Author
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Topic: Help: Need new book for Christmas
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ASCAN1984 Member Posts: 1049 From: County Down, Nothern Ireland Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 11-25-2007 05:37 AM
'Tis the season and I desperately need a new book for Christmas. Something along the lines of Dragonfly and "A Man on the Moon". I was going to get "Too Far From Home" but reading the reviews I don't think I could read a book where the facts are inaccurate. You guys are the ones I trust. |
lm5eagle Member Posts: 429 From: Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 11-25-2007 07:58 AM
Gareth, you may have read the following already as they have received a lot of publicity and discussion on this forum, but if not they are an absolute must: These are the best books I have read since Chaikin's and Collins' masterpieces. They are such a compelling read that even my wife (a non space enthusiast) can't put them down. |
Philip Member Posts: 5952 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 11-25-2007 08:10 AM
If it's a book with facts you're after, try: The International Atlas of Lunar Exploration. A must-have and also available via Amazon.com. |
lm5eagle Member Posts: 429 From: Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 11-25-2007 08:33 AM
I agree that this is a wonderful volume, but make sure you realise the price: $190 on Amazon. |
ASCAN1984 Member Posts: 1049 From: County Down, Nothern Ireland Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 11-25-2007 04:54 PM
I was looking at Into That Silent Sea and In the Shadow of the Moon. They look amazing as well as Shadow being a continuation of Silent Sea. Well as amazon reviews are concerned look terrific. Colin and Francis have never let me down in their writing. Can't believe I never thought of those two books before. Will absolutely get them. Thanks for the help. |
dsenechal Member Posts: 539 From: Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 11-25-2007 04:58 PM
May I suggest "Footprints on a Secret Moon", a novel by David Senechal. Check reviews on amazon.com. Signed copies available from the author (email dsenechal57@cs.com). |
FFrench Member Posts: 3161 From: San Diego Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 11-25-2007 11:12 PM
quote: Originally posted by lm5eagle: These are the best books I have read since Chaikin's and Collins' masterpieces. They are such a compelling read that even my wife (a non space enthusiast) can't put them down.
Andy, thank you for those extremely kind words! I am very grateful. And how great to hear we are also engaging the non-space reader, which was something we hoped to do...Thanks again - and looking forward to hearing what you think of them! |
Philip Member Posts: 5952 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 11-26-2007 05:11 AM
Andy, it's almost Christmas time so the price shouldn't matter at all |
Jay Chladek Member Posts: 2272 From: Bellevue, NE, USA Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 11-27-2007 06:28 AM
I've read "Too Far From Home" and it is a great read. Some of the guys going off about inaccuracies are nit picking some very tiny stuff and in my mind, the author did a good job putting the focus on the Expedition 6 astronauts on the ISS. From it, I got a pretty good sense of what a long term space mission might be like with its combination of emotional highs and lows. I don't recall coming across anything glaring in terms of faults with the book or the story (with the possible exception of the description about what can happen if a body is exposed to a vacuum on a spacewalk). The summary on the dust jacket including the mention about the fatalities from the Soyuz 11 mission to help put a little drama into the crew using the Soyuz to come back were totally unnecessary though. But the author didn't right that. If you are still concerned, then wait until it comes out in paperback before spending money on it. But, I think it is still a good story personally. |
cspg Member Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
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posted 11-27-2007 08:30 AM
quote: Originally posted by Philip: Andy, it's almost Christmas time so the price shouldn't matter at all.
If your wealthy, Santa could drop by my place, that would be nice. I'll clean up the chimney. |
lm5eagle Member Posts: 429 From: Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 11-27-2007 09:21 AM
quote: Originally posted by Philip: Andy, it's almost Christmas time so the price shouldn't matter at all.
Dead right Philip. You've convinced me that I should treat myself. |
Philip Member Posts: 5952 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 11-27-2007 11:40 AM
Indeed, I have taken up the opportunity to buy myself a 'few' Christmas gifts. |
ASCAN1984 Member Posts: 1049 From: County Down, Nothern Ireland Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 12-03-2007 03:56 PM
Books ordered and on their way. Thank you to everyone for your help. Really means a lot. The books I have chosen are: - Into That Silent Sea
- In the Shadow of the Moon
- Too Far From Home
Have no doubt they will be a fantastic read. |
FFrench Member Posts: 3161 From: San Diego Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 12-04-2007 04:54 PM
Thanks so much, Gareth - hope you enjoy them, and please tell us what you think of them when you do read them... |
ColinBurgess Member Posts: 2031 From: Sydney, Australia Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 12-05-2007 02:18 AM
I'll add my thanks as well, Gareth. Have a great Christmas. |
Philip Member Posts: 5952 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 12-18-2007 01:37 AM
Those still searching for a Christmas gift:Planetary Landers and Entry Probes (by Andrew Ball & James Garry & Ralph Lorenz & Viktor Kerzhanovitch) is an excellent book with 340 glossy pages filled with technical drawings of unmanned spacecraft and the Apollo Lunar Module. Chapters include: Engineering issues specific to entry probes, landers or penetrators (1), Previous atmosphere/surface vehicles and their payloads (2), Case studies (3) and an extensive bibliography on engineering, planetary science and historical books on the subject. The technical drawings are excellent. These include the complete spacecraft and specific drawings of the landers or penetrators of: Surveyor, Martian aerobot, Venera series, Vega, Pioneer Venus, Galileo and Jupiter probe, Cassini-Huygens and Titan probe, Ranger, Luna series, Russian Mars series, Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner, Beagle 2, Mars Exploration Rovers, Lunokhod, Apollo LM and manned Soviet LK lander, Viking landers, Mars Polar Lander, Phoenix, Deep Space 2 Mars microprobes, Lunar-A penetrators, Phobos DAS, Rosetta lander Philae, MINERVA on Hayabusa,... |
cspg Member Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
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posted 12-18-2007 09:00 AM
quote: Originally posted by Philip: Planetary Landers and Entry Probes
Published by the Cambridge University Press (June, 2007), ISBN-13: 978-0521820028.And be seated for the price: $138. |
TellingHistory Member Posts: 63 From: Franklin, TN 37027 Registered: Dec 2007
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posted 12-18-2007 10:47 PM
It's no secret I'm a big fan of Into that Silent Sea. I interviewed the authors on my blog. The interview answers (in 13 separate posts) are worth reading too. Great insight into how the book was written and what interested the authors with the subjects they wrote about. You can't go wrong giving ITSS as a gift either. It's on my list to several people.------------------ Kraig McNutt, Publisher Today in Space History http://www.TodayinSpaceHistory.com |