Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut

An enduring image of an `astronaut' was created for the public by NASA, Time magazine, and Tom Woolf's The Right Stuff. These caricatures of the original seven American astronauts, the so-called Mercury-7, chosen to assert American supremacy over the communist threat of Sputnik have seemingly endured way past their use by date. A resurgence in interest in `astronauts' was made almost single-handedly in the English speaking world by the Canadian Colonel Chris Hadfield. His much publicised exploits, through the media of YouTube, as commander of expedition 35 aboard the International Space Station made obvious a change from May 5, 1961 when Alan Shepherd rode Freedom 7 into the history books.In his autobiographical An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, the now retired Hadfield provides one of the most readable and honest stories of his journey from being a glider in the Royal Canadian Air Cadets in 1975 to commanding the international space Station in 2013 - after `only' 21 years of astronaut training. He candidly describes the effort and training to get to being a modern astronauts - studying, practicing, learning, waiting, preparing for the worst - then being flexible enough to deal with the unexpected. What I liked is his can do approach as explained in his response to the 1969 Apollo 11moon landing and wanting to become an astronaut: I also knew, as did every other kid in Canada, that it was impossible. Astronauts were American. NASA only accepted applications from U.S citizens, and Canada didn't even have a space agency. I was old enough to understand that getting ready wasn't simply a matter of playing "space mission" with my brothers in our bunk beds, underneath a big National geographic poster of the Moon. But there was no program I could enroll in, no manual i could read, no one to ask. There was only one option, I decided. I had to imagine what an astronaut might do if he were 9 years old, then do exactly the same thing.His laconic, sometimes counter-intuitive advise is always presented with a wealth of evidence to support his lesson. His Frank assessment of the impact of his dream on the rest of his family make a good reminder for all the corporate males who neglect family events for yet another sales meeting.Hadfield's book is a great read and compares favorably with two of my other notable astronaut autobiographies.At the age of five I was devastated when my mum said to me that I could not become an astronaut. She dashed my probably overly enthusiastic boyish exuberance regarding space exploration explaining that I would need to be both American and a military pilot. Despite this early reality check, and taking a different path to Hadfield, I followed the Apollo program with enthusiasm - racing home from primary school to watch the historic moon-walk of Armstrong and Aldrin.Of those Apollo 11 voyagers only Michael Collins put pen to paper to capture his journeys as an astronaut in the vivid and captivating Carrying the Fire. Collins displays a fine writing style and wry sense of humor. He wrote from an earlier time than Hadfield. Collins was part of the "Apollo fourteen", the third group of astronauts, after being unsuccessful for selection in the second group, the "New Nine".Collins adroitly describes his emergence as an astronaut, training for and flying on Gemini 10 with John Young and participating in the US's third "space walk". Collins was originally picked as part of the Apollo 8 crew. He was replaced by Jim Lovell when a bone spur was discovered on his spine, requiring surgery. He relates his feelings at losing this opportunity, Apollo 8 became the bold second manned Apollo flight all the way to circle the Moon, and then gaining his place in history as the Command Module Pilot of Apollo 11.Other books from this era that deserve a mention are Deke Slayton's Deke and John Glenn's A Memoir. Both of these were of the Mercury 7. Glenn's memoir is so straight that it strains the reader's credulity. Extraordinarily enough it is all John Glenn - astronaut, married family man, US Senator - it is definitely one of an uncomplicated patriotic kind. Slayton was different, grounded with a heart irregularity and instead of flying became the first Chief of the Astronaut Corps and selected the crews who flew Gemini, Apollo and Skylab missions. His book, written as he was dying from cancer, covers the full space race period up to his retirement post the start of the Space Shuttle era.Other books of note are books by Eugene Cernan The Last Man on the Moon, and John Young's Forever Young.My third must read astronaut autobiography though is Mike Mullane's Riding Rockets.This in my mind is a minor classic, again so different to both Collins and Hadfield. Mullane was part of the Space Shuttle generation of astronauts, the 1978 class of TFNGs (the Thirty Five New Guys), a group that included the first female NASA astronauts. This book contains an emotional level and cadence not pictured in other first hand astronaut memoirs.Mullane, a self-confessed inhabitant from planet `arrested development' shares his growing pains in recognising that women could be colleagues and brilliant astronauts at that. His brutally honest depiction of losing his friend Judy Resnik in the Challenger disaster due to NASA hubris. Mullane describes in vivid detail the subsequent appalling bureaucratic treatment of the family members who were present at the disastrous launch. His own experience prior to this when STS-27 suffered near catastrophic heat shield damage from launch damage makes this description all the more poignant.The whole fateful uncertainty of the Space Shuttle era, the "glory and the folly" of this remarkable era in human exploration of near space is wittily and cuttingly told. If you aren't both amazed and angered in reading this memoir than I suggest you go back and read it again.This review first appeared on dragonlaughing.tumblr

I enjoyed reading this book immensely. Worth the price.

