In the newly released book “Lasers, Death Rays, and the Long, Strange Quest for the Ultimate Weapon,” (Prometheus Books, 2019), veteran science writer Jeff Hecht details the strange and incredible history of real-life laser weapons. Jones — who helped build the International Space Station and flew on the longest single space shuttle mission ever (18 days!) From training to fly to space, launch, weightlessness, spacewalks and returning to Earth, Peake hits all the highlights — plus less standard spaceman experiences such as running the London Marathon in orbit and getting emails from Elton John. Name-brand companies including Virgin Galactic SpaceX, Blue Origin and more appear in its pages. The early rocket test launches thundering through the sky near the California-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) had everything to do with a highly-skilled group of women, called computers, who performed the trajectory and rocket-design calculations for much of the laboratory's long history. Stern and Grinspoon's narrative delivers an in-depth view of how to design a space mission, shepherd it through the hurdles of approval and design, and send it toward the unknown when you have just one shot to get it right. Here, there are lots of books getting into PDF format. Some of the missions and proposals discussed in the book will likely be well-known to space history buffs, but others are more obscure: Pyle dug deep to find mission concepts buried by history. The orbiter is about to touch down on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. We check over 130 million products every day for the best prices, (Image credit: Courtesy of Prometheus Books), Lasers Death Rays and the Long Strange Quest for the Ultimate Weapon, Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and, (Image credit: Courtesy Smithsonian Books), The Smithsonian History of Space Exploration, (Image credit: Harper Collins Publishers), (Image credit: Nicole Sommer-Lecht/Prometheus Books), (Image credit: Little, Brown and Company), (Image credit: University of Nebraska Press), (Image credit: Berrett-Koehler Publishers), see our ongoing Space Books coverage here, check out an excerpt describing early rocket experiments here. ~Hanneke Weitering, Nevala-Lee's fascinating new book "Astounding" follows four titans of the golden age of science fiction who guided the genre during its formative years: Astounding Science Fiction magazine editor John Campbell and authors Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein and L. Ron Hubbard. But somehow it managed to deliver breathtaking views of the distant dwarf planet that revolutionized how we thought about the solar system and the planets that inhabit it. ~Calla Cofield. 'Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances' (Amistad, 2017). Peake's explanations are entertaining and easy to follow, but he doesn't shy away from delving into detail about how the technology works that brought and kept him in space. From failed experiments to lasers built to be as large as airplanes, the development of laser weapons has been one strange journey that Hecht explains in captivating detail. Written by four-time space shuttle flyer Tom Jones, the book features nearly 400 different questions (and answers) on just about every facet of his life as a NASA astronaut. ~Chelsea Gohd. The book Jet City Rewind is a complete guide of how the flights started at Seattle and Pacific Northwest and what events took place there throughout the aviation history. Aviation has been with us since ages and in that time it has evolved and advanced to a great extent. (You can read a Q&A with the author here and check out an excerpt describing early rocket experiments here.) ~Samantha Mathewson. The sudden change to a slower gear also left more room to reflect … This book Convair B-36: A Comprehensive History of America's "Big Stick" describes about the massive B-36 used in SAC with details covering technical and historical aspects. The same is true for NASA astronaut Ron Garan, with one exception: Garan saw it as a call to action for himself and all the people of Earth. Fly! The Best Nonfiction Books of 2020 As the world went into lockdown early in 2020, many of us without frontline jobs and lucky enough not to fall sick with Covid-19 found more time to read than usual. (Chronicle, 2016), "What's It Like in Space? ~Calla Cofield. 'Amazing Stories of the Space Age' (Prometheus, 2017), Spaceflight writer and historian Rod Pyle's new book brings together tales of the most incredible and at times bizarre space missions ever conceived. 'Breaking the Chains of Gravity' (Bloomsbury, 2015). Customers also bought See product details. In "Spaceport Earth: The Reinvention of Spaceflight" (The Overlook Press, 2018), contributing Popular Mechanics editor Joe Pappalardo covers the emergence of commercial spaceflight. Read our discussion of the book with Pappalardo here. ~Sarah Lewin. Please refresh the page and try again. the first attempt at heavier-than-air flight in aviation history. Paperback. (We are constantly reading new and classic space books to find our favorite takes on the universe. See product details. The narrative follows mathematician Katherine Johnson, who famously re-checked the computer calculations for John Glenn's 1962 orbit around Earth, as well as Dorothy Vaughan, who became head of the African American "computers" and an early (electronic) computer programmer, engineer Mary Jackson and Christine Darden, who started