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Author
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Topic: The Astronaut Maker (Michael Cassutt)
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Michael Cassutt
Member Posts: 358
From: Studio City CA USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 09-15-2015 10:17 AM
   
I'm pleased to announce the sale of my years-in-progress book "Astronaut Maker" to Lisa Reardon of Chicago Review Press via Stephen Barr of Writers House. This is a biography of NASA's George W.S. Abbey dealing with his unique career in human spaceflight that began in 1959 (with his assignment to Dyna Soar) and continued into 2001. I suspect this will be of interest to some readers here.Mr. Abbey is cooperating with the book, and dislikes the title. So there's that. Would welcome the usual anecdotes. Unusual ones, too. Delivery is expected next summer; publication in 2017. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 09-15-2015 11:59 AM
Congratulations Michael! Greatly looking forward to reading this... |
rjurek349
Member Posts: 1190
From: Northwest Indiana
Registered: Jan 2002
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posted 09-15-2015 02:23 PM
Congrats!!! A great, worthy subject -- really looking forward to reading this as well. |
Fra Mauro
Member Posts: 1586
From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted 09-15-2015 03:33 PM
A very good subject for a book — one of the unknown movers and shakers at NASA. Looking forward to it! |
p51
Member Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 09-15-2015 05:26 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Michael Cassutt:
Mr. Abbey is cooperating with the book, and dislikes the title.
I know of a couple of astronauts who dealt with him back in the day who could have come up with other titles for the book that Abbey REALLY wouldn't like... |
Larry McGlynn
Member Posts: 1255
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 09-15-2015 05:44 PM
Michael, congratulations on the book. I have traveled with Dr. Abbey to Russia and met him a few other times. He is a pleasant guy. Quiet too. |
KSCartist
Member Posts: 2896
From: Titusville, FL USA
Registered: Feb 2005
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posted 09-15-2015 07:07 PM
Congratulations Michael! If this is anything like your other biographies, it will be a fantastic read. |
GoesTo11
Member Posts: 1309
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 09-15-2015 10:52 PM
quote:
Originally posted by p51:
I know of a couple of astronauts who dealt with him back in the day who could have come up with other titles for the book that Abbey REALLY wouldn't like...
Yeeeah no doubt. Definitely interested to see how candid the Gatekeeper is here. Looking forward to it, Michael. |
onesmallstep
Member Posts: 1310
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007
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posted 09-16-2015 08:48 AM
Maybe Mike Mullane can write the forward?  |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 09-16-2015 10:07 AM
Cover photo could be that pic where Abbey is present at a Shuttle landing and he's described only as a "NASA official" or "unknown NASA official."
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p51
Member Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 09-16-2015 06:21 PM
Sounds like a book I'd want to read. There's so little out there about the man. All I've read on him was from other astronauts, and of course very little of that was flattering. I've always been curious how he go tot that position and held onto it for so long. quote:
Originally posted by onesmallstep:
Maybe Mike Mullane can write the forward?
Ah man, that would hilarious if someone at the publisher asked him without knowing how he felt about him. I don't know Mullane personally (I've only swapped some emails with the man) but from reading his book, I could imagine his reaction if someone asked him to do that... |
astro-nut
Member Posts: 946
From: Washington, IL
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 11-28-2015 11:27 AM
Looking forward to reading this book. I know this book will be very inforamtive with alot of details/facts about a man who ran the Flight Crew Office for many years. Good luck with this book Michael, it should be a great read! |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-02-2017 02:27 PM
From Michael Cassutt on Twitter: Emerging from blackout to report the completion of the new non-fiction book, six years on. Work remains, but happy to reach this point.  |
David C
Member Posts: 1014
From: Lausanne
Registered: Apr 2012
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posted 07-03-2017 02:10 AM
Looking forward to this. Hope it's also available on Kindle. |
Fra Mauro
Member Posts: 1586
From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted 07-03-2017 12:34 PM
From most accounts I've read, Abbey gets the nomination for the person who had too much power in NASA, not Deke Slayton. |
p51
Member Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 07-03-2017 05:29 PM
Any book about him should include photos of him "holding court" at the Outpost in Houston! quote:
Originally posted by Fra Mauro:
From most accounts I've read, Abbey gets the nomination for the person who had too much power in NASA, not Deke Slayton.
