Gemini: Stepping Stone to the Moon, the Untold Story
by Jeffrey Kluger · 11 Nov 2025 · 305pp · 98,394 words
in orbit at thousands of miles per hour and docking without crashing that created all the headaches—and that was because the physics that governed orbital mechanics were just nuts. If, say, the upper stage of the lunar module reached lunar orbit 200 miles in front of the Apollo mother ship, it
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a planet, and Armstrong and Scott knew it. As Armstrong released precisely timed whispers of gas from his propellants and the gears and flywheels of orbital mechanics continued to nudge Gemini 8 farther along, the little reflective object began to grow bigger until it looked for all the world like a twenty
City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America's Highways
by Megan Kimble · 2 Apr 2024 · 430pp · 117,211 words
a barrel room, sinking nearly half a million into the structure before opening as True Anomaly Brewing Company in 2019. The name comes from an orbital mechanics term—“the part of an equation that you would use to find out your relative position to an object in space,” Duckworth says. He talks
Digital Apollo: Human and Machine in Spaceflight
by David A. Mindell · 3 Apr 2008 · 377pp · 21,687 words
’s going just swimmingly. Beautiful.’’ A few minutes later, the LM, nicknamed Eagle, emerged as well, also reporting the successful burn. Now the comparatively pure orbital mechanics would begin to intersect the uncertainties and roughness of the moon. At first Armstrong and Aldrin came in facing down, feet first. This being the
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, 224 Digital autopilot, 139–142 lunar landing of, 1–8, 217–226 Digital Computation group, 127 mascons and, 220–221 Digital Development Group, 98, 127 orbital mechanics and, 217–218 Digital differential analyzer, 98 pitch over and, 220–221, 229 Dihedral, 33 powered descent initiation and, 222–223 Display and keyboard (DSKY
Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Apollo Moon Landings
by Jay Barbree, Howard Benedict, Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton and Neil Armstrong · 1 Jan 1994 · 469pp · 124,784 words
ascent, separation of rocket stages, insertion into orbit, flying the exquisitely demanding shifts in power and height above the earth to ride the rails of orbital mechanics in order to meet up with Soyuz, the docking. Yet Alan quickly distanced himself from the technical aspects. His mind soared to capture a vision
Shoot for the Moon: The Space Race and the Extraordinary Voyage of Apollo 11
by James Donovan · 12 Mar 2019
to quit trying. Without an onboard rendezvous radar, planned for later Gemini missions, rendezvous would have to wait. What this revealed was the complexity of orbital mechanics, which on the most basic level worked exactly the opposite of how it did with aircraft. Adding speed while in orbit raises a ship to
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, is achieved. Only then can docking be attempted. McDivitt’s failure was a lesson learned, and much of the subsequent Gemini missions would involve perfecting orbital mechanics and rendezvous maneuvers. The second goal, however, was achieved. A few hours after the failed rendezvous, the cabin was depressurized, and after some difficulty, White
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. Even fellow astronauts dreaded sitting next to “Dr. Rendezvous” at dinner, since the conversation usually became a one-sided lecture on Aldrin’s favorite topic, orbital mechanics. He once spent hours lecturing an astronaut’s wife on the subject. “Aldrin,” said one friend, “is a professor who is always on.” One newspaper
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involvements, was one of the unsung—at least to the public—heroes of the Apollo program. As a mission planner, particularly in the area of orbital mechanics, he was brilliant; for Gemini, he had figured out rendezvous—not just theoretically, with equations on paper, but how to actually do it. He had
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to think about a lunar landing. In addition to the issues of tracking and communications with two spacecraft orbiting the moon, the delicate dance of orbital mechanics and rendezvous and docking in the moon’s weaker gravity, the untried landing radar, and many other problems, there were the mascons, those lunar regions
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an inherited tendency of both of my parents for the, uh, overuse of alcohol.” “We’ve already seen”: Grelsamer, Into the Sky with Diamonds, 118. orbital mechanics: Cernan and Davis, The Last Man on the Moon, 78; Alan Bean interview, June 23, 1998, JSC Oral History Project; Collins, Carrying the Fire, 323
The Mission: A True Story
by David W. Brown · 26 Jan 2021
