Space Shuttle: The First 20 Years -- The Astronauts' Experiences in Their Own Words (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

We're living in a sci-fi world, but we hardly seem to notice it. Recounting the history of our most successful space program, the editors of Air & Space and Smithsonian magazines reawaken the reader's attention to the fantastic in Space Shuttle: The First 20 Years. Featuring hundreds of beautiful, enlightening, and sometimes funny photographs (many never before published), the book has compelling visual appeal for all ages. Uniquely focused on the personal experiences of the astronauts who lived and worked aboard shuttles and space stations, the text is largely made up of interviews and written reminiscences of these often-inspiring adventurers. The subjects roam from the mundane (What did Mir smell like?) to the reverent (What's it like to see the effects of war from space?). The two main parts of the book are each arranged chronologically: first following the missions from 1981 onward, then looking closely at the experience of space travelers, from training through launch and recovery. To the editor's credit, they don't shy away from retelling the story of the Shuttle program's most defining moment--the 1986 Challenger disaster. Though it's every bit as chilling to read about many years later, the context of later dedication to safety and noncommercial uses heightens the value of the sacrifice. A glossary, detailed mission list, and thorough illustrated guide to shuttle operations round out the book, making it a valuable reference and an important reminder that our species has achieved something heroic. --Rob Lightner

From Library Journal

This amazing book documents the history of the space shuttle program by collecting anecdotes and reminiscences from the astronauts and some remarkable pictures of the shuttle and Earth from space. Compiled by the editors of Air&Space/Smithsonian magazine, the 77 well-edited, first-person accounts are honest and compelling. The astronauts tell funny stories, describe their first experiences in zero gravity, and reveal their fear of failing in their missions. Many complain that the busy schedule during flights left no time to gaze out the window at Earth. Selected from the NASA archives, the numerous color photographs some previously unpublished complement the astronauts' recollections and show amazing views of Earth and the astronauts working in and outside the shuttles. Because this work provides firsthand accounts of the shuttle program, it will be valuable to historians of manned space flight. But casual readers will also be captivated by the astronauts' unique descriptions of the flights, especially the personal details that are usually omitted from books about the shuttle, such as Dennis R. Jenkins's more technology-focused Space Shuttle. Highly recommended. Jeffrey Beall, Univ. of Colorado Lib., Denver
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT; 1st edition (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789484250
• ISBN-13: 978-0789484253
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #420,898 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Compleat Space Shuttle, June 10, 2002

By	Bruce Crocker "agnostictrickster" (Whittier, California United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Space Shuttle: The First 20 Years is the best book on the shuttle program yet. Yes, it has beautiful [and in some cases, unpublished] photos. Yes, it has all the details you need to know to follow a shuttle mission from training to landing. But the best part of this book is that it contains the shuttle experience in the words of the astronauts themselves! The book contains paragraph to essay length quotes from the shuttle astronauts organized into different chapters each concerning a different aspect of a shuttle mission. This book is a cousin to the beautiful and now out-of-print The Home Planet [1988], although the quotes in that book were never longer than a paragraph. To top it off, Space Shuttle: The First 20 Years is published by DK Publishing, a company especially good at this type of book. Throw in a lower than normal price for a coffee table-style book and you can't miss. I highly recommend this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gorgeous Book, March 24, 2003

By	Dennis R. Jenkins (Cape Canaveral, FL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It may seem strange that one author who has written a Space Shuttle book is recommending another book on the same subject, but this is one of the most beautifully presented books I have ever seen. It tells the story from an entirely different perspective than mine, and I am very happy that Tony Reichhardt and the Smithsonian have produced such a wonderful tribute to the program. I highly recommend this work.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As close as you can get to flying yourself!!!, June 7, 2002

By	martin clark (Quincy, MA USA) - See all my reviews

With the words of those who have flown the Space Shuttle over the past 20 years, and stunning NASA photography, the reader is taken on a litterary flight to orbit. Not a dry technical account of stats and flight info, but the actual experiences of the 70+ astronauts that lead the reader from training, launch, on-orbit, visits to MIR and the International Space Station, reentry and landing. The editorial staff of Smithsonian's Air & Space Magazine have joined the league of authors/ astronauts Michael Collins and Jim Lovell and historian Andrew Chakin for their ability allowing readers to take flight through the pages of their books.