Yep. I talked with Hoot Gibson quite a bit over several days last fall, and he had some interesting insights on that. He's not the only shuttle-era astronaut I've talked with who felt like that, of course. |
Henry Heatherbank
Member Posts: 244
From: Adelaide, South Australia
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 09-01-2017 07:39 AM
Any update on the publication date for this book? |
Michael Cassutt
Member Posts: 358
From: Studio City CA USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 09-03-2017 01:36 PM
The complete draft is with my editor at Chicago Review Press, and I am awaiting the inevitable message about cuts and revisions... but all of us expect publication in late spring, early summer 2018. |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 09-22-2017 09:17 AM
The Astronaut Maker: How One Mysterious Engineer Ran Human Spaceflight for a Generation
by Michael Cassutt 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. He was said to be secretive, despotic, a Space Age Machiavelli. Yet Abbey had more influence on human spaceflight than almost anyone in history. 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. The Astronaut Maker takes readers inside NASA to learn the real story of how Abbey rose to power and wielded it out of the spotlight. Over a 37-year career he oversaw the selection of every astronaut class from 1978 to 1987, deciding who got to fly, and when; was with the Apollo 1 astronauts the night before the fire that killed them in January 1967; was in mission control the night of the Apollo 13 accident and organized the recovery effort; led NASA's recruitment of women and minorities as Space Shuttle astronauts — including hiring Sally Ride; and much more. By the coauthor of the acclaimed astronaut memoirs DEKE! and We Have Capture and informed by countless hours of interviews with Abbey and his family, friends, adversaries, and former colleagues, The Astronaut Maker is the ultimate insider's account of ambition and power politics at NASA. - Hardcover: 416 pages
- Chicago Review Press (August 1, 2018)
- ISBN-10: 1613737009
- ISBN-13: 978-1613737002
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ea757grrl
Member Posts: 729
From: South Carolina
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 09-22-2017 08:16 PM
This is incredible. I never thought this book could ever happen, and now it's on the cusp of reality. Congratulations, Michael, and I can't wait to read it! |
Michael Cassutt
Member Posts: 358
From: Studio City CA USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 09-22-2017 09:05 PM
I believe that it will answer most if not all questions about Mr. Abbey and his career, not just in NASA but in the Air Force. Special thanks are due to Tom Stafford, without whom.... and to Abbey himself. |
Wehaveliftoff
Member Posts: 2343
From:
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 09-22-2017 09:13 PM
Is it too early to know about a book tour? |
Michael Cassutt
Member Posts: 358
From: Studio City CA USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 09-22-2017 09:52 PM
Yes, but assume signings in Seattle (Museum of Flight) and Houston in August or thereabouts. |
Paul78zephyr
Member Posts: 675
From: Hudson, MA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 09-27-2017 12:56 PM
Mr. Cassutt, I look forward to reading this book. I very much enjoyed your 2011 article in Air&Space Magazine about Mr. Abbey. |
fredtrav
Member Posts: 1673
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 09-27-2017 05:08 PM
Looking forward to it. On the book signings, will Mr. Abbey be with you for the signings? |
Michael Cassutt
Member Posts: 358
From: Studio City CA USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 09-27-2017 05:13 PM
I am counting on him for Houston and Seattle — beyond that, too early to tell. Thanks! |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2031
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 05-05-2018 06:47 PM
With its release now imminent, this surely has to be the most anticipated space-themed, true-life book of the year, and one I am definitely looking forward to reading with unbounded interest. The story of George Abbey has been clouded in conjecture and intrigue for decades, and Michael Cassutt is undoubtedly the right person to tear down the curtains and reveal at long last the man, his motives, and influence within NASA. This will not only be a studious and authoritative read, but as with Michael's earlier books on Deke Slayton and Tom Stafford, a well-written and definitive reference source. Can't wait, Michael. |
fredtrav
Member Posts: 1673
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 05-06-2018 11:17 AM
I am really looking forward to this book. Let us know when it is out and a signing schedule when it does come out. One signed b the author and subject would be great.
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capoetc
Member Posts: 2169
From: McKinney TX (USA)
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 05-06-2018 03:20 PM
Might a pre-order of dual-signed copies be a possibility? |
DChudwin
Member Posts: 1096
From: Lincolnshire IL USA
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 05-13-2018 04:11 PM
Still on track for an August publication? This is one I am looking forward to with anticipation. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3118
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 05-15-2018 05:09 PM
This is clearly a highly significant project which I await with great interest. I see no entry for George Abbey in NASA's Oral Histories. Digging a little deeper identifies four interviews between 1970-1974 by Robert Sherrod, although I have been unable to locate these. An interview on 29th June 1974 by Robert Sherrod was apparently for the book "Before This Decade Is Out" (I assume that's NASA SP-4223) but that book contains no index entry for George Abbey. This underlines how important an in-depth biography of George Abbey will be. Pending the availability of the book, will there be much about the role of George Abbey in the selection of the first six shuttle commanders? |
Michael Cassutt
Member Posts: 358
From: Studio City CA USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 05-15-2018 05:43 PM
I had access to the Sherrod interviews, which were useful to some extent. Abbey was the official who made all crew selections from 1976 to late 1987, so this subject is covered. quote:
Originally posted by DChudwin:
Still on track for an August publication?
