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Author Topic:   The Father, Son and Holy Shuttle (Mullane)
Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 44715
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 05-11-2020 04:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Father, Son, and Holy Shuttle: Growing Up an Astronaut's Kid in the Glorious 80s by Patrick Mullane
While many children grow up with the dream of becoming an astronaut, Patrick Mullane grew up the child of one. In The Father, Son, and Holy Shuttle: Growing Up an Astronaut’s Kid in the Glorious 80s, Mullane shares his unique and outrageous coming-of-age tale. It is a tale about his father’s unusual astronaut profession, a secret long-held by his mother, and his often-hilarious efforts to be a person of consequence.

In 1978, when Mullane was ten years old, his father, Mike Mullane, was chosen in the very first group of space shuttle astronauts – a group that included Sally Ride and four members of the Challenger crew who were lost when it tore apart in 1986. In The Father, Son, and Holy Shuttle, he tells of how his father’s profession defined him, first as a young boy hopping from military base to military base with his parents and two sisters, and then as a pimple-faced, unknown nerd in a large Houston high school where he often felt like one of the pathetic underdog characters in a John Hughes film of the day. The Father, Son, and Holy Shuttle is about Mullane trying to be a hero in his own world as he believed his father and his pop culture idols – Indiana Jones, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker – were in theirs.

While unequivocally a memoir, Mullane weaves into his story a non-technical history of the early space shuttle program as seen through the eyes of somebody who witnessed that history in an intimate way. From the opening scene describing his dad’s first launch attempt when a failure led Mullane to believe he had witnessed his father’s death three miles distant, to the description of the day Challenger exploded and three of his high school classmates lost a parent, to stories of Sally Ride having a beer after work in his backyard, Mullane shares with readers a perspective that has yet to be explored in any book and does so with an infusion of 80s pop culture and colorful real-life characters that will leave readers nostalgic for a decade that shaped the millions.

But more than anything, The Father, Son, and Holy Shuttle is a story of the love between a father and son – a love shaped by a mutual wonder at the magnificence of the world, the majesty of the universe, and the beauty of flight.

  • Paperback: 271 pages
  • Independently published (April 18, 2020)
  • ISBN-13: 979-8638708986

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 44715
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 09-28-2020 05:27 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Harvard Business School Association of Southern California release
Father, Son, and Holy Shuttle

Date: Oct. 27, 2020 | 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EDT

The HBS Association of Southern California presents a virtual event with NASA astronaut Mike Mullane and his son Patrick Mullane (HBS '99). NOTE: This event is not suitable for children.

What's it like to ride the space shuttle into space? Astronaut Mike Mullane, a West Point graduate and Air Force aviator, did it three times between 1984 and 1990 and describes it as both exhilarating and terrifying. In his book "Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut," Mullane recounts his adventures (and misadventures) while serving in the first class of space shuttle astronauts – a class that included the first American woman in space (Sally Ride), the first African American in space (Guy Bluford), and four members of Challenger's crew who were lost on that fateful day in 1986. Mullane's book is widely regarded as the most intimate account of the golden years of the shuttle program and shares a perspective on NASA management and what it's really like to be an astronaut.

While Mike was living his dream, his son, Patrick (HBS MBA 1990 and Executive Director of Harvard Business School Online), was coming-of-age as an awkward teenager in a large Houston high school. In his humorous memoir, "The Father, Son, and Holy Shuttle: Growing up an Astronaut's Kid in the Glorious 80s," Patrick tells of how his father's profession defined him, first as a young "military brat" hopping from base to base, and then as a pimple-faced, unknown nerd. While he longed to be a person of consequence like his father or his pop culture heroes – Indiana Jones, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker – he instead felt like one of the pathetic underdog characters in a John Hughes film of the day. Patrick's story reminds us that behind many NASA heroes there are close-knit families that sacrifice much for their Astronaut loved one, for their nation, and for each other.

Join us for a unique event where Patrick will interview his father about life as an astronaut and share his reflections on growing up as an "astro kid" in the glorious 80s.

To purchase a signed copy of Patrick's book follow this link and use coupon code HBSALUMNI when ordering to get $10 off the signed book. To order Astronaut Mike Mullane's books, please visit his on-line store.

Participants must register by September October 26th to receive details on joining the discussion. Please note that no refunds will be issued.

All times are CT (US)

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