, and then have the spacecraft collect the data to answer them. Observation planning was high-stakes work, made more so by the harsh reality of orbital mechanics. You miss your one shot at a particular moon, and that might be it, ever, for an entire generation of scientists. Galileo might never pass
Building Habitats on the Moon: Engineering Approaches to Lunar Settlements
by Haym Benaroya · 12 Jan 2018 · 571pp · 124,448 words
’ and ‘ECLSS Comes First’. First, get the physics right and extract the implications for habitat and spacecraft design. Understand the physics of the space environment, orbital mechanics, spacecraft propulsion and stabilization, and what they mean for the safe functioning of the space habitat on whatever platform it resides. The atmosphere, dust , gravity
Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier
by Neil Degrasse Tyson and Avis Lang · 27 Feb 2012 · 476pp · 118,381 words
on your doctor’s scale. Thus, during those long, boring journeys, you can always, in principle, simulate Earth gravity. Another notable application of Newton’s orbital mechanics is the slingshot effect. Space agencies often launch probes from Earth that have too little energy to reach their planetary destinations. Instead, the orbital wizards
Project Hail Mary
by Andy Weir · 15 May 2021 · 576pp · 150,183 words
to live out his dream of writing full-time. He is a lifelong space nerd and a devoted hobbyist of subjects such as relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight. He also mixes a mean cocktail. He lives in California. Andyweirauthor.com Facebook.com/AndyWeirAuthor Twitter: @andyweirauthor What’s
How to Make a Spaceship: A Band of Renegades, an Epic Race, and the Birth of Private Spaceflight
by Julian Guthrie · 19 Sep 2016
to become a senior adviser to SEDS and quickly bonded with Peter, Todd, and Bob. Three years later, in 1985, Gregg, who had been teaching orbital mechanics and dabbling in space science in his free time, officially made the leap from law to space. He went to work with scientist and author
Accelerando
by Stross, Charles · 22 Jan 2005 · 489pp · 148,885 words
Seveneves
by Neal Stephenson · 19 May 2015 · 945pp · 292,893 words
Moondust: In Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth
by Andrew Smith · 3 Apr 2006 · 409pp · 138,088 words
Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
by Robert Kurson · 2 Apr 2018 · 361pp · 110,905 words
Spacewalker: My Journey in Space and Faith as NASA's Record-Setting Frequent Flyer
by Jerry Lynn Ross and John Norberg · 31 Jan 2013 · 259pp · 94,135 words
Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut
by Mike Mullane · 24 Jan 2006 · 506pp · 167,034 words
Leviathan Wakes
by James S. A. Corey · 14 Jun 2011 · 648pp · 170,770 words
The Ultimate Engineer: The Remarkable Life of NASA's Visionary Leader George M. Low
by Richard Jurek · 2 Dec 2019 · 431pp · 118,074 words
A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?
by Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith · 6 Nov 2023 · 490pp · 132,502 words
Come Fly With Us: NASA's Payload Specialist Program
by Melvin Croft, John Youskauskas and Don Thomas · 1 Feb 2019 · 609pp · 159,043 words
Apollo
by Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox · 1 Jan 1989 · 619pp · 197,256 words
Anathem
by Neal Stephenson · 25 Aug 2009 · 1,087pp · 325,295 words
Interplanetary Robots
by Rod Pyle
Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto
by Alan Stern and David Grinspoon · 2 May 2018 · 323pp · 94,156 words
Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control From Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
by Gene Kranz · 7 Jan 2000 · 549pp · 162,164 words
Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon
by Jeffrey Kluger · 15 May 2017 · 396pp · 112,354 words
Judas Unchained
by Peter F. Hamilton · 1 Jan 2006 · 1,386pp · 379,115 words
The Evolutionary Void
by Peter F. Hamilton · 18 Aug 2010 · 857pp · 232,302 words
Einstein's Dice and Schrödinger's Cat: How Two Great Minds Battled Quantum Randomness to Create a Unified Theory of Physics
by Paul Halpern · 13 Apr 2015 · 282pp · 89,436 words
Falling to Earth
by Al Worden · 26 Jul 2011 · 357pp · 121,119 words
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission
by Eileen M. Collins and Jonathan H. Ward · 13 Sep 2021 · 394pp · 107,778 words
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Sixth Annual Collection
by Gardner Dozois · 23 Jun 2009 · 1,263pp · 371,402 words
Hidden Figures
by Margot Lee Shetterly · 11 Aug 2016 · 425pp · 116,409 words
Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew
by Michael Leinbach and Jonathan H. Ward · 23 Jan 2018 · 424pp · 114,094 words
Into the Black: The Extraordinary Untold Story of the First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the Astronauts Who Flew Her
by Rowland White and Richard Truly · 18 Apr 2016 · 570pp · 151,609 words
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space
by Adam Higginbotham · 14 May 2024 · 523pp · 204,889 words
