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Author
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Topic: Go for Orbit (Rhea Seddon)
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Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3458
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 02-19-2013 12:37 AM
   
Astronaut Rhea Seddon has a memoir-in-progress, "Weightless: One of America's First Female Astronauts Finds Her Space."An excerpt can be found on her website. Despite the hoopla surrounding the selection of six women to the Astronaut Corps in 1978, very few people know how that selection was made, what training was like, how women dealt with challenges, and how their lives unfolded. This book will describe the joys and sorrows, the trials and triumphs that I experienced as one of those women who became part of an all male world. I flew three shuttle missions, married and supported a fellow astronaut, and launched three children along the way. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3458
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 02-19-2013 08:48 PM
Here's from her pitch (of course, Lucid has since retired): There were six women in the first astronaut class that included females. Judy Resnik perished in the Challenger accident. Current astronauts are not allowed to publish books (Anna Fisher and Shannon Lucid). Sally Ride passed away in 2012. Kathy Sullivan may be writing her story, but she never married or had children and her career was quite different from mine. Several men have written about their experiences on the space shuttle and the international space station (Mike Mullane, Tom Jones, Jerry Linnenger, et cetera), but they speak from a male perspective. I plan on dropping her a note saying I'm looking forward to her book — and that her husband should write one, too. |
GoesTo11
Member Posts: 1355
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 02-19-2013 11:26 PM
I really hope Dr. Seddon's book sees print and finds an audience. If I'm not mistaken, Sally Ride wrote a couple of books aimed at young readers, but it seems to me that there's been a large void in the history of the shuttle program left by the fact that none of the (living) TFNG women have chosen to write a serious, adult memoir. |
herranzc
Member Posts: 20
From: Madrid, Spain
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 02-20-2013 09:24 AM
Also, in her book proposal she has done her 'homework' by listing what she calls Competitive Titles in Print. A good starting point and guide to books about women in space. |
BMacKinnon
Member Posts: 235
From: Waterford, MI. USA
Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 02-07-2014 09:38 AM
Thanks to Carl Walker, he made me aware of an excerpt from Dr. Seddon's memoir in an issue of a magazine called 2nd & Church.Hopefully she can find someone to help represent her memoir (per a post on her website's homepage). I look forward to reading Rhea's book when it comes out! |
onesmallstep
Member Posts: 1352
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007
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posted 02-12-2014 03:07 PM
If she can sneak in a perspective or two from her husband 'Hoot' Gibson, it would be great to see how both balanced career and family all these years - and stay married to tell about it. |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2133
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 02-12-2014 03:33 PM
I did contact Dr. Seddon in September to ask if she might consider her memoir becoming a part of the Outward Odyssey series. In her friendly response she stated that she would consider all options including this when it came time to seek out a publisher. |
astro-nut
Member Posts: 1025
From: Washington, IL
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 02-22-2014 09:18 AM
Hopefully this will become a book someday. It would be a great memoir to read and have in a collection. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 48734
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 10-04-2014 06:04 AM
According to Rhea Seddon's updated website, the new title of her book is "Go for Orbit: One of America's First Female Astronauts Finds Her Space," and it is "coming in 2015." |
Silent Sea
Member Posts: 36
From:
Registered: Mar 2015
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posted 06-02-2015 09:02 PM
The book is now available to order.There's also an option for getting an autographed copy.  |
David C
Member Posts: 1353
From: Lausanne
Registered: Apr 2012
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posted 06-03-2015 05:46 AM
And I've taken that option. Should be a good read. |
cspg
Member Posts: 6312
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 06-03-2015 07:14 AM
Thanks for the info! |
MCroft04
Member Posts: 1785
From: Smithfield, Me, USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 06-03-2015 08:14 AM
Thanks for the info; just ordered an autographed copy. |
Larry McGlynn
Member Posts: 1384
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 06-03-2015 08:53 AM
I purchased the book at the Astronaut Hall of Fame induction. Rhea Seddon signed the book and inscribed it. The book is the heaviest book of it's size that I have ever held. It is a book of high quality construction and printing. I plan to read it, but I won't take it on a plane due to weight restrictions. That being said, I have read a section of it and it is well written and illuminating about how a married woman, mother, doctor and astronaut managed to combine all that together. She is pretty remarkable. |
MCroft04
Member Posts: 1785
From: Smithfield, Me, USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 06-03-2015 09:54 PM
If Larry says it is a great book, then that's good enough for me. Can't wait to get my autographed copy.