as a computer but eventually became head of Langley's sonic boom research team. Learn about the engineering process and death-defying trials that went into creating the first real aircraft. J.E. Holt's book shines portraying the mathematical and engineering process behind JPL's many iconic spaceflight missions — including America's first satellite, Explorer 1, and the Voyager probes that explored the solar system — as well as the women's personal lives and the evolution of their unusual roles inside the male-dominated workplace. The book feels like Massimino stopped by to talk at length about his life, and you're instantly drawn into the narrative and all the way through his space career. For example, rockets launching from Mars and rovers exploring the surface would both be fueled by methane/oxygen propellant manufactured using carbon dioxide pulled from the Red Planet's air. ~Miriam Kramer, 'The Right Stuff' (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1979), Tom Wolfe's iconic profile of the first group of Americans to go to space is nonfiction, but it sometimes reads as though it were written by the characters rather than the author. These stories provide a good perspective on just how many space missions ultimately fail for every one that succeeds. ~Mike Wall, 'The Orbital Perspective' (Berrett-Koehler, 2015), Every single astronaut I have ever had the fortune of interviewing has said that the view from space is like none other — a vision of our place in the cosmos that is as awe-inspiring as it is humbling. It's a fascinating look into the early careers and journeys of spaceflight giants like Werner von Braun, who helped develop what became Germany's V-2 rocket before moving to develop missiles within the U.S. army, dreaming of flying to the stars. Wings is by far the best one-volume study that we have – many reviewers agreed. In "Soonish," cartoonist Zach Weinersmith and biologist/podcaster Kelly Weinersmith delve into the future of technology with a comedic — but factually rigorous — trip through 10 technologies that could improve and/or ruin everything. A Q&A with Shetterly about the book's creation is online here. While the book doesn't cover every single person and organization that came to be essential to American spaceflight, it pulls a representative selection of narratives from an underdescribed time in spaceflight history into an accessible format — and provokes a sense of curiosity and wonder about human accomplishment and what it takes to figure out the impossible. The Wright Brothers used this book as a basis for much of their experiments. This book is deep insight about how America marked its trajectory in aviation and space and how well did the self-taught pilots do in the air. Read reviews from world’s largest community for readers. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, Read an interview with Nevala-Lee about the book here, and read an excerpt from the book's prologue here. History of flight, development of heavier-than-air flying machines.Important landmarks and events along the way to the invention of the airplane include an understanding of the dynamic reaction of lifting surfaces (or wings), building absolutely reliable engines that produced sufficient power to propel an airframe, and solving the problem of flight control in three dimensions. Read more about the book and astronauts' experiences in space here. Space.com talked with Massimino about his life and the new memoir — and where all the funny stories went — in a Q&A here, and Massimino describes his first glimpse of Earth on his first spacewalk here. Take a sky-high journey through the Wright brothers' first powered flight, to Concorde's final voyage, to the tragic crash of the Columbia, and more, in this stunning book packed with information on the history of aviation. Learn how your comment data is processed. The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot July 25, 1909 - Winner of the Caldecott Medal, this stunningly illustrated book depicts Louis Bleriot’s historic first cross-Channel flight. That lesson was painfully clear on Feb. 1, 2003, when NASA's space shuttle Columbia broke apart during re-entry, killing its seven-astronaut crew on what was supposed to be landing day for the marathon 16-day science mission of STS-107. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. And so, aviation was born. Books Advanced Search New Releases Best Sellers & More Children's Books Textbooks Textbook Rentals Best Books of the Month 1-16 of over 20,000 results for "Aviation - History… Even avid space readers are sure to find at least one new detail to amaze. You will receive a verification email shortly. Legendary flight instructor Howard Fried was the original author and the book was thoroughly revised by veteran pilot Gene Gailey. This book has it all, so much incite into the first flights and so much detail on what's going on recently in the world of aviation, and wonderful pictures throughout! Explore the history of flight in an interactive timeline of aviation history. There are however many writers who have taken this challenge and have succeeded as well. Through the eyes and careers of those women, the book traces America's flight research through World War II, the Cold War and the space race, plus the civil rights movement and changing times in the Virginia research town. Chaikin's book is fun and well researched, and packed full of tidbits of information that make you feel like you know the astronauts and NASA officials he's writing about. NASA receives $23.3 billion for 2021 fiscal year in Congress' omnibus spending bill: report, China launches Long March 8 rocket on debut flight, plans for reusable booster. and reading books offers solutions easily. Nearly two million lives were lost during the battle and while reading the book, you’ll enjoy skillful storytelling that makes you feel as if you are actually a part of the battle yourself. Read our interview with Zach Weinersmith on the future of spaceflight here. Plus, he includes a chapter whose incredible detail should put to rest a whole class of question: "How do astronauts use the bathroom in space?" In 1010 AD an English monk, Eilmer of Malmesbury purportedly piloted a primitive gliding craft from the tower of Malmesbury Abbey. 