{"product_id":"the-space-shuttle-operator-s-manual-by-joels-kennedy-new-1988-softcover-trade-paperback","title":"The Space Shuttle Operator's Manual by Joels \u0026 Kennedy: NEW 1988 Softcover Trade paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor: Kerry M Joels \u0026amp; Gregory P Kennedy\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher: 1988, Ballantine Books\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePagination: 128\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat: Softcover Trade Paperback\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition: Old new stock, expect an item that may have been in stock for some time which is undamaged, with minimal wear perhaps some slight spotting or foxing and minimal fading to the cover, see pictures.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFully returnable if unhappy with the condition. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ehis book is the best overview and reference manual on the shuttle. As you can see from the \"Look Inside\" function, and by the index, it covers the whole nine yards. It focuses specifically on the orbiter, and covers all aspects of shuttle missions from launch to landing.\u003cbr\u003e\nAs an aspiring sci-fi writer, I found this book to be the perfect reference. It has raw statistics, such as orbiter length, cargo bay volume, and it even goes over the meals and menus and how they are prepared. It also goes in to the history of the orbiters, and the names of the ever shrinking shuttle fleet.\u003cbr\u003e\nSeveral sections deal with the now-defunct Spacelab modules. The Spacelab was the shuttle equivalent of a camper shell that sat in the cargo bay. It turned the shuttle into a mini space-station, and had several interchangeable modules. One section was a pressurized module with a battery of experiments, which was connected to the shuttle cockpit. Other sections included a multi-use pallet, and an experimental pallet. This Spacelab was retired in 1997, and has been replaced by the Spacehab modules, which was on the Columbia when it broke-up over Texas.\u003cbr\u003e\nThis book is written in the normal \"Basic English\" of instruction manuals, and can be understood by elementary school children. It also has many diagrams and pictures, which save many thousands of words of descriptions.\u003cbr\u003e\nBy the way, this book does explain how the space lavatory. In case you are curious, it is a normal commode with vacuum suction, although I have heard stories that it can smell at times.\u003cbr\u003e\nThis book's one weakness is that it is a bit impersonal. If you want to know about the emotions and reactions to life in spaces, another book may be better, such as Tom Wolfe's \"The Right Stuff,\" of Homer Hickam's \"Back to the Moon.\". As you read this book, you must supply your own excitement and emotion to this book, since it is an operator's manual. It reads a bit like an encyclopedia, or dictionary, and not a novel.\u003cbr\u003e\nAfter reading and referencing this book, I felt as if I had been on board!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Ballantine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67665500406059,"sku":"12098","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1022\/1289\/5019\/files\/the-space-shuttle-operator-s-manual-by-joels-kennedy-new-1988-softcover-trade-paperback_12098_main_original.jpg?v=1791222532","url":"https:\/\/militaryhistorybooks.com\/products\/the-space-shuttle-operator-s-manual-by-joels-kennedy-new-1988-softcover-trade-paperback","provider":"Military History Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}