{FREE} Riding Rockets: the Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut
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RIDING ROCKETS: THE OUTRAGEOUS TALES OF A SPACE SHUTTLE ASTRONAUT PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Mike Mullane | 400 pages | 21 May 2007 | Simon & Schuster Ltd | 9780743276832 | English | London, United Kingdom Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut PDF Book Like Goose in Top Gun. Considering it is doubtful we will ever read a dedicated biography of Judy Resnik, this book probably provides the best insight into her life as an astronaut. There must be other books by other astronauts that can provide the same information provided in Riding Rockets but do not foster the caustic feelings of alienation that are fanned by Astronaut Richard Michael Mullane. It gave me insight into the real life of an astronaut, it humanized the incredible feats it took to get into space, and it made me even more enthusiastic, if that's even possible, about the human species exploring the vasty nothingness of space. He is It's a great memoir, by turns tender and irreverent, with sometimes refreshing candor and healthy doses of self-congratulation. I could almost smell the jet fuel at Ellington Field as I watched my dad and perhaps Colonel Mullane in the back seat of a T say "goodbye" for a short trip by way of a giant and probably unnecessary afterburner that seemed ft long!! Mullane finally made it into orbit on the 12th shuttle flight, the first mission for Discovery. In these pages I discovered the adventures of the shuttle astronauts. Mullane gives a recount of his career from his selection as a shuttle astronaut, progresses through his training, and continues on through three flights on the space shuttle. From the homemade rocket-launching days of his childhood in his adventurous, supportive family; through to his ultimately successful but desperately fraudulent NASA selection interview; we discover not only that dreams come true, but that it's not so galling to hear so from such a light-hearted, grateful and witty author. They are assigned a mental rating with imaginary numeric cards ranging from 1 to 10 based solely on their looks. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. He also tells the story of losing his friends on Challenger, and the fears and disasters faced. Like those climbers, we were motivated by a fear far greater than death—the fear of not reaching the top. Apr 15, Dana rated it it was amazing. With the completion of his third flight, Mullane logged a total of hours in space. A hilarious, heartfelt story of life in all its fateful uncertainty, Riding Rockets will resonate long after the call of "Wheel stop. Biography Memoir. All books are soft cover, and will be autographed by Astronaut Mullane. Reading both back to back is a full history of the US astronaut corps. Maybe I was born too soon! The F ing New Guys If you can tolerate not-that-rare occasions of crude and sexist humor, it's pretty funny, and reading his stories of interactions with the ill-fated crew of Challenger, especially Judy Reznik, were particularly touching, too. In , the first group of space shuttle astronauts was introduced to the world -- twenty-nine men and six women who would carry NASA through the most tumultuous years of the space shuttle program. Open Preview See a Problem? August 24, His recounting of the Challenger disaster really got to me. While the rewards for getting into space are amazing, as he recounts with loving detail, the hurdles to get there are also well detailed, spelling out the reality that space travel is hard work. Coming to America This book was a double whammy because I learned a lot about the shuttle program and was very entertained. Not so, really. Four would die on Challenge On February 1, , the first group of space shuttle astronauts, twenty-nine men and six women, were introduced to the world. If you want to know what an astronaut's job is, read a different book. I had mixed feelings about this book. It is a story of the human experience that will resonate long after the call of "Wheel stop. Sputnik On orbit opportunities abounded for the Planet AD crowd. A quote: "To say the view was overwhelmingly beautiful would be an insult to God. Mullane talks about it all with an easy humor, lots of self-deprecation, and a real understanding for how NASA works for good and for bad and how hard it is on the families of astronauts. Part of the appeal in reading the memoirs of astronauts is that they've seen Earth and humanity in a way the overwhelming majority of us haven't. Unexpectedly, given the author's insistence that he hails from the Planet AD Arrested Development , he's also a great champion of the beauties of Earth, which he was able to observe during three Shuttle missions and describes wonderfully in the book. He knows he was a pig. Delivery time could be up to one week. Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut Writer Especially in the beginning, as he discussed his early life, it was easy to read a chapter then put down for the next shiny object. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Still, the man can write, and he does a great job of chronicling how the astronaut's special blend of obsessive competitiveness, huge self-confidence, and gut-churning fear can land him in the back seat of a space craft, wearing a urine condom and praying the weather will clear so he can be blasted skyward even as he counts the various ways he can end up dead in the very near future. The talk about his penis does one really important thing: takes the luster off space flight. As such, this book took me forever to finish. While I enjoyed his story as well as his frankness, in the end I wish that NASA had come up with a grander mission for a guy like Mike Mullane rather than risking his life to put satellites into orbit. There's much more to enjoy in Riding Rockets, including the barbs Mullane aims at NASA management in general and one bureaucrat in particular, but I won't spoil the fun. And, though a child growing up today probably has a better chance of becoming President than an astronaut, I hope there are still young boys and girls, standing in their back yards, looking skyward and dreaming of flying beyond the stars. Wichita Falls, Texas , U. I hope that the United States continues human spaceflight in some significant way. Mullane candidly discusses both the Challenger and Columbia tragedies and muses about steps that could have been taken to prevent them. I gave this book a punitive two stars where three could actually be due. Views Read Edit View history. Naturally, I expected some frank discussion of the subject, but it was a constant that grated on me and took so much away from both the process and risks of space flight and my overall enjoyment of the book. This assembly of astronauts would carry NASA through the most tumultuous years of the space shuttle program. This is not a heroic tale of people achieving the impossible Mike Mullane is a shuttle astronaut with a penis fixation. But that also made it convenient to read, easily read while waiting at a doctor's office or while in line. Follow astronaut Mike Mullane as he progresses from male chauvinist pig fighter jock to reluctant feminist. Bowels and Brains. To sum it up, this book is well worth reading! Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata All stub articles. Quotes from Riding Rockets: T This is a fantastic book. Views Read Edit View history. Mar 11, Melki rated it it was amazing Shelves: memoir , sciency- stuff , taking-up-space , best-of Funny, candid, detailed, with an easy prose style, astronaut Mullane has opinions about the shuttle program, NASA bureaucracy and the exploration of space, and he knows how to use them. I even remember my dad chuckling at some message cork- board in the astronaut office now I get it! Adventures in Public Speaking NASA astronaut corps. More Details Now, granted, he still doesn't seem to be able to resist telling us the sexist jokes he used to make to prove just how sex You'll read a lot of reviews on this site talking about the sexism in Mullane's book, and how if you can get through that, it's pretty funny. In his eyes, everybody who is not like Mullane is someone who is less than himself, not different, but less. Preview — Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane. There's a lot of wanna-be poetical stuff about watching the earth below the shuttle, which is also written at a sixth-grade level, tops. Original Title. Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut Reviews Friend Reviews. Return to Book Page. Mullane came from This book was everything I had hoped for. With the completion of his third flight, Mullane logged a total of hours in space. Mike Mullane writes candidly about his life and being part of the crew of the first flight of the space shuttle Discovery. If your eyes stay dry after reading his letters to his wife and mother preceding his final flight, well From what I know from the astronauts I've met, it's pretty honest. As a self-professed middle-of-the-road guy, you'd think he'd have recognized that a woman, like Sally Ride, with a PhD in physics from Stanford was beyond competent.