∎ Read Free Riding Rockets The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut Mike Mullane 9780743276832 Books

Riding Rockets The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut Mike Mullane 9780743276832 Books

Download As PDF : Riding Rockets The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut Mike Mullane 9780743276832 Books

Riding Rockets The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut Mike Mullane 9780743276832 Books

If you "put aside" some of your impressions relating to the author's sometimes selfishness and often male chauvinism, you will laugh hysterically throughout this entire book. Sometimes I am tempted to re-read this book (hard copy version) and purchase 85 yellow highlighters and highlight the passages that had me in stitches. There are many!!! Then I would challenge anyone to read just a few of those yellow highlighted passages without immediately logging in to Amazon and purchasing this book for themselves. What a ride!

Not only was I constantly "having a great time" reading his prose, but I was also learning interesting background and "behind the scenes" information relating to the shuttle program.

Maybe there is no surprise here, but I found it interesting to hear how much fear was involved during takeoff while at the same time that same astronaut would "kill" to do it all over again - with no hesitation.

There are so many good things to say about this book but nobody wants to read a review containing spoilers so .... no spoilers here.

I really enjoyed this book!


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Riding Rockets The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut Mike Mullane 9780743276832 Books Reviews

Great read that combined the right amount of technical detail with anecdotal "front row seat as an astronaut during the waning days of astronaut awesomeness." Mike witnessed firsthand the neutering of the Astronaut Corps and the inevitable transformation as politically correct public relations machines. The introduction of doctors and scientists into an environment that was once occupied by hotshot test pilots who could fly and land washing machines if they had to, took the energy and heroism out of "being an astronaut," in my and Mike's opinion. Sure, it still takes incredible chops to become an astronaut today, but they're just so boring from the viewpoint of a space enthusiast. It was truly a breath of fresh air to hear of the antics and shenanigans that *used* to go on behind the scenes which Mike gracefully shares in detail with us. I'm sure many at NASA had palpitations when this book came out--and rightfully so. I'll use the cliche' saying of "this should be requisite reading for all current and prospective astronauts." Not in an attempt to make them wreckless space cowboys, but to get them to spearhead breathing new life into what was once the frontrunner of ambition and awesomeness, not only for America, but for most of the world. Kids (my 80's child self included) once dreamed and pretended to be astronauts; now they're coached to not get concussions in the games they play and to always make sure your golden parachute is packed in reserve for your inevitable rise up the "challenging" corporate ladder.

Thank you, Mike, for sharing these stories.
An amazing glimpse into the early days of the shuttle program. In 1978, NASA selected 35 men and women to be the first astronauts to fly on the space shuttle. Mike captures the highs and lows in a, shoot from the hip, no-holds-barred style of writing. As a woman, I did not find his "potty humor" offensive in the least. I must have a high tolerance for Planet AD.
One of the best parts of the book is his relationship with the witty, but guarded, Judy Resnik. Yes, Mike had a massive hard-on for Judy, but most guys at NASA probably did. She comes across as trying to fit in and be one of the guys without pushing a feminasty agenda, unlike another female astronaut, who shall remain unnamed. It's sad that Judy died on Challenger. She seemed very dedicated and suffered her fate because of those making incompetent decisions above her. Mike discusses this bureaucratic idiocy quite a bit in the book.
All and all this is a great read. You will laugh 75% of the time, and be sad and angry the other 25%. One of the "Original Six" female astronauts, Rhea Seddon, wrote a memoir recently from the ladies perspective. I can't wait to read that as well.
Mike manages to tell us what it’s like on a human level to be an astronaut. The book is candid, he’s open about the fact that each time he flew on the space shuttle, he was scared that it was going to blow up. Everybody was. He skewers them Nassau bureaucracy mercilessly, while praising the overall determination Of the country to explore space. He certainly has some rather polarized views of many of the people involved in the space program. I was surprised, for example, that he was so critical of John Young, who I idolize. But, yesterday Young may have been the most frequent space traveler in the human race, but that doesn’t mean he was a nice person or a good administrator I’m glad somebody wrote a book like this
Just like Mike Mullane, I spent my childhood building real rockets (not the Estes hobby rockets) that often exploded violently on the launchpad, and dreamed of going into space. Unfortunately for me, that dream ended when the Apollo program shut down, NASA began widespread layoffs and the shuttle program loomed to far into the future. Fortunately for Mike Mullane, he hit the right launch window, and this book offers a unique, fascinating and often hilarious behind-the-scenes look at our country's space program at a critical moment in time. I still love retelling the story about the breakfast sausage that got away... always gets belly laughs.

But "Riding Rockets" doesn't just tell a story about going into space, it also tells a touching story of a male chauvanist pig -- a product of his time and his career -- who grew to finally appreciate the female half of our world, and to recognize the special challenges women have faced over the last few decades trying to succeed in a world too often stacked against them. I am married to just one such woman, and after 34 years of marriage I can agree with Gov. Ann Richard's assertion that "Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels".

This book should be required reading for anyone interested in the space program. Lets just hope that Astronaut Mullane's honest insights into the failings at NASA gets noticed before we unnecessarily doom more Challengers and Columbias to a horrible and avoidable demise.
If you "put aside" some of your impressions relating to the author's sometimes selfishness and often male chauvinism, you will laugh hysterically throughout this entire book. Sometimes I am tempted to re-read this book (hard copy version) and purchase 85 yellow highlighters and highlight the passages that had me in stitches. There are many!!! Then I would challenge anyone to read just a few of those yellow highlighted passages without immediately logging in to and purchasing this book for themselves. What a ride!

Not only was I constantly "having a great time" reading his prose, but I was also learning interesting background and "behind the scenes" information relating to the shuttle program.

Maybe there is no surprise here, but I found it interesting to hear how much fear was involved during takeoff while at the same time that same astronaut would "kill" to do it all over again - with no hesitation.

There are so many good things to say about this book but nobody wants to read a review containing spoilers so .... no spoilers here.

I really enjoyed this book!