For Further Reading

Peter Bond, Zero G: Life and Survival in Space. New York: Cassell, 1999. This book provides vivid insights into the experiences of traveling in a rocket and then long-term life on space stations. Bond accentuates the trials, dangers, excitement, and joys of travel and life in space. The book includes many color photographs of both Russian and American space stations.

Bryan Burrough, Dragonfly: An Epic Adventure of Survival in Outer Space. New York: HarperCollins, 1998. This book is a retelling of what transpired when American astronauts joined the Russians on Mir as well as their background, training, and personalities. The book reveals the extent to which the Americans were not prepared to understand the workings of Mir nor the culture of Russian cosmonauts.

Mary M. Connors, Albert A. Harrison, and Faren R. Akins, Living Aloft: Human Requirements for Extended Spaceflight. Washington, DC: NASA Scientific and Technical Information Branch, Special Publication 483, 1985. This book covers perhaps some of the most interesting, but least-documented, aspects of spaceflight. The focus on biomedical and personal experiences of astronauts makes for useful and enjoyable reading.

Collin Foale, Waystation to the Stars. London: Headline Books, 2000. This is the story of British astronaut Michael Foale aboard Mir, as related by his father, Collin. It is an interesting book based on Michael's hundreds of e-mails to his parents and his personal journal of life aboard Mir. The book accurately recounts the Mir electrical fire, collision, and multiple computer failures. In spite of the tense moments, the book also documents the successes and friendships with American and Russian crew members.

Roger D. Launius, Space Station: Base Camps to the Stars. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 2003. In this well-illustrated book, Launius, a former NASA chief historian, details the developments of space stations from their origins to the ISS. He describes the public relations efforts of Wernher von Braun to promote space colonization, describes the science and politics of the earlier space stations Skylab and Salyut, and speculates on the future of the ISS and space exploration in general.

David J. Shayler, Skylab: America's Space Station. Chichester, England: Springer-Praxis, 2001. In this book, the author chronicles the evolution of Skylab; its infrastructure on the ground, including astronaut training; each of the three manned missions; a summary of the results of each mission; and the successes and lessons learned from failures.