Space Exploration
(July 5, 2006 )
Space has been a curious and unknown topic for many. What is out there, how we go about finding out, what preparations are needed, and the people who might get us there are just a few of the questions that need answers. Here is a list of tiles prepared by Reader Advisor Carol Mathews that answer some of those questions.
To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. You may also request these titles online through our OPAC. Happy Reading!
Almost Heaven: The Story of Women in Space by Bettyann Kevles.
RC 58143.
Account of forty women of diverse international cultures and various ages struggling to enter American and Soviet space programs during the Cold War and later. From extensive interviews and research, Yale historian chronicles legal, institutional, and social developments that eventually eased women’s participation in the secretive, male dominated field.
Apollo, the Race to the Moon by Charles A. Murray and Catherine Bly Cox.
RC 32341.
Presents the inside story of how a group of Americans meet the challenge to land men on the moon and return them safely to earth. It is a human story of engineers, presidents, astronauts, flight directors, and all the unheralded people from the launch pad to mission control. It is also a scientific story that begins with a space program in chaos, and proceeds from tragedy to triumph.
Before Lift-Off: The Making of a Space Shuttle Crew by Henry S.F. Cooper.
RC 27731.
Portrayal of the lives of astronauts being trained for a mission in 1984. Relates the complicated tasks they have to learn, the comradeship that develops among team members, and the dangers the crews face. Discusses the tragic "Challenger" accident as well as the exhilarating moments of successful missions.
Challenger: The Final Voyage by Richard S. Lewis.
BR 7980, RC 29863.
From the prelaunch banter among the crew to the explosion over the Atlantic, the final moments of the space shuttle "Challenger" are chronicled by Lewis. He also discusses the salvage efforts, the investigation and findings of the Rogers Commission, and the reorganization of NASA and the shuttle program.
Comm Check: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia by Michael Cabbage and William Harwood.
RC 60047.
Journalists chronicle the last mission of the space shuttle Columbia that disintegrated upon re-entry on February 1, 2003, killing seven astronauts. Behind-the-scenes account details the accident, believed to be caused by wing damage from foam insulation debris. Covers the subsequent investigation and the tragedy’s repercussions for the shuttle program.
Countdown: A History of Space Flight by T.A. Heppenheimer.
RC 46019.
A chronicle of international efforts at space exploration since the 1930s. Describes the early experiments and breakthroughs, key personalities whose vision and work advanced the science of space flight, the technologies that made it possible, and the obstacles that were overcome in conquering the frontier of space.
Dragonfly: NASA and the Crisis aboard the MIR by Bryan Burrough.
RC 48930.
An investigation of the series of accidents on the space station Mir during joint missions between Americans and Russians in the late 1990s. Reveals details of the mishaps and looks at the impact of culture clashes and differing program management techniques. Based on transcripts and logs of air-to-ground communications and interviews with participants.
Fallen Astronauts: Heroes Who Died Reaching for the Moon by Colin Burgess, Kate Doolan and Bert Vis.
RC 60535.
Profiles the eight American astronauts who lost their lives before the 1969 lunar landing of Apollo 11, three in a well-publicized launch pad fire, four in aircraft accidents, and another in an automobile crash. Also commemorates their counterparts, the Russian cosmonauts who died during the superpowers’ space race.
Flight: My Life in Mission Control by Christopher C. Kraft.
RC 53219.
NASA’s first flight director offers an insider’s view of the early days of the space program in the 1960s. He describes past achievements such as the first manned launch with Alan Shepard, and the glitches, near disasters, and successes, culminating with the astronauts walking on the moon. Some strong language.
For Spacious Skies: The Uncommon Journey of a Mercury Astronaut by M. Scott Carpenter and Kris Stoever.
RC 57329.
Autobiography of one of the seven Project Mercury astronauts. Carpenter revisits his childhood, naval aviation training, and selection to NASA’s landmark program. He details his 1962 three-orbit mission aboard Aurora 7 and his reactions that averted disaster upon reentry. Co-written with his daughter.
Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8: The First Manned Flight to another World by Robert Zimmerman.
RC 49671.
Recounts the flight of Apollo 8, the first manned vehicle to venture beyond Earth’s orbit. Provides personal biographies of the three astronauts and assesses their accomplishment in the context of the Cold War and the turbulent political events of 1968.
Gus Grissom: The Lost Astronaut by Ray E. Boomhower.
RC 60634.
Biography of one of the seven original Mercury astronauts, Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom. Follows Grissom’s selection by NASA in 1959 and his missions in space. Describes the catastrophic fire in the Apollo 1 spacecraft that killed him, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee on January 27, 1967 at Cape Kennedy.
Hubble: The Mirror on the Universe by Robin Kerrod.
RC 58020.
Astronomer explores the nature and evolution of the universe based on the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990. Describes the structure of galaxies, the life cycles of stars, and the planets in Earth’s solar system. Includes background information on the Hubble project.
