Space Shuttle RTLS article
Discussion
On the contrary - I've now read it through twice and thoroughly enjoyable it is too. White is a great story teller and the book reveals quite a lot about the STS 1 mission that had only been hinted at in earlier books.
I still think the definitive, warts and all, book on the Space Shuttle programme remains to be written. David Baker would be the ideal writer as he did something along these lines covering manned spaceflight from 1961 to 1975 which is probably the best and most thorough book ever written about that period in manned space flight history. The first edition (which I have) was published just before STS 1 and a revised edition was published in 1985.
Baker wrote the Haynes Manual mentioned above by me and it hints at his views and opinions on the programme but is more of a tecchie book.
If you REALLY want to immerse yourself in the story and background of the Shuttle, you might like to watch and listen to all 20 plus hours of lectures that were put on the internet by MIT back in 2005. The sound quality is a bit ropey but the information is fantastic. Some leading figures (sadly, quite a few no longer with us) were invited to talk to the aeronautical students that year and they were totally open and honest about the issues, technical, political and human, they had to overcome to get the thing built and into operation. They also talk openly about the two accidents.
https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/aeronautics-and-astron...
I still think the definitive, warts and all, book on the Space Shuttle programme remains to be written. David Baker would be the ideal writer as he did something along these lines covering manned spaceflight from 1961 to 1975 which is probably the best and most thorough book ever written about that period in manned space flight history. The first edition (which I have) was published just before STS 1 and a revised edition was published in 1985.
Baker wrote the Haynes Manual mentioned above by me and it hints at his views and opinions on the programme but is more of a tecchie book.
If you REALLY want to immerse yourself in the story and background of the Shuttle, you might like to watch and listen to all 20 plus hours of lectures that were put on the internet by MIT back in 2005. The sound quality is a bit ropey but the information is fantastic. Some leading figures (sadly, quite a few no longer with us) were invited to talk to the aeronautical students that year and they were totally open and honest about the issues, technical, political and human, they had to overcome to get the thing built and into operation. They also talk openly about the two accidents.
https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/aeronautics-and-astron...
As a result of your post, I'm now listening to Lecture 1 as I work. The first talk is by Dale Myers (who sadly only passed away not that long ago). Myers was a key figure at North American Aviation (the company that was awarded the contract for the Orbiter - and had also built the Apollo Command and Service Modules). His pedigree at North American went all the way back to the Harvard and the Mustang.
He also served as NASA's Deputy Administrator for a number of years.
He also served as NASA's Deputy Administrator for a number of years.
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