Sunita Williams: A Star in Space

Sunita Williams: A Star in Space
Author: Aravinda Anatharaman
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 129
Release: 2014-11-21
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9351188728

An Adventure of Intergalactic Proportions! Sunita Williams’s story is one of having to settle for second choices. She grew up wishing to be a professional swimmer. Then she wanted to train as a vet. Instead she went on to join the Naval Academy and serve as a pilot. Before long, however, space was calling. A new dream was born in Sunita. But it wasn’t all cakewalk. The path to becoming an astronaut called for resilience, patience and grit. Sunita had all this and more. As record holder for the longest spaceflight by a woman (195 days), Sunita’s story inspires one to look anew at the world of space missions. And even more than inspiration, she makes life as an astronaut seem thrilling and fun. Anecdotal, informative and pacy, this unputdownable biography, of one of the most famous astronauts of contemporary times, is packed with exciting facts and unusual trivia.

Astronaut Sunita Williams

Astronaut Sunita Williams
Author: S. Seshadri (Capt.)
Publisher:
Total Pages: 65
Release: 2007
Genre: Women astronauts
ISBN: 9788129112095

On the life and times of Sunita Williams, b. 1965, United States Naval officer and a NASA astronaut.

First Light

First Light
Author: Emma Chapman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2020-11-26
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1472962907

Astronomers have successfully observed a great deal of the Universe's history, from recording the afterglow of the Big Bang to imaging thousands of galaxies, and even to visualising an actual black hole. There's a lot for astronomers to be smug about. But when it comes to understanding how the Universe began and grew up we are literally in the dark ages. In effect, we are missing the first one billion years from the timeline of the Universe. This brief but far-reaching period in the Universe's history, known to astrophysicists as the 'Epoch of Reionisation', represents the start of the cosmos as we experience it today. The time when the very first stars burst into life, when darkness gave way to light. After hundreds of millions of years of dark, uneventful expansion, one by the one these stars suddenly came into being. This was the point at which the chaos of the Big Bang first began to yield to the order of galaxies, black holes and stars, kick-starting the pathway to planets, to comets, to moons, and to life itself. Incorporating the very latest research into this branch of astrophysics, this book sheds light on this time of darkness, telling the story of these first stars, hundreds of times the size of the Sun and a million times brighter, lonely giants that lived fast and died young in powerful explosions that seeded the Universe with the heavy elements that we are made of. Emma Chapman tells us how these stars formed, why they were so unusual, and what they can teach us about the Universe today. She also offers a first-hand look at the immense telescopes about to come on line to peer into the past, searching for the echoes and footprints of these stars, to take this period in the Universe's history from the realm of theoretical physics towards the wonder of observational astronomy.

Kalpana Chawla, a Life

Kalpana Chawla, a Life
Author: Anil Padmanabhan
Publisher: Penguin Books India
Total Pages: 118
Release: 2003
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780143335863

Born into a conservative family in a provincial town, in Haryana, Kalpana Chawla dreamt of the stars. Through sheer hard work, indomitable intelligence and immense faith in herself, she became the first indian woman to travel into space, and most remarkably to travel twice. A shinning career was tragically cut short in the recent Columbia mishap. In this well researched biography, journalist Padmanabhan talks to people who knew her, family and friends at Karnal, and colleagues at Nasa, to produce a moving portrait of a woman whose life was unique.

Chasing Space

Chasing Space
Author: Leland Melvin
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2017-05-23
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0062496778

In this revelatory and moving memoir, a former NASA astronaut and NFL wide receiver shares his personal journey from the gridiron to the stars, examining the intersecting roles of community, perseverance and grace that align to create the opportunities for success. Leland Melvin is the only person in human history to catch a pass in the National Football League and in space. Though his path to the heavens was riddled with setbacks and injury, Leland persevered to reach the stars. While training with NASA, Melvin suffered a severe injury that left him deaf. Leland was relegated to earthbound assignments, but chose to remain and support his astronaut family. His loyalty paid off. Recovering partial hearing, he earned his eligibility for space travel. He served as mission specialist for two flights aboard the shuttle Atlantis, working on the International Space Station. In this uplifting memoir, the former NASA astronaut and professional athlete offers an examination of the intersecting role of community, determination, and grace that align to shape our opportunities and outcomes. Chasing Space is not the story of one man, but the story of many men, women, scientists, and mentors who helped him defy the odds and live out an uncommon destiny. As a chemist, athlete, engineer and space traveler, Leland’s life story is a study in the science of achievement. His personal insights illuminate how grit and grace, are the keys to overcoming adversity and rising to success.

It's a Question of Space

It's a Question of Space
Author: Clayton C. Anderson
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2018-07-01
Genre: Young Adult Nonfiction
ISBN: 1496205081

Having spent over 150 days on his first tour of the International Space Station, it’s safe to say that Clayton C. Anderson knows a thing or two about space travel. Now retired and affectionately known as “Astro Clay” by his many admirers on social media and the Internet, Anderson has fielded thousands of questions over the years about spaceflight, living in space, and what it’s like to be an astronaut. Written with honesty and razor-sharp wit, It’s a Question of Space gathers Anderson’s often humorous answers to these questions and more in a book that will beguile young adults and space buffs alike. Covering topics as intriguing as walking in space, what astronauts are supposed to do when they see UFOs, and what role astronauts play in espionage, Anderson’s book is written in an accessible question-and-answer format that covers nearly all aspects of life in space imaginable. From living in zero gravity to going to the bathroom up there, It’s a Question of Space leaves no stone unturned in this witty firsthand account of life as an astronaut.

