Wheels Stop: The Tragedies and Triumphs of the Space Shuttle Program, 1986-2011: Outward Odyssey: A People's History of Space (Unabridged)
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $21.99
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- $21.99
Publisher Description
Humanity's first reusable spacecraft and the most complex machine ever built, NASA's space shuttle debuted with great promise and as a dependable source of wonder and national pride. But with the Challenger catastrophe in 1986, the whole space shuttle program came into question, as did NASA itself, so long an institution that was seemingly above reproach.
Wheels Stop tells the stirring story of how, after the Challenger disaster, the space shuttle not only recovered but went on to perform its greatest missions. From the Return to Flight mission of STS-26 in 1988 to the last shuttle mission ever on STS-135 in 2011, Wheels Stop takes listeners behind the scenes as the shuttle's crews begin to mend Cold War tensions with the former Soviet Union, conduct vital research, deploy satellites, repair the Hubble Space Telescope, and assist in constructing the International Space Station. It also tells the heart-wrenching story of the Columbia tragedy and the loss of the magnificent STS-107 crew.
As complex as the shuttle was, the people it carried into orbit were often more so - and this is their story, too. Close encounters with astronauts, flight controllers, and shuttle workers capture the human side of the space shuttle's amazing journey - and invite listeners along for the ride.
The book is published by University of Nebraska Press.
Customer Reviews
Cool title
It’s a good book but I have to turn my phone off and back on to listen to it
Strangely incomplete
The Space Shuttle is an interesting bit of history with precious little coverage. I was looking for some background on this amazing bit of technology, so I bought this book. What it covers is good, no complaints, but it doesn't start until the Challenger disaster. To be fair, it basically says that right in the subtitle: ...1986-.... However, when you pick up a book about a block of time, you don't expect the first third of that time to be omitted. I saw 1986, but I didn't translate 1986 into "we left out the first decade and all of the planning."
Fair enough, I'll attempt to decipher the hidden deletions glossed over in titles in the future.
What is there is, in fact, what I was looking for: stories of the shuttle, how the astronauts got there, what they accomplished that wasn't in the news, etc. So if you're interested in the last two-thirds of shuttle history, this is the book for you.
The narrator wasn't great, I'm sure he tried and meant well. The publisher seems small and probably didn't have a lot of cash, so they couldn't get a great actor.
Despite the parts referenced, the book is full of good info and it details the crews and the drama and the recombinations of crews. There were so many in the shuttle program that most people couldn't name five shuttle astronauts, so I appreciated the extensive backgrounds and stories.
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