posted 01-25-2023 01:36 PM               

Experience all 135 NASA space shuttle missions ever flown through the words of the astronauts themselves in this spectacularly illustrated volume.

With more than 500 photos from the NASA archives, this guide is perfect for fans of space history and spaceflight.

NASA's space shuttle was the world's first reusable spacecraft, accomplishing many firsts and inspiring generations across its 30-year lifespan as America's iconic spaceship. In "Space Shuttle Stories," shuttle astronaut Tom Jones interviewed more than 130 fellow astronauts for personal vignettes from each mission, complemented by their written accounts for all 135 space shuttle missions, from Columbia's maiden flight in 1981 to the final launch of Atlantis in 2011. The book is a major contribution to the historical record of a momentous era of spaceflight.

Each mission profile includes:

• An astronaut narrative that immerses the readers in their personal mission experience
  
• Data about the mission, crew, launch, landing, duration, and highlights
  
• Captivating photographs rarely seen by the public

The Space Shuttle program's six orbiter vehicles (Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour) carried a total of 355 astronauts into orbit on 135 missions aimed at cutting-edge scientific research, satellite launch, retrieval and repair, collaborative work with the Russian Mir station, the launching and servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope, and the construction of the International Space Station. "Space Shuttle Stories" focuses on the lived, human experiences of larger-than-life space missions. It's a definitive oral history that captures the importance, wonder, and exhilaration of the Space Shuttle era.

• Hardcover, ‎320 pages
  
• Smithsonian Books (October 31, 2023)
  
• ISBN-10: ‎1588347540
  
• ISBN-13: 978-1588347541

posted 10-31-2023 05:25 PM               

Astronaut Tom Jones' new book gathers 'Space Shuttle Stories' from fellow fliers

Tom Jones has his fair share of space shuttle stories to tell.

A veteran of four missions aboard the now-retired winged orbiters, Jones' NASA career was dedicated to the shuttle program, as he wrote about in a previously-published memoir. His new book, which is out today (Oct. 31), includes some of his stories as well, but adds significantly to them through the contributions of more than 130 fellow astronauts, at least one from each of the 135 space shuttle flights between 1981 and 2011.

posted 11-04-2023 04:10 PM               

But that brings me to a question I couldn't seem to find the answer to: What's the least number of astronaut signatures you would need, to cover most of the missions, for this book? Assume that the astronaut signs for this exercise.