All in Space Program
Roger D. Launius and Dennis R. Jenkins’ COMING HOME
COMING HOME is another well-illustrated NASA e-book containing much detail about an important topic of aerospace history. This time the subject is the safe return of space vehicles to earth.
Mary Roach’s “PACKING FOR MARS”
Somewhere in NASA and there must be an office plotting ways to replace human space explorers with machines. Reading this book explains why.
Andy Weir’s THE MARTIAN
This novel shows better than most what it’s like to “work the problem” and how it pays be creative, smart, disciplined, and brave
Boris Chertok's “ROCKETS AND PEOPLE VOLUME 3: HOT DAYS OF THE COLD WAR”
I can’t help but wonder when reading about these exciting times what it might have been like had the U.S. and Soviet Union cooperated in space exploration earlier on. Would the combined resources have resulted in greater joint accomplishments like a moon base or a landing on Mars? Or was the competition and secrecy effective in pushing both sides ahead?
Craig Nelson's ROCKET MEN: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon
Having always been a fan of aerospace history this book is one of the first I’ve read that actually attempts to answer in some depth the question, “What was it like to be part of the Apollo program?” We hear from the different participants from astronaut on down. It’s highly educational and even surprising in parts.
Gerard J. DeGroot's DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
As a longtime fan of the U.S. space program my current lack of interest in the International Space Station and the recently announced Lunar Colony comes as a bit of a surprise to me.
Walter A. McDougall's THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH: A POLITICAL HISTORY OF THE SPACE AGE
This 1985 book by Walter A. McDougall is a real eye opener, especially if all you know about the early space program is the famous excerpt from John F. Kennedy’s speech