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Burnout: the mystery of Space Shuttle STS-281
 
 
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Burnout: the mystery of Space Shuttle STS-281 [Perfect Paperback]

Stephanie Osborn (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Book Description

April 15, 2009
Burnout is a science fiction mystery about a Space Shuttle disaster that turns out to be no accident. As the true scope of the disaster is gradually uncovered by the principal investigators, "Crash" Murphy and Dr. Mike Anders, they find themselves running for their lives, as lovers, friends and coworkers involved in the investigation perish around them. What happened to the Shuttle? Who is responsible and why? Why is the government calling it an accident? Why is someone willing to kill to keep it a secret? And how big is the conspiracy?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Burnout is a compelling, impossible to put down, first novel in the class of Skylark of Space or "Lifeline." ... It may perhaps be the most realistic view ever published in fiction about what happens behind the scenes at NASA." --Dr. Jim Woosley, physicist and Heinlein essayist.

About the Author

Stephanie Osborn was born September 23, 1960, in Clarksville, TN. She obtained majors in physics, mathematics, and chemistry, a minor in geology, and a MSc in astronomy. She married Darrell Osborn, artist/magician, in 1983. Stephanie worked in Huntsville, AL in the Space Shuttle/Station programs. She retired from the space industry in 2006 to pursue her writing career.

Product Details

  • Perfect Paperback: 328 pages
  • Publisher: Twilight Times Books; First edition (April 15, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1606192000
  • ISBN-13: 978-1606192009
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,148,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Novelist Stephanie Osborn is a former payload flight controller, a veteran of over twenty years of working in the civilian space program, as well as various military space defense programs.

Stephanie holds graduate and undergraduate degrees in four sciences: Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, and she is "fluent" in several more, including Geology and Anatomy. She obtained her various degrees from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

Stephanie Osborn has worked on numerous Space Shuttle flights and the International Space Station, and counts the training of astronauts on her resume. Of those astronauts she trained, one was Kalpana Chawla, or "K.C.," a member of the crew lost in the Columbia disaster.

Stephanie is currently retired from space work. She now happily "passes it forward," tutoring math and science to students in the Huntsville area, from elementary through college, while writing science fiction mysteries based on her knowledge, experience, and travels.

 

Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Not a very satisfying read, August 23, 2010
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The core story premise of Burnout is a classic one, having been told many times over the last few decades. Unfortunately I didn't find Burnout to be a satisfying read.

I could make no emotional connection with the characters. They were thin on substance, and static over the course of the book. I was never surprised by a characters' actions. What suspense existed was driven by what happened to them and not so much by their choices and actions. Some of the devices used to share information about a character were rather annoying. For example, more than once a main characters explains in first person what experience in their background allows them to accomplish some task.

The skeleton of the story line was interesting, and the NASA ops and historical references were fun. The reader is 'dropped' into the story and has to get their bearing along the way as do the protagonists, "murder mystery" style, which I personally find an appealing approach. But the story and its novelty just weren't strong enough to "make up" the difference. The sci-fi genre is notorious for books arguably weak on character development that are still enjoyable reads because of an interesting story line. But the funny thing is, such tales end up adding "character" to the characters, even if only by some form of literary osmosis. Burnout doesn't really deliver in this regard.

One final point are the two completely gratuitous sex scenes. They aren't important to the story line, and don't add insight into the involved characters or their relationships. One of the scenes had potential, as it seemed to be setting up for a sub-plot questioning the nature of the relationship of the couple. Sadly, this was not to be.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced and intriguing, November 24, 2009
By 
This review is from: Burnout: the mystery of Space Shuttle STS-281 (Perfect Paperback)
Burnout seems more like mystery than science fiction, but there are some science fiction aspects to it as well as a touch of romance. It has a number of interesting twists and turns that make it hard to put down. I also had to force myself not to look ahead. While the focus of the plot is the space shuttle, there's actually a lot more to it. It has a glossary in the back but there's just enough technical terms to make it realistic without becoming a burden. I thought it was a fun read and never got bored with it at all.
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5.0 out of 5 stars best book, February 26, 2011
one of the best books ive ever read. Very interesting with crawling through the air ducks and walking through a huge underground hq towards [there] new location.
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