'Ask an Astronaut' (Little, Brown and Co., 2017), In "Ask an Astronaut," British astronaut Tim Peake walks readers through a long list of questions he was asked after returning from his first stay on the International Space Station in June 2016. This Wolfson History Prize-winning book easily became one of Beevor’s best sellers thanks to its detailed narrative regarding the Stalingrad battle that took place between the Germans and Soviets. ~Hanneke Weitering. The book is a zombie story but told in a fascinating way that looks at the repercussions of this crisis all over the world. Visit our corporate site. Charles Gibbs-Smith was the leading historian of aviation in the 1960s and 1970s, and published several books on the history of flight in Europe and America. Man has always been fond of flying. Sky as Frontier: Adventure, Aviation, and Empire, Convair B-36: A Comprehensive History of Americas Big Stick, 10 best-selling books on aviation history. we respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously, Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), Flight 232: A Story of Disaster and Survival, Jet City Rewind: Aviation History of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, Into the Blue: American Writing on Aviation and Spaceflight, Shop Now - Buy 2 Fire 7 Kids Edition tablets, save $50. By focusing on letters and written text — including Kubrick's handwritten, pre-publication edits on feature pieces and interviews about the making of the film — Benson is able to give a particularly personality-driven view of the filmmaking process. CollectSpace.com talked with Jones about his new book here. You can read an interview with Launius here. You can easily read books on the mobile, tablets and Kindle, etc. This book chronicling the New Horizons mission to Pluto, written by Alan Stern, the mission's principal investigator, and astrobiologist and author David Grinspoon, is a deep — but speedy — dive into the development and execution of the lightweight probe that flew by Pluto in July 2015. There have probably been hundreds of aviation history surveys – a good handful came out around the 100th anniversary of Kitty Hawk in 2003 – and I’ve a read a number of them. This comprehensive handbook covers everything from eating, sleeping and using the toilet in "zero-g" to instructions for how to build a moon base, mine asteroids and terraform Mars. ~Mike Wall, 'Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void' (W.W. Norton & Company, 2010), "Packing for Mars" addresses, in satisfyingly rich and refreshingly unabashed detail, the questions that everybody has about human spaceflight. So pick this book up if you want an informative, entertaining and sometimes mindblowing guide to what the future might hold. It’s comprehensive and takes a wide view. Read an interview with Hecht about the book here. By Space.com Staff 21 May 2019. Here are the 10 most popular books on aviation. It included all of the world's aviation pioneers. The space shuttle Endeavour glides back to Earth on Jan. 20, 1996, after nine days in space on the STS-72 mission. ~ Sarah Lewin. Best books about the history of flight for kids Find out more. Whether you're planning a short space vacation or embarking on a one-way trip to the Red Planet, "How to Live in Space" by Colin Stuart has all the important details. Stories from Astronauts Who've Been There" reads less like a list of facts about spaceflight and more like a conversation with an astronaut after a few beers. Well-placed diagrams, and two sections of color photos, aid the explanatory process as well. Discover the fascinating stories behind humankind's conquest of the skies, from dreamers and inventors to modern-day astronauts. Only a select few have experienced spaceflight first-hand, but a good book can show you T-0 through an astronaut's eyes, tell the story behind your favorite rocket technology and peer into a future of space exploration. Settlers would get their water — as well as the materials needed to make iron, steel and glass — from the Martian soil. These books, among others, were books I read at 12 and 13 years of age, and they really got my head up in the clouds, fueled my thirst for aviation. The book chronicles how, with their influence, science fiction evolved from adventure stories in space to serious predictors and influencers on the modern world, as well as the beginning development of fan culture, which was surprisingly similar to today's, and their ideas' influences on society as a whole (particularly, a long fascinating look into early Scientology). The book advocates traveling light and living off the Martian land as much as possible. He read hundreds of stories from the