Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe

Sharing Space: An Astronaut's Guide to Mission, Wonder, and Making Change

Cady Coleman · 272 pages

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth

Chris Hadfield · 309 pages

"Chris Hadfield was selected by the Canadian Space Agency to be an astronaut in 1992. He was Chief of Robotics at the Johnson Space Center in Houston from 2003-2006, and in March 2013, he became the first Canadian Commander of the International Space Station where, while conducting a record-setting number of scientific experiments and overseeing an emergency spacewalk, he gained worldwide acclaim

Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon

Buzz Aldrin, Ken Abraham · 331 pages

Forty years ago, Buzz Aldrin became the second human, minutes after Neil Armstrong, to set foot on a celestial body other than the Earth. The event remains one of mankind's greatest achievements and was witnessed by the largest worldwide television audience in history. In the years since, millions more have had their Earth-centric perspective unalterably changed by the iconic photograph of Aldrin

Falling to Earth: An Apollo 15 Astronaut's Journey to the Moon

Al Worden, Francis French · 300 pages

July 26-August 7, 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 15 space flight. As command module pilot for the Apollo 15 mission to the Moon, Al Worden flew on what is widely regarded as the greatest exploration mission that humans have ever attempted. Worden has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "most isolated human being" during his time alone in the command module Endea

Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys

Michael Collins · 528 pages

The years that have passed since Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins piloted the Apollo 11 spacecraft to the moon in July 1969 have done nothing to alter the fundamental wonder of the event: man reaching the moon remains one of the great events—technical and spiritual—of our lifetime. In this remarkable book, Michael Collins conveys, in a very personal way, the drama, beauty, and h

Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery

Scott Kelly · 387 pages

The veteran of four space flights and the American record holder for consecutive days spent in space, Scott Kelly has experienced things very few have. Now, he takes us inside a sphere utterly inimical to human life. He describes navigating the extreme challenge of long-term spaceflight, both existential and banal: the devastating effects on the body; the isolation from everyone he loves and the c

John Glenn: A Memoir

John Glenn, Nick Taylor · 422 pages

"John Glenn's autobiography spans the seminal events of the twentieth century. It is a story that begins with his childhood in New Concord, Ohio, in the aftermath of World War I. It was there that he learned the importance of family, community, and patriotism. Glenn saw firsthand the ravages of the Depression and learned that determination, hard work, and teamwork could overcome any adversity. Th

The Last Man on the Moon: Astronaut Eugene Cernan and America's Race in Space

Eugene Cernan, Donald A. Davis · 356 pages

Eugene Cernan came of age as an astronaut during the most exciting and dangerous decade of space flight. His career spanned the entire Gemini and Apollo programs, from being the first person to spacewalk all the way around our world to the moment when he left man's last footprint on the Moon as commander of Apollo 17. Between those two historic events lay more adventures than an ordinary person c

Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13

Jim Lovell, Jeffrey Kluger · 378 pages

The Sky Below

Scott Parazynski, Susy Flory · 252 pages

Apollo 8

Jeffrey Kluger · 320 pages

Recounts the bold but dangerous mission to secure America's position as the first nation to reach the moon, revealing the dangers endured by its crew and the ways the mission brought renewal to a country ravaged by assassinations and war.

Failure is Not an Option: Mission Control From Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond

Gene Kranz · 539 pages

"Kranz was flight director for both Apollo 11, the mission in which Neil Armstrong fulfilled President Kennedy's pledge, and Apollo 13. He headed the Tiger Team that had to figure out how to bring the three Apollo 13 astronauts safely back to Earth. (In the film Apollo 13, Kranz was played by the actor Ed Harris, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance.)". "In Failure Is Not an

Wings of Fire: An Autobiography

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam · 180 pages

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, the son of a little-educated boat-owner in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, had an unparalleled career as a defence scientist, culminating in the highest civilian award of India, the Bharat Ratna. As chief of the country’s defence research and development programme, Kalam demonstrated the great potential for dynamism and innovation that existed in seemingly moribund res

Sally Ride: America’s First Woman in Space

Lynn Sherr · 374 pages

The definitive biography of Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, with exclusive insights from Ride's family and partner, by the ABC reporter who covered NASA during its transformation from a test-pilot boys' club to a more inclusive elite. This book is a biography of Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, with exclusive insights from her family and partner, and by the ABC reporter who

Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon

Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton, Jay Barbree, Howard Benedict · 396 pages

Starman: The Truth Behind The Legend Of Yuri Gagarin

Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony · 248 pages

Atmosphere: A Love Story

Taylor Jenkins Reid · 352 pages

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the f

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope

William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer · 294 pages

William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger, and a place where hope and opportunity were hard to find. But William had read about windmills in a book called Using Energy, and he dreamed of building one that would bring electricity and water to his village and change his life and the lives of tho

Rocket Boys

Homer Hickam · 386 pages

First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong

James R. Hansen · 784 pages

On July 20, 1969, the world stood still to watch 38-year-old American astronaut Neil A. Armstrong become the first person ever to step on the surface of another heavenly body. Upon his return to Earth, Armstrong was celebrated for his monumental achievement. He was also--as NASA historian Hansen reveals in this authorized biography--misunderstood. Armstrong's accomplishments as an engineer, a test

Moondust: In Search Of The Men Who Fell To Earth

Andrew Smith · 384 pages

In 1999, Andrew Smith was interviewing Charlie Duke, astronaut and moon walker, for the Sunday Times. During the course of the interview, which took place at Duke's Texan home, the telephone rang and Charlie left the room to answer it. When he returned, some twenty minutes later, he seemed visibly upset. It seemed that he'd just heard that, the previous day, one of his fellow moon walkers, the ast

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream

Tanya Lee Stone · 139 pages

They had the right stuff. They defied the prejudices of the time. And they blazed a trail for generations of women to follow. What does it take to be an astronaut? Excellence at flying, courage, intelligence, resistance to stress, top physical shape — any checklist would include these. But when America created NASA in 1958, there was another unspoken rule: you had to be a man. Here is the tale

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void

Mary Roach · 334 pages

Space is devoid of the stuff humans need to live: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh veg, privacy, beer. How much can a person give up? What happens when you can't walk for a year? Is sex any fun in zero gravity? As Mary Roach discovers, it's possible to explore space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training toilet to a 17,000-mile-per-hour crash test of NASA's space capsule, she

A Man on the Moon

Andrew Chaikin, Michael Kramer · 688 pages

 For the 25th anniversary of the first moon landing, a winning and detailed account of the Apollo astronauts, a dozen of whom were the first human beings to walk on the face of the moon. The strength of the book lies in Chaikin's exhaustive research, including interviews with all 24 Apollo astronauts. Chaikin, an editor of Sky and Telescope, draws on the wealth of material from NASA's files--incl