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Tag Archives: human space flight
Soviets…..in Space
Soviets in Space: The People of the USSR and the Race to the Moon© 2021 Colin Turbett232 pages In 1959, Soviet Russia shocked the world, and especially its rival the United States, by launching an artificial satellite into orbit. Sputnik-I’s … Continue reading
Back to Earth
Back to Earth: What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet and our Mission to Protect It© 2021 Nicola Stott304 pages A staple of astronaut memoirs is the attempt to communicate the near-religious experience of seeing the Earth … Continue reading
Posted in General
Tagged biography, civic activism, climate change, human space flight, ISS, women
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Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars© 2021 Eileen Collins314 pages Eileen Collins was obsessed with flying. Maybe it was an unusual preoccupation for a girl, but her parents – despite their struggles with mental illness and alcoholism – always … Continue reading
Into the Black
Into the Black: The Extraordinary Untold Story of the First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia © 2016 Rowland White480 pages As the Apollo missions neared the completion of their goal, NASA looked ahead and charted a bold new course … Continue reading
Posted in history, Reviews
Tagged aviation, human space flight, space shuttle, technology
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A year in space: some quotes and something completely different
Scott Kelly had his brother send him a gorilla suit so he could pull pranks on his coworkers. Pranks look…a little different on the International Space Station. And now, some quotes. The space shuttle, fully fueled with cryogenic liquid, creaked … Continue reading
It’s not so lonely out in space: three to celebrate Apollo 11
Fifty-two years ago, men from Earth touched down on the moon and inaugurated a new era in human exploration. I usually re-watch From the Earth to the Moon (a Tom Hanks docu-drama that is in my “Everything is burning but … Continue reading
Posted in Classics and Literary, Reviews, science fiction
Tagged biography, H.G. Wells, human space flight, memoir, Star Trek, vintage SF, William Shatner
4 Comments
Spaceman
Spaceman: An Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey© 2016 Mike Massimino336 pages All his life, Mike Massimino wanted to be an astronaut. He was six when he saw Neil Armstrong’s famous small step, and he wanted to be out there with the men … Continue reading
Space Camp!
It’s been ages since I went on a proper astronaut spree (Deke!, 2016), and lately I’ve been feeling the itch. With the Moon landing anniversary right around the corner (literally — it’s a week from today), why not have some … Continue reading
Flying high in rockets and opiods
Well, folks, Christmas is over, and so is 2018 — almost. Below are the final comments or reviews for 2018: Dreamland and Rocket Girls, two very different histories. One is inspiring, the other….so very not. First up, Rocket Girls! Call to … Continue reading
Posted in history, Reviews
Tagged crime, drug war on America, history, human space flight, Mexico, women
2 Comments
North Alabama II: Space, the Final Frontier
I visited the Huntsville Space and Rocket Center in my childhood, but my memories of it are hazy. I found it much changed; although the rockets are still there, of course, what little I remember is gone and a lot … Continue reading
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