Go, Flight!: The Unsung Heroes of Mission Control, 1965-1992
by Rick Houston and J. Milt Heflin · 27 Sep 2015 · 472pp · 141,591 words
The Planet Remade: How Geoengineering Could Change the World
by Oliver Morton · 26 Sep 2015 · 469pp · 142,230 words
A Man on the Moon
by Andrew Chaikin · 1 Jan 1994 · 816pp · 242,405 words
In the Shadow of the Moon: A Challenging Journey to Tranquility, 1965-1969
by Francis French, Colin Burgess and Walter Cunningham · 1 Jun 2010 · 628pp · 170,668 words
Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys: 50th Anniversary Edition
by Michael Collins and Charles A. Lindbergh · 15 Apr 2019
Moonshot: The Inside Story of Mankind's Greatest Adventure
by Dan Parry · 22 Jun 2009 · 370pp · 100,856 words
Velocity Weapon
by Megan E. O'Keefe · 10 Jun 2019 · 602pp · 164,940 words
Aurora
by Kim Stanley Robinson · 6 Jul 2015 · 488pp · 148,340 words
Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration
by Buzz Aldrin and Leonard David · 1 Apr 2013 · 183pp · 51,514 words
Mars Crossing
by Geoffrey A. Landis · 15 Jan 2000 · 340pp · 96,242 words
The Last Man on the Moon: Astronaut Eugene Cernan and America's Race in Space
by Eugene Cernan and Donald A. Davis · 1 Jan 1998 · 453pp · 142,717 words
Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve And/or Ruin Everything
by Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith · 16 Oct 2017 · 398pp · 105,032 words
Never Panic Early: An Apollo 13 Astronaut's Journey
by Fred Haise and Bill Moore · 4 Apr 2022 · 263pp · 72,899 words
The Last Dance
by Martin L. Shoemaker · 2 Nov 2019 · 485pp · 149,337 words
Empire of the Sum: The Rise and Reign of the Pocket Calculator
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2312
by Kim Stanley Robinson · 22 May 2012 · 561pp · 167,631 words
Day We Found the Universe
by Marcia Bartusiak · 6 Apr 2009 · 412pp · 122,952 words
Catching Stardust: Comets, Asteroids and the Birth of the Solar System
by Natalie Starkey · 8 Mar 2018 · 284pp · 89,477 words
The Quantum Magician
by Derek Künsken · 1 Oct 2018 · 430pp · 107,765 words
A New History of the Future in 100 Objects: A Fiction
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An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
by Chris Hadfield · 29 Oct 2013 · 255pp · 88,987 words
Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto
by Stewart Brand · 15 Mar 2009 · 422pp · 113,525 words
Code of the Lifemaker
by James P. Hogan · 1 Jan 1983 · 691pp · 126,970 words
More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley's Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity
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The Last Astronaut
by David Wellington · 22 Jul 2019 · 460pp · 130,621 words
Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base
by Annie Jacobsen · 16 May 2011 · 572pp · 179,024 words
Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors
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Makers at Work: Folks Reinventing the World One Object or Idea at a Time
by Steven Osborn · 17 Sep 2013 · 310pp · 34,482 words
Leaving Orbit: Notes From the Last Days of American Spaceflight
by Margaret Lazarus Dean · 18 May 2015 · 338pp · 112,127 words
A Half-Built Garden
by Ruthanna Emrys · 25 Jul 2022 · 431pp · 127,720 words
Artemis
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The Hunt for Red October
by Tom Clancy · 2 Jan 1984 · 594pp · 165,413 words
The Deep Learning Revolution (The MIT Press)
by Terrence J. Sejnowski · 27 Sep 2018
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
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CTOs at Work
by Scott Donaldson, Stanley Siegel and Gary Donaldson · 13 Jan 2012 · 458pp · 135,206 words
Patriot Games
by Tom Clancy · 2 Jan 1987
Future War: Preparing for the New Global Battlefield
by Robert H. Latiff · 25 Sep 2017 · 158pp · 46,353 words
You've Been Played: How Corporations, Governments, and Schools Use Games to Control Us All
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Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley
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Time Travelers Never Die
by Jack McDevitt · 10 Sep 2009 · 460pp · 108,654 words
A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life
by Brian Grazer and Charles Fishman · 6 Apr 2014 · 302pp · 74,878 words
The Martian
by Andy Weir · 1 Jan 2011 · 410pp · 103,421 words
Across the Airless Wilds: The Lunar Rover and the Triumph of the Final Moon Landings
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Elon Musk: A Mission to Save the World
by Anna Crowley Redding · 1 Jul 2019 · 190pp · 46,977 words
Asteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy
by John Lewis · 22 Jul 2014 · 183pp · 54,731 words
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
by Ashlee Vance · 18 May 2015 · 370pp · 129,096 words
Case for Mars
by Robert Zubrin · 27 Jun 2011 · 437pp · 126,860 words