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OV-105
Member Posts: 879
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 06-04-2015 02:51 AM
Thanks for the heads up on this one. I too took the autographed option. Well it really wasn't an option, if I have a choice I always take the signed. |
fredtrav
Member Posts: 1799
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 06-04-2015 11:36 AM
Looking forward to getting my autographed copy. The gift shop at KSC had one signed for me and is mailing it to me. |
OV-105
Member Posts: 879
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 06-06-2015 10:35 AM
I hope she covers the STS-41F flight getting cancelled and also the switch from STS-51E to STS-51D. Thinking back now the STS-41D abort would set thing in motion to change lives in 19 months. |
BA002
Member Posts: 203
From: Utrecht,NL
Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 06-10-2015 02:13 PM
At the Autographica show last year, I told Rhea that if she would get her manuscript published I would get a copy. I just ordered mine and am looking forward to it!I also informed Hoot of my interest in his stories but I'm not sure he's gonna take the bait. |
Kite
Member Posts: 1038
From: Northampton UK
Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 06-11-2015 11:58 AM
Who writes the foreword? I wondered if it might be her husband Hoot. |
fredtrav
Member Posts: 1799
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 06-11-2015 01:44 PM
There is no forward, after a few pages of acknowledgments, it dives right into Chapter 1: The Long Road to space. |
KSCartist
Member Posts: 3022
From: Titusville, FL
Registered: Feb 2005
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posted 06-15-2015 06:12 PM
Just finished reading and I enjoyed it very much. Having met Rhea a number of times, I can "hear her voice" in the pages. You will not be disappointed. By the way, all of the photos are in color. Never saw that before in a bio. Highly recommended. |
BMckay
Member Posts: 3844
From: MA, USA
Registered: Sep 2002
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posted 06-16-2015 07:41 AM
I too have enjoyed the book. I like the choice of photos, the layout and how she writes. A good selection to a collection. |
OV-105
Member Posts: 879
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 06-23-2015 05:39 PM
Just finished the book. Another good book by a member of the TFNG's. It's was great to hear about flights from both the flyer and the spouse on the ground. Another book that has also uncovered a little more about The recovery of 51-L. I am glad she covered all of her first flight delays from 41-E to 51-E. I guess Abbey wanted to get this crew over with once and for all and moved to 51-D. |
jvertrees
Member Posts: 108
From: Crestwood, MO
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 06-30-2015 01:36 PM
I just ordered a signed copy from the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. Dr. Seddon is doing a signing and appearance there on July 25, 2015. |
cspg
Member Posts: 6312
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 07-01-2015 08:05 AM
Is it mentioned the publishing company's name? I know it's a self-published book but someone must have printed it (I haven't yet received my copy). |
fredtrav
Member Posts: 1799
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 07-01-2015 09:56 AM
The publisher is listed in the book as Your Space Press from Murfressboro, TN. The website is listed as astronautrheaseddon.com. So far it is a good read. The publishing is done well, the pictures clean. She did a very good job with it. |
lunardreamer
Member Posts: 91
From: Royal Oak, Michigan USA
Registered: Nov 2013
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posted 08-01-2015 03:07 PM
I just received the book in today's mail. Not only did Dr. Seddon sign my book but she included my name and a nice inscription. Looking forward to reading this. |
p51
Member Posts: 1748
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 08-01-2015 11:21 PM
Just got a signed copy from a good pal who encountered her at Huntsville and got one signed for me.Can't wait to read it! |
Kite
Member Posts: 1038
From: Northampton UK
Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 09-04-2015 09:11 AM
It is a beautiful book, well laid out with the photographs, and have started reading it and is very well written going by the first chapter.I also had a email from Dr Seddon asking me what my inscription meant as I asked for (cS Kite) alongside my name and I answered by telling her it was my posting name for collectSPACE, a very respectable space forum based in America and run by Robert Pearlman. It has always been my nickname since a child, like her husband Hoot! |
astro-nut
Member Posts: 1025
From: Washington, IL
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 11-28-2015 11:23 AM
Wow, what a book! I enjoyed reading this book and Rhea did an excellent job! One of the better astronaut books to read, just my opinion. |
FFrench
Member Posts: 3274
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 07-20-2022 01:12 AM
My review of this book. Rhea Seddon's book "Go For Orbit" is a remarkable exploration of her family life and space career intertwined: understandable, as her husband, Hoot Gibson, was also an astronaut. Her book is remarkably descriptive... |
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