Reviews (1)

This book on tape is poorly read
My chief complaint with this book on tape is that it is read poorly, probably by the author. Although Moon Shot by Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton was panned in Amazon reviews, I very much enjoyed the book on tape version because a professional actor did the reading. Cernan's book on tape could have benefited immensely from an actor, too.

I found myself wondering how much co-author Don Davis helped Cernan with the descriptive language and thought it was a waste that Cernan (if he was the reader) couldn't do justice to the words.

As for content, Cernan relies too much on cliches, and I tend to agree with the reviewer who said Cernan writes too much about the internal politics of mission assignment.

However, his account of his first marriage made me wonder how much he wasn't telling. At first he seems to go out of his way to explain that other astronauts cheated on their wives, but he did not. His marriage was sound. Later in the book we hear how he spends too little time with his family. And at the end he tells us they got divorced four years after he left NASA. He, of course, got remarried and had two more children. Sounds like just another guy who traded in his faithful wife of the same age on a younger model. I ended up feeling sorry for Barbara. ... Read more

Book Description

When astronaut Michael Foale said good-bye to his family on May 16, 1997 to join the Russian space station Mir, it hadn't seemed like anything more than a routine mission.But within days of his arrival in space, everything started to go wrong.First there was a horrific collision, then a series of computer crashes which endangered the lives of the inhabitants trapped inside the ageing, orbiting module.Suddenly the dangers of space became terrifyingly real.

All the way through his ordeal, Michael - whose quick thinking and natural leadership quickly earned him a reputation as the hero of the mission - was communicating with his parents on a daily basis, giving them the exclusive, inside account of the events as they unfolded.His father Colin Foale, found himself becoming the mouthpiece on earth for the events that were happening 240 miles above him in space.As a former RAF pilot, Colin had first hand experience of the kind of split-second life or death decisions his son was facing in space.In this case, he could only watch as the events unfolded.In this gripping account of a real-life space adventure, Colin Foale has painted a moving portrait of courage in the most hostile environment imaginable.Through Michael's early interest in space, family tragedy, NASA selection and training, this is Michael's extraordinary story as told by the one man who knows him best.WAYSTATION TO THE STARS is the only account of the Mir crisis to give the truth behind the headlines. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An Enthusiastic Astronaut
This is the story of Michael Foale's stay aboard Mir, as related by his father Colin. It would be hard to find a more enthusiastic and joyful astronaut than Michael, even though his life had been touched by tragedy he seems to have enjoyed every moment of what was an eventful and dangerous mission aboard Mir. Fire, collision, computer failure - the spacecraft was a basket case, but Michael was unfailingly cheerful as he helped patch it up as well as keep in contact with a multitude of correspondents by e-mail.

His father tells Michael's story as well as that of his family and he share's his son's delight in life. This is a remarkable story of what could so easily have been a tale of bitter disappointment.

Reccomended reading for those interested in the US-Russian space alliance in general and Mir in particular.

Something special that makes me continue dreaming.
As a Brit, and having followed Mike Foales exploits at NASA this book just adds to the hope that some things really are possible, no matter how hard they may seem. But the beauty of it is simply that through this book, he seems just a normal guy, just like any of us. It doesn't swamp you with the science, but shows the human side to the challenges we face, and makes you smile through little things like him reminding his wife to pay the bills whilst he's on the Mir and promising to put the rubbish out again once he's back.

Having read "Dragonfly" I was worried that it would be a re-hash, but I can say that it most certainly is not. The tone is different (no doubt because it is written by his father) and it adds a far greater insight into what the crew experienced.

It was definitely "un-put-downable" and I've even re-read the book which, trust me, I rarely do. Definitely the best by a long way in comparison with "Dragonfly" and Linenger's new offering.

