space shuttle och orbital mexhanics. Om man ska bli jobba i dessa typer av jobb är detta en bibel
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