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  • Published: 14 November 2023
  • ISBN: 9781588347541
  • Imprint: Smithsonian Books
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $74.99

Space Shuttle Stories

Firsthand Astronaut Accounts from All 135 Missions



Experience all 135 NASA space shuttle missions ever flown through the words of the astronauts themselves in this spectacularly illustrated volume

With more than 600 photos from the NASA archives, this guide is perfect for fans of space history and spaceflight

Experience all 135 NASA space shuttle missions ever flown through the words of the astronauts themselves in this spectacularly illustrated volume

With more than 600 photos from the NASA archives, this guide is perfect for fans of space history and spaceflight

NASA's space shuttle was the world's first reusable spacecraft, accomplishing many firsts and inspiring generations across its 30-year lifespan as America's iconic spaceship. In Space Shuttle Stories, shuttle astronaut Tom Jones interviewed more than 130 fellow astronauts for personal vignettes from each mission, complemented by their written accounts for all 135 space shuttle missions, from Columbia's maiden flight in 1981 to the final launch of Atlantis in 2011. The book is a major contribution to the historical record of a momentous era of spaceflight.

Each mission profile includes:

  • An astronaut narrative that immerses the readers in their personal mission experience
  • Data about the mission, crew, launch, landing, duration, and highlights
  • Captivating photographs rarely seen by the public

The Space Shuttle program’s 6 orbiter vehicles (Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour) carried a total of 355 astronauts into orbit on 135 missions aimed at cutting-edge scientific research, satellite launch, retrieval and repair, collaborative work with the Russian Mir station, the launching and servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope, and the construction of the International Space Station. Space Shuttle Stories focuses on the lived, human experiences of larger-than-life space missions. It's a definitive oral history that captures the importance, wonder, and exhilaration of the Space Shuttle era.
  • Published: 14 November 2023
  • ISBN: 9781588347541
  • Imprint: Smithsonian Books
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $74.99

About the author

Tom Jones

Date: 2013-08-06
Tom Jones is a writer and bestselling author of Tired of London, Tired of Life and Mad Dogs & Englishmen. He is happiest when discovering new things to do and believes it is important to make the most of where you live. Born near Stroud in the Cotswolds, he is the son of two shopkeepers and studied in York before moving to London. Tom's favourite pub is the Woolpack at Slad in Gloucestershire, and his favourite place in London is 19 Princelet Street. London, The Weekends Start Here is Tom's third book.

Sir Thomas Jones Woodward, OBE, known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer. He became one of the most popular vocalists to emerge from the mid-1960s. Since then he has sung nearly every form of popular music - pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, soul and gospel - and sold over 100 million records. Sir Tom has had thirty-six top 40 hits in the UK and nineteen in the US, including It's Not Unusual, Delilah, Kiss and Sex Bomb.

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