A Family View of Orbit
One wife of an Apollo Astronaut once said, "If you think it's hard being an astronaut, you should be his wife." In this book the viewpoint of Colin Foal, a RAF pilot with a distinguished career in his own right, shows the view of the Foale Clan here in the US and England whlie son and NASA Astronaut Michael Foal spends 4 months on the Mir Space Station. During his stay, astronaut Foale contends with an onboard collision, power failures and the workings of Mir, built for 5 years in space and still going on. On earth the Foale family contends with the media quick to point out the problems of the weary station without recognizing the achievements made by Foale and his Russian crewmates. A great read to gain insight into living on the Mir and how the family at home copes with the perils of spaceflight. ... Read more

Book Description

At the age of 77, John Glenn will return to orbit, making him the oldest person ever in space.This is a step-by-step story of that heroic mission.Included will be 25 black & white photographs and 50 color photographs plus coverage of Glenn's arduous preparation, the Space Shuttle's launch, transmissions from space, and the landing. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A good book about a great American hero
I was thrilled to buy this book, as it was John Glenn's flight back in 1962 that first got me interested in spaceflight history - an interest which endures to this day. I also flew all the way from Australia to attend the STS-95 launch, and consider it one of the greatest occasions of my life. This book is very well written, as it should have been with two professionals at the helm, and obviously a lot of background work was done on the text prior to the launch. It reads very well and easily, and the photo choice (although the reproduction of some is quite poor) is excellent. For such a well researched book, however, the authors should have paid a little more attention to what actually occurs in the final ten seconds of a shuttle launch, as they got that wrong and - hey guys! - the teacher who died in the Challenger explosion was Christa McAuliffe, not McCauliffe as you state on several occasions. But they are mild irritations in an otherwise worthwhile, and certainly timely, book. ... Read more

Book Description

Learn more about the first American to orbit planet Earth!Relive the excitement of John Glenn's first space mission!Read about John Glenn's valuable research on the Discovery Mission! Biographies of Senator/Astronaut John Glenn and his wife Annie Glenn are surrounded by mission information from Mercury 6 and Discovery. Awe inspiring photographs supplied by NASA! A personal letter from John Glenn serves as the forward of the book!Robin Moore, author of The Green Berets, The French Connection,and many other best-sellers, has written a poem for John Glenn!Poets from around the world honor John Glenn in verse, continuing poetry's traditional role in preserving the legacy of history's heroes. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!
It's more than a biography of John Glenn. It's more than a poetry book. I'll keep one for myself, and will get one for my old parents. I'm sure it will encourage them as his last mission did. ... Read more

Book Description

A revised and updated 3rd edition ofWhos Who in Space, Michael Cassutts biographical reference work on the history space exploration and the people who have been pioneers in the field. This edition covers all the major changes in the space program since 1992 including preparation for the launch of the International Space Station scheduled for 1999.The work is illustrated throughout, including a multi-page insert of color photographs of NASA mission crew patches and key figures in the U.S. and Russian space programs. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Superb biographic reference Manned Spaceflight
The for now (2002) last in a series of 3 books on both flown and unflown astronauts and cosmonauts. Other updated editions are the "International Space Station" edition and the "International Space Year" edition. All books are A4 format and hardcover. Some pages in the middle with color crew-photos and mission-patches.
The fourth book in the series might include all Chinese cosmonauts which are in training at Starcity since 2002.
Every astronaut/cosmonaut is presented per nationality and per background ( civilian or mililitary astronauts, etc ... ). Furthermore there's a passport-photo of each space-man or woman.
What makes it so interesting is that it provides the CV on all the astronauts/cosmonauts, and therefore anyone who has any desire to become an astronaut/cosmonaut can form an idea which studies are required. A great refernece and a must-have book for space-buffs !

