BOOK REVIEW
Space Shuttle Almanac: A Comprehensive Overview of 40 Years of Space Shuttle Development & Operations, Authors: Joel W. Powell & Lee Robert Brandon-Cremer.
By Lee Robert Brandon-Cremer – When the final sonic boom startled the spectators at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility on 21 July 2011, and the orbiter Atlantis settled onto Runway 15 for the last time, the Space Shuttle Era quietly came to an end. With the final ‘wheels stop’ call, the magnificent orbiting machines would fly no more, sadly consigned to museums at KSC, Los Angeles and the Smithsonian.
Through 40 years of development and operations the shuttle appeared to be an open-ended program, fluctuating between many of its original functions and its eventual role of assembling the International Space Station. Sadly, shuttles are now permanently grounded. Critics have argued that the shuttle retirement was premature, that it should have continued in operation until commercial companies are able to pick up the slack of carrying cargo (and eventually astronaut crews) to the International Space Station. The arguments fell on deaf ears in Congress and in the Obama Administration, and the shuttle’s fate was sealed.
This new eBook (a PDF on a CD) was designed and created to display on PCs, Laptops and iPads, one of the most unique Space Shuttle books ever released. Its a celebration of over 30 years of shuttle operational history as much as it is a final compilation of mission facts and figures, dates and times.
Primary author Lee Brandon-Cremer has added an outstanding collection of images for every mission to enhance the existing experiment and payload artwork. Additional material has been added that is almost impossible to find as much of it was collected and preserved by the authors during 30 years of research, all of which enhance the visual content of this production. Over 1,400 pages, over 1,000 photos, and over 1,000 diagrams combined make this an encyclopedic collection of everything Space Shuttle.
The authors hope that the Space Shuttle Almanac will serve as a worthy tribute to the magnificent shuttle program.
Visit their website at: www.spaceshuttlealmanac.com to view samples and see for yourself the caliber of the product. ♦