OK. The classic astronaut memoir is "Carrying the Fire" by Michael Collins. He's a poet, and I doubt anyone will come close. Mike Mullane is sort of a working man's Michael Collins, I suppose. He tells the gritty reality of being a lesser mortal than the Gods of Apollo. A working stiff, "not the brightest astronaut", not even a pilot. Heck, even I'm a pilot! But Mullane, a backseater / WSO (Weapons Systems Officer) in RF-4C's who flew combat missions over Vietnam, really does have the Right Stuff--if the Right Stuff is True Grit. The theme of this book set early, by a scene where Mullane, desperate since early boyhood to built home rockets and eventually fly in space, holds an enema prep inside him for an impossible length of time, to result in a colon shiny enough for the gastroenterologist to have to wear shades while peering through the fiber optics. That says it all: his openness, his 8 year old boy sense of grossout (which is closely tied to his Fighter Jock's Ethic, or as he would say, being from the Planet AD (AD = Arrested Development)); and his willingness to ruthlessly strip away all the glamour of the Astronaut Office, all the PR, and expose the seething competition, resentment and politics that swirl underneath. He's not afraid of naming names. He's also not afraid of exposing his own faults, especially his ugly male chauvinism which melted into respect and finally sorrow in his first real adult relationship with a female peer, the doomed, spectacular Judy Resnick who was immolated in Challenger. His growth is moving, and his openness about his own flaws makes his observations about the horrifying dysfunction of the Astronaut Office, and the Space Shuttle program as a whole, totally believable. Most surprising is the level of terror he describes, in himself and most, but not all, of the astronauts, as they made the best of a system that was never funded for the most appropriate configuration initially, nor even to maintain the number of workers, Shuttle Orbiters, and even spare parts required to maintain the pace necessary to achieve its goal: economical transport into space. As a result, the astronauts have all KNOWN the enormous risks they were taking with every flight, even as they gracefully hid them from the world. Still, they knew and their spouses knew. Worst of all, NASA knew. And yet they flew eagerly, and as Mullane said, would still have flown even if they had a tiny chance of surviving the launch, just for the chance of turning the silver wings of the "astronaut candidate" into the gold wings of the Astronaut. Discovery is finishing its last flight as I write this, and I wish them Godspeed for a happy return; Mike Mullane happened to have flown Discovery's first flight, with its excruciating multiple aborts, including the first launch pad abort / shutdown in history. I had wanted to be a Mission Specialist, and had come close; now I must say I'm glad I didn't pass the final cut. But I'm very glad that Mullane did.

Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut by Mike Mullane is captivating, interesting, funny, moving, enlightening….and a whole host of other superlatives. From a small child Mullane was fascinated with rockets and space travel and this book charts his journey (literal and metaphorical) from childhood to the US Air Force to astronaut on 3 missions to his retirement from NASA.Having read both Mike Massimino’s Spaceman and Scott Kelly’s Endurance – both of which I thoroughly enjoyed – I think that Riding Rockets is a more “warts and all”, non-pc account which punctures any romanticised notion about the life of an astronaut and sheds a more critical light on NASA. Mike Mullane describes the many, many hours of training, hard work, assessments and volume of knowledge and problem-solving skills required before they ever get close to the capsule. The physical, mental and emotional stresses and strains it puts on the astronaut, their families and the huge team of staff required to support NASA’s activities is very honestly portrayed. The camaraderie and the competitive nature of each intake of astronaut candidates, the hierarchy of roles within the missions and mundane details like having a reserved car parking space if you were a member of the Prime Crew were fascinating. The excitement, physical discomfort and fear felt before ignition, the effects and noise of the launch - so vividly described I felt as if I was there - before the silence of space. The regimented days, procedures and tasks which must be completed while in orbit, the reality of living in zero gravity and how it effects eating, going to the toilet etc. All of these things are explored in detail – and I mean in detail – in a way which is illuminating and, on occasion, laugh out loud funny. Also explored in detail are the tragedies, losses and failures of the people, equipment and the bureaucracy.In addition to all his other skills and competencies, Mike Mullane is a very gifted author who knows how to tell a story in a way which is brings the reader along and gives a flavour of the life and experiences - be it technical or run of the mill – of that elite group of people who have been in space. As he mentioned, at the time this book was released (2007) – there were only 400 individuals who had left planet Earth while 5 times that number had conquered Everest! Highly recommend Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut.

