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Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut
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| Part No: | B000WMKK9W |
| Manufacturer: | Scribner |
| MFG Part: | |
| Customer Rating: | 4.5 / 5.0 |
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In 1978, the first group of space shuttle astronauts was introduced to the world -- twenty-nine men and six women who would carry NASA through the most tumultuous years of the space shuttle program. Among them was USAF Colonel Mike Mullane, who, in his memoir
Riding Rockets, strips the heroic veneer from the astronaut corps and paints them as they are -- human.
Mullane's tales of arrested development among military flyboys working with feminist pioneers and post-doc scientists are sometimes bawdy, often comical, and always entertaining. He vividly portrays every aspect of the astronaut experience, from telling a female technician which urine-collection condom size is a fit to hearing "Taps" played over a friend's grave. He is also brutally honest in his criticism of a NASA leadership whose bungling would precipitate the Challenger disaster -- killing four members of his group. A hilarious, heartfelt story of life in all its fateful uncertainty, Riding Rockets will resonate long after the call of "Wheel stop."
| I feel like I'm there. | 2008-12-24 | 5 / 5 |
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| This book totally soothes my unfulfilled lifelong dreams of being an astronaut. Not only is it an amazing historical reference from a first-person, been-there perspective, but it's intelligent and very funny as well. (Even as a female, the endless "planet AD" jokes make me chuckle.) The narratives about space flight make me feel like I'm strapped into the crew cockpit, feeling, seeing, and hearing everything. And the stories about the NASA administration and other astronauts bring a human, personal level to these demigods of spaceflight. Overall, a totally fantastic read - in the truest sense of the word. I know I'll read this book more than once. |
| fantastic... | 2008-09-02 | 5 / 5 |
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| I could not put it down...Mike provides a great combination of his experiences, history about NASA, personal history, impact on him and his family, stories of his close friends and the emotions he felt throughout his whole experience. It's worth it... |
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| Hilarious. Not just for guys who like space stuff. Our son read it and bought it as a father's day gift. My husband has been reading it and howling so he's reading it to me. Mike Mullane is absolutely candid about himself and the era he is describing, Loads of fun. |
| wonderful book! | 2008-08-08 | 5 / 5 |
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| This book is an insider account of NASA and the shuttle program. It was hard to put this book down, for several reasons. First the writing is witty and interesting; Mike has a real gift with words and a humorous way of expressing his thoughts. Second, its a real peak into a world most of us no nothing about except for the "Right Stuff" kind of pronouncements we see at the press conferences. This book is searingly honest; I don't know if most of us would tell our best friends the details about our thoughts and history that Mike reveals in this book, but he holds nothing back. |
| Well done!! | 2008-07-09 | 5 / 5 |
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| Surprisingly good book about the real NASA. I would recommend it to anyone with even a small interest in the space program. |
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