The Ordinary Spaceman

The Ordinary Spaceman
Author: Clayton C. Anderson
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 460
Release: 2015-06
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0803277318

What's it like to travel at more than 850 MPH, riding in a supersonic T-38 twin turbojet engine airplane? What happens when the space station toilet breaks? How do astronauts "take out the trash" on a spacewalk, tightly encapsulated in a space suit with just a few layers of fabric and Kevlar between them and the unforgiving vacuum of outer space? The Ordinary Spaceman puts you in the flight suit of U.S. astronaut Clayton C. Anderson and takes you on the journey of this small-town boy from Nebraska who spent 167 days living and working on the International Space Station, including nearly forty hours of space walks. Having applied to NASA fifteen times over fifteen years to become an astronaut before his ultimate selection, Anderson offers a unique perspective on his life as a veteran space flier, one characterized by humility and perseverance. From the application process to launch aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, from serving as a family escort for the ill-fated Columbia crew in 2003 to his own daily struggles--family separation, competitive battles to win coveted flight assignments, the stress of a highly visible job, and the ever-present risk of having to make the ultimate sacrifice--Anderson shares the full range of his experiences. With a mix of levity and gravitas, Anderson gives an authentic view of the highs and the lows, the triumphs and the tragedies of life as a NASA astronaut.

Space Stations

Space Stations
Author: Gary Kitmacher
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2018-10-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1588346323

A rich visual history of real and fictional space stations, illustrating pop culture's influence on the development of actual space stations and vice versa Space stations represent both the summit of space technology and, possibly, the future of humanity beyond Earth. Space Stations: The Art, Science, and Reality of Working in Space takes the reader deep into the heart of past, present, and future space stations, both real ones and those dreamed up in popular culture. This lavishly illustrated book explains the development of space stations from the earliest fictional visions through historical and current programs--including Skylab, Mir, and the International Space Station--and on to the dawning possibilities of large-scale space colonization. Engrossing narrative and striking images explore not only the spacecraft themselves but also how humans experience life aboard them, addressing everything from the development of efficient meal preparation methods to experiments in space-based botany. The book examines cutting-edge developments in government and commercial space stations, including NASA's Deep Space Habitats, the Russian Orbital Technologies Commercial Space Station, and China's Tiangong program. Throughout, Space Stations also charts the fascinating depiction of space stations in popular culture, whether in the form of children's toys, comic-book spacecraft, settings in science-fiction novels, or the backdrop to TV series and Hollywood movies. Space Stations is a beautiful and captivating history of the idea and the reality of the space station from the nineteenth century to the present day.

The Edge of Time

The Edge of Time
Author: Harrison Publishing
Publisher:
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2011-03-01
Genre:
ISBN: 9780976827917

Biography of India-born NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla. Covers her life from birth in India to graduate studies in the US, followed by an aerospace career culminating in her 1994 selction into the NASA astronaut corps. Details her astronaut training and two spoace shuttle flights, STS-87 in 1997, and the ill-fated STS-107 in 2003.Wrireen by her husband, Jean-Pierre Harrison.

Outpost in Orbit

Outpost in Orbit
Author: DAVID J. GODWIN SHAYLER (ROBERT.)
Publisher: Apogee Books
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2018-10
Genre:
ISBN: 9781989044032

The story of the space station encompasses the efforts of thousands of people going back many generations and hailing from many different countries. The concept of a space station seems to have sprung forth fully-formed in the mind of Edward Everett Hale in the summer of 1869. In his short story "The Brick Moon" Hale concluded that an orbiting manned space station could provide a totally new reference point which ships captains could use for navigation. Hale went on to become the chaplain in the United States' Senate and in 2019 we will be celebrating the sesquicentennial of his story. We will also be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the extraordinary International Space Station. The International Space Station represents what can happen when people from different backgrounds and different cultures come together with parallel dreams and aspirations. The ISS exists because of Russian mathematicians, American doctors, German scientists, Canadian engineers, British physicists, Japanese roboticists, Italian mechanics swap any of the occupations with any of the nationalities (or almost any other) and it still holds true. The list goes on and on. This truly astonishing feat of human ingenuity would not exist without the contributions and insights of people from almost every walk of life going all the way back to Isaac Newton. In this anniversary tribute the reader is taken through a pictorial history of the space station which is unprecedented in its scope. Beginning with Hale it takes the reader through over 100 space stations designed by American, Russians, German and Brits before taking you aboard the magnificent ISS using hundreds of pictures, many never published before. This 320 page full colour book was created with the assistance of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration which provided unprecedented access to engineers, managers, astronauts and historians. Interviews were conducted with retirees and pioneers as well as the principals from NASA, the Russian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency and the Japanese Space Agency to create a unique insight into the trials and triumphs of working on the ISS. Featuring over 800 colour images running all the way from Tsiolkovsky's designs in the early 20th century to the completed International Space Station, some of the people featured in the book include Robert Gilruth, James Webb, Wernher von Braun, Hermann Oberth, JD Bernal, Krafft Ehricke, Dan Goldin, Victor Blagov, Alan Thirkettle, Chiaki Mukai, Arthur C Clarke, Hermann Koelle, Bonnie Dunbar, Frank Williams, Vladimir Chelomei, Sergei Krikalev, William Shepard, Lynn Cline, Chris Hadfield, Takao Doi, Jean Olivier, Robert Crippen, Dmitri Kondratyev, Dave Williams, Robert Thirsk, Michael Foale. James Beggs, Owen Garriot, Kent Rominger, Henry Hartsfield, Bob Cabana, Peggy Whitson, Kathy Sullivan, Konstantin Feoktistov, and many more.