This is a true story about the funny side of building the International Space Station. The story is told around actual quotes from real people that accurately, and often elegantly, describe what management would call a ‘character-building’ situation. The characters in this book are stand-ins. The quotes are real. Technically and managerially, the International Space Station was a tremendously ambitious project. It broke new ground in the fields of politics and bureaucracy. All the more magnificent then stands the triumph of those individuals who overcame all the obstacles and built it.
"Is 'Peckerhead' Hyphenated?" Building the International...
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Vincent de Cordoba likes to read vivid accounts of extraordinary experiences. Avoiding fashion, Mr. de Cordoba is generally not interested in the latest and greatest. He prefers the simplicity and elegance of an understated classic (to keep a balanced perspective, however, some modern conveniences such as the mute button on the TV remote control also have their value). He respects open-minded people who think for themselves and enjoys having conversations with people who still have conversations. He does not golf, nor has he ever owned a Sport Utility Vehicle
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Truth About Engineering,
By Elizabeth Volovecky (Auburn, AL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: "Is Peckerhead Hyphenated?" Building the International Space Station (Paperback)
This book is great in the way that it tells some of the truths behind NASA and its contractors better than any other book like it, especially during the development of the International Space Station. The way that de Cordoba presents such truths, in a humorously sarcastic way, makes the reader really want to know what exactly went on. I like how de Cordoba describes the typical engineer during this time for NASA by the attitude and dress of some of his colleagues and how systematic and traditional the engineering business really was. All the engineering norms that you must have to be an engineer like ties, pocket protectors, etc. Then he describes Archie D'Arc, who shows up to work not wearing a tie and describes how drastic of a change is. I also think de Cordoba does a unique job with the geographical and communicational skills of the NASA engineers. The choice of words that people use are often questioned in this business, obviously, and are either ridiculed or taken up from someone to use themselves. Being a student in engineering I can really relate to this because you lose some of your vocabulary to engineering talk and sometimes forget if things like "logicated" is really a word. And usually it is not because you are from another part of the country or world. De Cordoba sets a great picture in the introduction of the book with these things in order to accept the truths behind the scenes. His descriptions of the attitude felt by himself and his coworkers about telecons and design reviews really show the enthusiasm, or lack there of, they have. "Anytime on this program is a funny time to have a CDR, " illustrates the idea of what the engineers really feel. His idea about design issues, such as, requirements, research, deadlines, proposals all have one common thing: they change rapidly! The mood that he gives the reader about engineers is that they must be able to work under pressure and fast and accurately while they do so. De Cordoba really does an excellent job explaining the way of engineers at this time. The down point of this book, I think, was the introduction of so many characters and the idea that he really focused on what the people around him thought, which were all engineers. I think that de Cordoba introduced certain characters into certain context just to give the reader more insight about the particular air of that subject, which is understandable and he did a good job of it, but there was a lot of room for confusion and throughout the book it could have been difficult to remember if he already introduced a certain character or if it was just a new one. The other down side of this book being the point of view that it comes from can differ greatly for the reader. Since it is from a engineering point of view, more or less, a lot more engineers can relate taking the content a little more seriously. For the non-engineers, this book is great from an engineering point of view because they get a first hand experience of what it was like inside of NASA at this time, but only from the opinions from the workers. I think it would have been nice to actually read more about the International Space Station rather than the difficulties of organizational, communicational, and personal skills. Maybe that's me just being technical and wanting to know who designed what and what particular hardships actually happened during the processes, but then again I'm in engineering and like that kind of thing. Overall, I think this is a great book especially for those who want to read about the engineering aspects of this business and how traditional it used to be. The book gives you opportunities to laugh at the characters and sympathize with them as well, whether you are an engineer or not.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sarcastically Insightful...,
By "greenep2" (Auburn, AL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: "Is Peckerhead Hyphenated?" Building the International Space Station (Paperback)
I am sorry to say that I really didn't enjoy this book as much as the other reviewers, but having read it as an assignment for my "History of Space Travel" class, I believe I read it in a different context. Expecting more of a technical overview of the background work in building the International Space Station, I was surprised and disappointed in the early chapters of the book that most of the content was the telling of people's names and their funny and/or (what seemed to be) private jokes between themselves and the author. I'm also more apt to be interested when real names of real people and places are used, instead of some of the silly pseudonyms given. I guess it did add some comical aspects and insights into who these people really are (my favorite character name is Jose Cabesagrande), but after growing up not too far from Huntsville, AL, I'd be more interested in knowing exactly which big corporation and who did what. (While growing up, a lot of my friends' dads worked with NASA.) As the book moved along, it did get somewhat more interesting and insightful with the explanations of the horrendous amounts of paperwork and the numerous presentations given. It certainly didn't surprise me that more time was spent on organizing and preparing and scheduling things than actually getting them done! I guess it also didn't help that when certain aspects were being finalized, one more change would come down the line. Then another change, and another, and another... While writing this review, I am realizing the book wasn't so bad, especially if it were to be read for interest, not as an assignment. It either a) enlightens us as to how NASA has actually been working over time (through the successful Gemini and Apollo programs) or b) shows how much things can change over time. After reading this text, I genuinely believe that workers didn't feel they had an actual goal to work towards, as there was in the Apollo program. No one (in the public, at least) seemed to really care about the space program anymore, as it has become routine to daily life. It is easy to see that too much time was spent on preparing and pitching the goal than actually trying to reach it. **Although not associated with my history class or anything from the book that should be considered important, my favorite point de Cordoba makes in the book: the "engineer dress code". My dad is an engineer and (I love you, Dad) it is SO true. Although my dad dresses decently now, during the eighties and early nineties... whoa.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Smithsonian will be asking for this book next!,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: "Is Peckerhead Hyphenated?" Building the International Space Station (Paperback)
As a small boy watching my first space shuttle launch I have always, and continue to dream, of working for NASA and our U.S. space program someday. This book provided me with a different and much needed perspective on what life was like working on one of our greatest space achievements within our lifetime. The author does a fabulous approach on describing what life was like as the "insider" working on the international space station project. If you have a love for space, engineering, history, politics or just one person's perspective on what they experienced in their life, then this book is for you! It was both a detailed look at very complex problems our NASA team faced and how they solved them to a humorous chronological flow on one process within the project and how we can relate on dreading red tape within any organization (Read Appendix P!). This book should be a required read at all major universities but should be a go forward historical artifact that needs to be preserved for all time by the Smithsonian. Looking forward on seeing if the author will produce additional books related to his experiences within our space program.
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