I Touch the Future: The Story of Christa McAuliffe by Robert T. Hohler.
RC 25097.
Portrait of the teacher-astronaut written by a journalist who came to know her well during the last months of her life, before the tragic space-shuttle explosion. Hohler reaches all the way back to her childhood, then follows her through adolescence, marriage, career, and training for flight as a member of the "Challenger" crew.
Jupiter Odyssey: the Story of NASA’s Galileo Mission by David M. Harland.
RC 53864.
Focuses on the spaceship Galileo’s journey through the solar system. Discusses its observations of Venus, the Earth and its moon, a pair of asteroids, and a comet’s crash into Jupiter. Provides insight into the technical challenges and triumphs of this mission, launched in 1989.
The Last Man on the Moon: Astronaut Eugene Cernan and America’s Race in Space by Eugene Cernan and Don Davis.
RC 50403.
This memoir of a space pioneer describes his personal experiences during his years with NASA, especially the flights of Gemini 9, Apollo 10, and Apollo 17. Cernan recalls the technical problems, his relations with fellow astronauts, and some family repercussions, but mostly the thrill of being in space and walking on the moon.
Liftoff: The Story of America’s Adventure in Space by Michael Collins.
RC 30987.
A history of America’s space program beginning with Mercury and continuing through Gemini, Apollo, the Space Shuttle, and plans for a space station. Collins, commander of the Apollo 11 Lunar Orbitor, interviewed many of the astronauts and their comments contribute to an understanding of the space program. There are also answers to many trivia questions that nag armchair astronauts.
Light This Candle: the Life and Times of Alan Shepard, America’s First Spaceman by Neal Thompson.
RC 59129.
Journalist describes how NASA chose Mercury Seven’s Alan Shepard (1923-1998) as the first American in space. Drawing on exclusive access to private papers and interviews, Thompson portrays Shepard as impatient, driven, womanizing, and competitive. Details his life and career before, during, and after the space program. Strong language.
Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 by Jim Lovell & Jeffrey Kluger.
RC 40691.
Apollo 13 was to have been the fifth mission to the moon. But two days into the trip, on April 13, 1970, the oxygen tank exploded in the command module, placing the three astronauts in grave danger. Lovell describes those terrifying days as astronauts, contractors, and Mission Control struggled to bring Apollo 13 safely back to earth. Basis for the movie Apollo 13.
The Mercury 13: The Untold Story of Thirteen American Women and the Dream of Space Flight by Martha Ackmann.
RC 57609.
Professor relates the experiences of thirteen female pilots who underwent secret testing for potential inclusion in the U.S. space program during the 1960s. Using historical research and firsthand interviews, Ackmann follows Jerrie Cobb, Wally Funk, and others through the selection process, barrage of trials, and battle against gender discrimination.
Mission Jupiter: The Spectacular Journey of the Galileo Spacecraft by Daniel Fischer.
RC 57435.
Award-winning German columnist describes the landmark discoveries of NASA’s Galileo space probe, which reached Jupiter, after passing by Venus and two asteroids, in December 1995, more than six years after liftoff. Fischer provides mission history and specifications, focusing on what the project data revealed about the planet’s moons and atmosphere.
Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America’s Race to the Moon by Alan B. Shepard and Donald K. Slayton.
RC 38891.
Mercury Seven astronauts trace the space program from the beginning to the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969. This account recalls the astronauts’ inside and personal story including planning, training, delays, risks, errors, achievements, scientific experiments, Soviet rivalry turned cooperative effort, and human drama and tragedy. Some strong language.
Rocket Man: Robert H. Goddard and the Birth of the Space Age by David A. Clary.
RC 57549.
Biography of Massachusetts-born physicist known as the American father of modern rocketry. This balanced portrait of Goddard (1882-1945) not only considers his contributions to space-flight technology, major among them the liquid-fueled rocket, but also his contradictory nature and the rise and fall of his image in the twentieth century.
Space Odyssey: The First Forty Years of Space Exploration by Serge Brunier.
RC 59478.
French journalist chronicles the landmark achievements of humankind’s space ventures from Yuri Gagarin’s inaugural flight and Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon to twenty-first-century Mars probes. Discusses Russian and American missions, technological developments, the International Space Station, challenges posed by deep space exploration, and more.
Space Shuttle: The First 20 Years edited by Tony Reichhardt for Air & Space and Smithsonian magazine.
RC 55789.
Seventy-seven astronauts who lived and worked on reusable orbiters from 1981 to 2001 reminisce about lift-off, weightless conditions, and reentry.
Taking Science to the Moon: Lunar Experiments and the Apollo Program by Donald A. Beattie.
RC 55465.
Insider’s view of how NASA staffers banded with scientists to expand the research activities of the moon landing, an unprecedented undertaking. Discusses the behind-the-scenes maneuvering leading to Project Apollo’s scientific achievements, which enriched knowledge not only of the Moon but of the planet Earth.