This is the best astronaut themed book I've ever read! It's a cracking autobiography. Mike tells it like it really was. Beware if you are squeamish! Contains graphic details of bodily functions in orbit! Also, if you are easily offended by non-PC humour, WATCH OUT!I laughed out loud again and again at the antics of Mike and his family and his fellow astronauts. It is also an unflinchingly honest book, Mike does not hide the imperfections in himself, others or NASA.It is also deeply moving at times. Mike writes about his family, the friends he lost to accidents and the Challenger explosion, in a way that really hits home.My one of my favourite bits is on pages 334 to 336 where Mike describes the view of the Earth from orbit, and how he soaks up the sights sounds and smells of his last flight. He also gives his own heart rending estimation of what the Challenger crew must have gone through after the explosion (no, they did't die straight away). Shocking stuff.If you like good autobiographies you'll like this book, if you like to read about the human side of space travel you will LOVE it. I did.

This book is simply fascinating. I am not one to read books often but this has had me hooked.I bought In the Shadow of the Moon on Blu Ray as I have always been interested in space. I enjoyed Mike Collins and then bought and read his book Carrying the Fire. At the same time Amazon recommended this book by Mike Mullane, so I got both.I read Carrying the Fire first as it was the one I really wanted. And I really enjoyed that, very interesting and serious about getting to the moon. Once finished I moved onto Mike Mullanes book.I have always been a big fan of space, but not a big book reader, most has been gained by watching TV and visiting the Kennedy space Centre 7 times! I grew up with the Space Shuttle, having been born in 69 and missing the Apollo era. I distinctly remember watching STS-1 launching with John Young and Bob Crippen in her.The book by Mike is truly fascinating. If Tim Moore ever wrote a book about going to space then this would be like that book.There is so much humour it makes the reading of the book so enjoyable. The drive to get into space I thought was a fantastic idea but the drive that people show to fulfil that ideal is so much more than I could ever give it credit, and Mike displays this with such humour it's a joy to read.I enjoyed being able to relate to the Shuttle as it was and still is my space era, to see it evolve and the book fills in the gap of the program, how people became Astronauts and what it took to get there. It also showed how being an Astronaut was so much fun, it enlightened me that being an Astronaut was much like any other office job to a point, you went to work, you had a laugh, did some work and came home, they just did different things, and they endured office politics. That I think is the most overwhelming thing from the book. You just expect the elite not to suffer from such things but the Astronaut selection program for getting to become the `Prime Crew' became such a superb process to read and witness as office politics affects not just everyone but NASA as well !Then the Challenger disaster occurred and then you realise these people in order to fulfil their dream were walking the tightrope of disaster every minute on the countdown to re entry to landing. The aftermath of the disaster is really well brought home by mike and his interactions with other certain Astronauts beggars belief, and this was probably one of the biggest revelations in the book. Something you don't expect from the NASA management.The other thing I enjoyed was the scrubbed launches and how that must have felt, which Mike goes through very well, but the main thing for me was the insight of how it all bolted together, and then watching again the `Dream is Alive' DVD about the Space Shuttle missions you see Mike and his crew on board the Shuttle, the first mission Mike flew on and then you see all his crew mates that he talked about and it gives them much more substance. To see Judy and Hank, Steve on that mission, just made it all come together.If I ever visit Kennedy Space Centre again, I will make sure that I visit the Astronaut Hall of Fame, because after reading this book, it has made me realise that along with Mike Collins book that the feats these people did to get into space is as amazing than the technological achievements to create the Apollo moon rocket or the Space Shuttle.If you're vaguely interested in space you will enjoy this book, if like me your are interested in space travel and the NASA stuff you won't be able to put it down.Revealing, hilarious, dry humour and a brilliant insight in being an Astronaut, working for NASA, and the realisation that being an Astronaut has all the same problems and good and bad days at work like any other job we all do. They just work in a different space to the rest of us ...

Whilst not denying the wonders of space and the success of the manned space programme of the USA, this book also provides a significant window into the flawed politics at NASA.It shows how the administration succumbed to the idea, widely held amongst the general public, that space flight had been conquered and was safe enough to open it up to a wider range of people who were not properly trained. It describes how, when things go wrong, such people can be a liability.The book is funny, worrying, deeply honest on the part of the author, informative and so much more. It shows that, despite the remarkable level of expertise,especially on the part of the military astronauts, these are still, in the words of that rather over-used expression, ordinary men doing extraordinary thingsIf you have more than just a passing interest in manned space flight, this book is for you.

An enlightening and enjoyable read. The story of a Space Shuttle astronaut and his 3 missions in Discovery and Atlantis.Recommended in 'Packing for Mars' I immediately fell under the spell of Mr Mullane's extraordinary journey from Vietnam vet tomission specialist aboard the sadly missed Space Shuttle programme. He writes with the passion of an explorer and the self awarenessof a man changed by his experiences on ultimately dangerous missions. His sense of fun permeates the book and he is unashamed of his initialmisogyny - a Texan by birth, which evolves into a deep respect for female astronauts. His honesty about the NASA management styleis so refreshing, one wonders how only two missions ended in disaster. However, his passion for space flight permeates the book and onecan only hope that there are still people with his verve working for NASA,