posted 11-12-2009 12:53 PM               

The men and women, who make up the Marshall team, tell their story in a new book entitled, 50 Years of Rockets and Spacecraft. It's an exciting space history lesson beginning with Alan Shepard's flight on the Mercury -Redstone and continuing with Saturn rocket rides to the moon. It covers Skylab, Space Shuttle, International Space Station, Hubble, Ares and the future.

A selection of Wernher von Braun's personal Weekly Notes from 1961-1969 recently discovered in the archives are published for the first time. They were the communications link between the rocket scientist and his rocket team members who ran the laboratories and project offices at the height of the Saturn Apollo lunar landing program. The notes provide insight to von Braun's management style, his personality and his hands-on approach to leadership that made him so admired by Marshall team members. One can feel the passion, the dedication and commitment that team members demonstrated on a daily basis following what von Braun often referred to as the "critical path" to the moon.

The book contains personal behind the scenes stories told by the men and woman who made critical decisions to send American astronauts on journeys into space and on to the moon. The stories range from humorous anecdotes to gut -wrenching decisions required to safely flying humans to this new frontier.

The 9x12-inch hardbound coffee table-size has 225 pages with color and hundreds of black and white photos of the Saturn-Apollo era of manned space flight. Produced by the Marshall Retiree Association and edited by it's member Ed Buckbee. The book consists of special tributes to team members, a complete listing of retired Marshall employees and historic chronology of the center.

Signed copies of the book are available for $40.00 plus $5.00 postage. Checks made out to Ed Buckbee, 47 Revere Way, Huntsville, AL 35801, 256-527-9062, buckbee@air-space.com