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The new guys : the historic class of astronauts that broke barriers and changed the face of space travel / Meredith Bagby.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York, NY : William Morrow, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2023Edition: First editionDescription: xv, 511 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780063141971
  • 0063141973
Other title:
  • The historic class of astronauts that broke barriers and changed the face of space travel
Subject(s): Genre/Form:
Contents:
Author's note -- Character list -- Ad astra -- Light this candle -- Ten interesting people -- Baptism by fire, water, and air -- I'll be you -- Get the son of a bitch in space -- The dream is alive -- To have and have not -- A feather in her cap -- Rocket dawn -- We deliver -- Yellow death -- Much have I traveled -- Send me in, coach -- Blood moon -- The prince and the politician -- Beautiful, like America -- Godspeed -- Speedbrake -- All we know of heaven -- Nature cannot be fooled -- God help you if you screw this up -- Through a glass darkly -- Closer to God -- Everything that rises must converge -- Yesterday in Texas -- God bless.
Summary: "The never-before-told story of the barrier-breaking NASA class of 1978, which for the first time consisted of a diverse crew of women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and more, and their triumphs and tragedies working on the newly launched space shuttle program, with the exclusive cooperation of five astronauts"-- Provided by the publisher.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 629.45 B144 Available 33111010967509
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The never-before-told story of NASA's 1978 astronaut class, which included the first American women, the first African Americans, the first Asian American, and the first gay person to fly to space. With the exclusive participation of the astronauts who were there, this is the thrilling, behind-the-scenes saga of a new generation that transformed space exploration

The story of NASA's Astronaut Class 8, or "The F*cking New Guys," as their military predecessors nicknamed them, is an unprecedented look at these extraordinary explorers who broke barriers and blasted through glass ceilings. Egos clashed, ambitions flared, and romances bloomed as the New Guys competed with one another and navigated the cutthroat internal politics at NASA for a chance to rocket to the stars.

Marking a departure from the iconic military test pilots who had dominated the space program since its inception, the New Guys arrived at the dawn of a new era of space flight. Teardrop-shaped space capsules from Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo gave way to the space shuttle, a revolutionary space plane capable of launching like a rocket, hauling cargo like a truck, and landing back on Earth like an airliner. They mastered this new machine from its dangerous first test flights to its greatest achievements: launching hundreds of satellites, building the International Space Station, and deploying the Hubble Space Telescope.

The New Guys depicts these charismatic young astronauts and the exuberant social and scientific progress of the space shuttle program against the efforts of NASA officials who struggled to meet America's military demands and commercial aspirations. When NASA was pressured to fly more often and at greater risk, lives were lost in the program's two biggest disasters: Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003).

Caught in the crosshairs of this battle are the shuttle astronauts who gave their lives in those catastrophes, and who gave their lives' work pursuing a more equitable future in space for all humankind. Through it all they became friends, rivals, lovers, and ultimately, family.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 409-495) and index.

Author's note -- Character list -- Ad astra -- Light this candle -- Ten interesting people -- Baptism by fire, water, and air -- I'll be you -- Get the son of a bitch in space -- The dream is alive -- To have and have not -- A feather in her cap -- Rocket dawn -- We deliver -- Yellow death -- Much have I traveled -- Send me in, coach -- Blood moon -- The prince and the politician -- Beautiful, like America -- Godspeed -- Speedbrake -- All we know of heaven -- Nature cannot be fooled -- God help you if you screw this up -- Through a glass darkly -- Closer to God -- Everything that rises must converge -- Yesterday in Texas -- God bless.

"The never-before-told story of the barrier-breaking NASA class of 1978, which for the first time consisted of a diverse crew of women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and more, and their triumphs and tragedies working on the newly launched space shuttle program, with the exclusive cooperation of five astronauts"-- Provided by the publisher.

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