August 15. |
PowerCat
Member Posts: 193
From: Herington, KS, USA
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 06-05-2018 11:50 AM
Can't wait for this book to come out. I've ordered it and am waiting patiently. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-06-2018 06:55 PM
Publisher's Weekly review, via Michael Cassutt on Facebook: Cassutt (coauthor of "We Have Capture") traces the arc of American space flight in this captivating biography of a NASA figure largely unknown to the general public despite his essential contributions to the lunar missions and the Space Shuttle. Over an almost 40-year career, George Abbey rose through the agency's ranks, from his start in 1964 as a low-level engineer, to become the director of flight operations for the Johnson Space Center, and eventually the center's director. Drawing on interviews with Abbey and about 50 others, Cassutt renders a balanced account of his subject's life that doesn't shy away from negatives, such as a reputation as a "dictator" among his colleagues, or the obsessive dedication to work that exacted a toll on Abbey's family life. But those failings are put in perspective by Abbey's immense contributions to space science, including his advocacy, as the person responsible for the selection and training of astronauts, for the recruitment of women and minorities. NASA buffs will be fascinated by this profile of an undervalued figure whose most significant legacy, Cassutt concludes, was at the human level — making "spaceflight available to all, regardless of citizenship, gender, color, or ethnic background. |
hoorenz
Member Posts: 1031
From: The Netherlands
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 08-13-2018 02:32 PM
To be honest, and I am sorry to say so, because I had been looking forward to this book very much: I am a little bit disappointed. Maybe there is a lot of new info on Abbey's personal history, and maybe I am too much shuttle-era-oriented, but I do not find a lot of new information on his actual role as "Astronaut Maker." On that subject, it feels like I'm re-reading some JSC Oral Histories (Rick Hauck, Anna Fisher, John Fabian, Joe Allen for instance) and parts of other books, such as Mike Mullane's "Riding Rockets." I was looking for facts beyond what already had been written, and I do not find many. I just read what astronauts have already told in the oral histories, with the added presence of Abbey as a bystander. Also, there are a lot of mistakes. Challenger OV-101? STS-1 launched on a Saturday? An STS-41D launch abort with three satellites in the payload bay? Pinky Nelson as a veteran of STS-61B? Jake Garn becoming "Barfing Jake" because he fell ill during his mission? (The cartoons were published before the mission) Bobko calling off the attempt to rescue Syncom after Seddon failed to engage the flyswatter? (She did not fail, and that is why the flight rules dictated they had to perform a seperation maneuver) Discovery's tire blowing because Bobko applied extra braking? (The cause was the opposite: applying not enough braking pressure!) STS-27 flown on Discovery? Hubble deployed on STS-30? A 53-year old Kathryn Thornton still awaiting a flight in 1982? (Bill Thornton, obviously)... |
fredtrav
Member Posts: 1673
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 08-14-2018 12:10 PM
Any more on a signing in Houston or Seattle with George Abbey? |
p51
Member Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 08-14-2018 03:41 PM
Nice looking cover! quote:
Originally posted by fredtrav:
Any more on a signing in Houston or Seattle...
Yes, I am curious on Seattle. Can't find anything on it at the museum... |
Michael Cassutt
Member Posts: 358
From: Studio City CA USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 08-14-2018 04:22 PM
quote:
Originally posted by hoorenz:
To be honest, and I am sorry to say so, because I had been looking forward to this book very much: I am a little bit disappointed.
It's pointless to argue the success or failure of a book for a reader, so let's let that slide... I do apologize for the errors, some of which are simply typos. All I can say is that final work on the text was a bit hurried... changes landing in the middle of page proofs, editorial shifts at the company. Will address these in future editions. |
Michael Cassutt
Member Posts: 358
From: Studio City CA USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 08-14-2018 05:40 PM
quote:
Originally posted by p51:
I am curious on Seattle.
At the moment there is a good chance of an event the first weekend in December.
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Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3118
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 08-16-2018 08:16 PM
Based on the author's reputation and the importance of the period and the subject of the biography, I was happy to hit the "order" button and I look forward to reading about the insufficiently-known Mr Abbey. |
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