Excellenty biographic reference flown and unflown astronauts
Who's who in space is an excellent biographic reference for readers interested in the background of Astronauts, Cosmonauts and Spationautes alike. This book groups all Astro- Cosmonauts by nationality ( US + Russian + international = ESA + CNES + ... ) and then divides them down into Military and Civilian categories. Each book ( there're 3 editions ) is A4 format, hardcover. Later edition(s) might include Chinese cosmonauts which are training at Starcity-Moscow since 2002.
Each Astronaut and Cosmonaut is represented by his or her Official Individual portrait together with a short biography and a listing of the flown missions What makes it so interesting is that it provides the CV on all the astronauts/cosmonauts, and therefore anyone who has any desire to become an astronaut/cosmonaut can form an idea which studies are required.... Great book as it also has sections on Astronaut group selection and Crewphotos and emblems of the most important US and Russian space missions ...
Book is used by some SpaceCollectors to get it signed by those who're listed inside ! A must-have for space-buffs ! ... Read more

Book Description

Distinguished African Americans in Aviation and Space Science offers brief, readable entries that describe the lives and careers of 80 men and 20 women who defied poverty and prejudice to excel in the fields of aviation and space exploration. Each essay begins with birth and death dates, educational institutions attended and degrees earned, positions held, and awards won. A short summary of the individual's contribution to aviation or space science is followed by a biographical narrative divided into three sections: Early Years, Higher Education, and Career Highlights. Often based on the authors' correspondence with the subjects themselves, or with family members, this illustrated volume provides the fullest and most accessible biographical information available for many of these figures. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Russian Life, published by Russian Information Services, on November 1, 2000. The length of the article is 425 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Mourning Titov's passing.(German Titov: the second astronaut to orbit the earth)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
Publication: Russian Life (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2000
Publisher: Russian Information Services,
Volume: 43Issue: 6Page: 7

Article Type: Brief Article, Obituary

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Russian Life, published by Russian Information Services, on April 1, 1997. The length of the article is 952 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Apr 1997 marks the celebration of the 36th anniversary of the flight of Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. He was sent into space on Apr 12, 1961. He died in 1968 when his plane crashed after a test flight but his legacy remains.

Citation Details
Title: "One single, marvelous instant." (36th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's space flight)
Author: Valentina Kolesnikova
Publication: Russian Life (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 1997
Publisher: Russian Information Services,
Volume: v40Issue: n4Page: p23(1)

Article Type: Biography

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Child Life, published by Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc. on December 1, 1995. The length of the article is 1192 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Story Musgrave: a poet in space.(Hubble Space Telescope repairs)
Author: Marianne Dyson
Publication: Child Life (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 1995
Publisher: Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc.
Volume: v74Issue: n8Page: p4(4)

Article Type: Biography

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Reviews (1)

Touching the Earth: A Powerful Message of Hope!
This book is an amazing visual and written testament to the beauty and variety of Earth. Intensely concerned about the health of our planet, Dr. Bondar explores the changes that have taken place over the past twenty-five years of space travel. Her powerful message of hope on the environment will change the way we think about our relationship with the Earth. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Statesman (1996), published by New Statesman, Ltd. on October 23, 1998. The length of the article is 1072 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: American astronaut John Glenn is scheduled for a space mission in Oct 1998. The mission aims to give light on the reasons behind the premature aging of astronauts' and animals' bodies while in space.

Citation Details
Title: They still want him now he's 77. (astronaut John Glenn)
Author: Andrew Stephen
Publication: New Statesman (1996) (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 23, 1998
Publisher: New Statesman, Ltd.
Volume: v127Issue: n4408Page: p30(1)

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Midstream, published by Theodor Herzl Foundation on April 1, 2003. The length of the article is 2060 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Ilan Ramon, z"l.(Biography)
Author: Haim Chertok
Publication: Midstream (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2003
Publisher: Theodor Herzl Foundation
Volume: 49Issue: 3Page: 2(2)

Article Type: Biography

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Book Description

A loving portrait of the brilliant scientist and discoverer of electro-magnetic induction, electro-magnetic rotations, the magneto-optical effect, diamagnetism, field theory and much else. From his experiments came devices which led directly to the modern electric motor, generator and transformer. Faraday was also the greatest scientific lecturer of his day, who did much to publicise the great advances of nineteenth-century science and technology through his articles, correspondence and the Friday evening discourses which he established at the Royal Institution. The Royal Institution Christmas lectures for children, begun by Faraday, continue to this day.

This biography, written by his friend, John Tyndall, is an intimate look at a man in love with his quest to discover the electrical secrets of nature. ... Read more