The Story of the Space Shuttle (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration) [Paperback]

David M. Harland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 17, 2004 | Series: Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration

In spite of the Challenger and Columbia disasters, the US Space Shuttle, which entered service in 1981, remains the most successful spacecraft ever developed. Conceived and designed as a reusable spacecraft to provide cheap access to low Earth orbit, and to supersede expendable launch vehicles, serving as the National Space Transportation System, it now coexists with a new range of commercial rockets. David Harland’s definitive work on the Space Shuttle explains the scientific contribution the Space Shuttle has made to the international space programme, detailing missions to Mir, Hubble and more recently its role in the assembly of the International Space Station. This substantial revision to existing chapters and extension of ‘The Space Shuttle’, following the loss of Columbia, will include a comprehensive account of the run-up to resumption of operations and conclude with a chapter beyond the Shuttle, looking at possible future concepts for a partly or totally reusable space vehicle which are being considered to replace the Shuttle.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"At twenty pounds, this book is good value and deserves a place on every space enthusiast's bookshelf."

--Nick Qunlan, Astronomy Now, September, 2005

Product Details

• Paperback: 468 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1st Edition. edition (June 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852337931
• ISBN-13: 978-1852337933
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,934,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable details about today's space program, January 16, 2005

By 

S. G Spires (Huntsville, Al United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Story of the Space Shuttle (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration) (Paperback)

Pick up any of the Praxis-Springer books and you'll think it's a textbook. And that is partly a correct assumption. This book is different in its narrative, however. It's not just dry facts, but an interesting collection of accomplishments.

David M. Harland's Story of the Space Shuttle is very well written and anybody who has the slightest passing interest in America's space program will enjoy it.

It's really broken down into three or four sections. The first 200 pages or so deals with a chronological highlight of every shuttle mission. You could stop reading there and have enjoyed a book on the shuttle program and learned quite a bit about what the shuttle's science and engineering accomplishments were (which are myriad and too many to list even though many people would have you believe the shuttle never did much of anything).

The next 200 pages deals with detailed discussions about spacewalks, science performed on the shuttle and its contributions to the Russian Mir Space Station and the International Space Station.

At the end, there is list of every shuttle flight that includes: orbiter information, cargo manifest, crew list, launch dates and major achievements for each flight.

This is a great, interesting work that I would advise anybody over the age of 10 to read.