Homer Hickam, a NASA engineer, recounts his childhood in Coalwood, a West Virginia mining town, and discusses his dreams of launching rockets into outer space, and how he made those dreams come true.

"One of the most elusive and controversial figures in NASA's history, George W.S. Abbey was called "the Dark Lord," "the Godfather," and "UNO" (unidentified NASA official) by those within NASA. From young pilot and wannabe astronaut to engineer, bureaucrat, and finally director of the Johnson Space Center ("mission control"), Abbey's story has never been fully told--until now. This fascinating account takes readers inside NASA to learn the real story...

In this remarkable memoir, Dr. Kenneth W. Iliff-the recently retired Chief Scientist of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center-tells a highly personal, yet a highly persuasive account of the last forty years of American aeronautical research. His interpretation of events commands respect, because over these years he has played pivotal roles in many of the most important American aeronautics and spaceflight endeavors. Moreover, his narrative covers...

We all know the names: Grissom, Armstrong, Cernan-legends of the space age whose names resonate with people around the world and whose deeds need no introduction. We know less about the men who led the organization that planned and began the US exploration of space: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Thomas O. Paine grew up an ordinary boy in northern California during the Great Depression of the 1930s. He would go on to serve...

Details the journey of Dennis Tito, the wealthy businessman who made a trip into space by purchasing a seat aboard a Russian spacecraft.

"In the tradition of Chris Kraft's Flight and Gene Kranz's Failure Is Not an Option, from the longest-serving Flight Director in NASA's history, a revealing look at the high-stakes work of Mission Control that tells the inside story of the Space Shuttle program that has redefined our relationship with space"--