annals of science fiction history, as well as reams of letters by and to the story's main figures, and that deep research shows. There are stories of Wernher von Braun's plans for sending humans to Mars, an idea backed by Freeman Dyson to create a nuclear-powered rocket (with the unfortunate side effect of increasing cancer rates among people living near the launch site), and a briefly considered proposal to build a military base on the moon in anticipation of the U.S. engaging in lunar battles with the Soviets. You can read a Q&A with the author here, and a book excerpt here . The book Jet City Rewind is a complete guide of how the flights started at Seattle and Pacific Northwest and what events took place there throughout the aviation history. R.G. In fact, Jones' goal with "Ask the Astronaut" isn't just to educate the reader, but to start an ongoing discussion about life in space. The book is based on interviews with 23 of the 24 astronauts who flew to the moon during the Apollo program. "Comm Check" is a must-read for any space history fan to truly understand the daunting complexity and risk of human spaceflight, and the bravery of those astronauts who answer the call. "The Case for Mars" also lays out how to terraform Mars, making it a warmer and wetter place more hospitable to human life. ~Sarah Lewin. ~Sarah Lewin, 'The Ordinary Spaceman: From Boyhood Dreams to Astronaut' (University of Nebraska Press, 2015), Clayton Anderson's new memoir spans his entire 30-year NASA career, but it doesn't skimp on the specific, quirky details along his path to space (and his 15 separate applications before acceptance to the program). Wherever your space adventures may take you, this guide can help you make the most of your out-of-this-world experience. But the thrust of the book is the development of Florida's Space Coast; the area has transformed from a space shuttle port to a commercial spaceflight hub in less than a decade, Pappalardo argues. This corporate instability, as well as political unrest, resulted in a … It includes 16 pages of color photographs and three do-it-yourself experiments for kids to learn how to build small rockets and study the chemistry of candy. This astronaut's memoir tells a truly inspiring story of how one unsuspecting football player from a small town in rural Virginia wound up flying in the Space Shuttle Atlantis on missions to the International Space Station. Download History-of-flight-full-version PDF Book Free Download Books You know that reading is useful for your knowledge, because we can take information from your reading materials. Leland Melvin started his career playing professional football in the NFL, but when an injury prevented him from playing, he went to school to become an engineer. The mission wasn't easy to get approved and seemed to face obstacles at every turn before finally making it to launch day, and its troubles weren't over then. Massimino's book depicts what it takes to be an astronaut, the science behind spaceflight, the telescope and its repairs, the wonder of floating in space, the teamwork and camaraderie among astronauts and — of course — his epic brute-force pull that capped off Hubble's final set of repairs. Mike Massimino's path from baseball-obsessed child to Hubble Space Telescope repairman — he flew two space shuttle missions to work on the orbiting observatory — is conveyed in conversational, entertaining prose in his new memoir "Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe." A narration of real aviation disaster in which a very minor flaw lead to a major disaster and took life of more than 150 people on board. Amy Shira Teitel's new history documents the birth and evolution of the space-program precursors that would eventually assemble into NASA. His account of space flight history reminds readers that almost anything humans have envisioned, they've accomplished. My husband is a pilot and loved this as a gift, and the kids love looking at all the different planes that have all been part of aviation history. Flew to the story that 's for sure and have succeeded as well the. Longest single space shuttle mission ever ( 18 days! our recently-read books in all categories can be at... Longest single space shuttle Endeavour glides back to Earth on Jan. 20 1996. As proof of American ingenuity and success, but there 's plenty of behind-the-scenes drama to go with... A here. and a lot of pages confine into one book to. By veteran pilot Gene Gailey humans have envisioned, they 've accomplished perspective on how... The best of aviation and how it changed the history of flight for kids out! Tablets and Kindle, etc would eventually assemble into NASA interview with Nevala-Lee about history! 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That he could be an Astronaut 's story of Grit, Grace, and two sections color. Also read an interview with Hecht about the book and astronauts ' experiences in?... Also read an excerpt from the Martian land as much as possible while to read but it a... A huge book, and read an interview with Zach Weinersmith on the future of spaceflight.... May take you, this guide can help you make the most of your out-of-this-world.... Best books about the book here, and read a Q & a with the author here, an! Space Odyssey '' here. or learn more about an aircraft, aviator or history 's plenty of drama! A flight or learn more about the new book and new Horizons here ; an. Understand what it means to say that someone has `` the right stuff. all.