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Descubre un mundo infinito de historias

Escucha y lee

Valerie Neal

This book places Space Shuttle Discovery within the history of the space shuttle program and provides an introduction to space shuttle technology, with a focus on the orbiter itself. Discovery's unique history is presented mission by mission that includes a brief narrative of each mission, a chart of its key statistics (dates, duration, altitude, payloads, etc.), each mission's patch with an explanation of its unique symbolism, a crew portrait, and two to four iconic photos that capture the distinct activities and successes of each mission. The book also features anecdotes and memories of several astronauts who flew on Discovery, as well as its modernization over the years and its final preparation for retirement at the Smithsonian.

Zenith Press

Smithsonian Series

Discovery: Champion of the Space Shuttle Fleet

A history of exploration through eleven objects from the Air and Space Museum: “Takes you behind the scenes with firsthand stories and rare photos.” —William F. Readdy, former NASA astronaut and Space Shuttle commander

Throughout human history, across cultures and landscapes, countless individuals have gazed with wonder in the same direction: upward. Getting to space was no easy task, and our quest to further explore the universe, to understand the impossibly vast heavens, continues.

In Milestones of Space, Michael Neufeld and select curators of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum present a gorgeous photographic celebration of some of the most groundbreaking artifacts that played key parts in giving humanity its first steps into the cosmos. Focusing on the most iconic objects and technology—such as Friendship 7, the Lunar Module 2, Neil Armstrong’s Lunar Suit, the Hubble Space Telescope, and Space Shuttle Discovery—this book extensively profiles eleven of the NASM’s most important breakthroughs in space technology.

The NASM curators feature each object in incredible detail with compelling timelines, sidebars and captions, and over 150 archival images that provide new and little-known insights into their development and historical context. We are still a long way from grasping our universe—but for now, Milestones of Space magnificently commemorates the individuals and inventions that have taken us this far.

Milestones of Space: Eleven Iconic Objects for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Richard Passman

John Anderson

The exciting story of the X-15—the iconic rocket plane of the Cold War space race is recounted by John Anderson, curator of aerodynamics at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. This experimental space plane was on the cutting edge of hypersonic aerodynamics, and its winged reentry from space foreshadowed the development of the Space Shuttle decades later. Launched from the wing of a modified B-52 bomber—again foretelling a concept that would be used decades later, in this case by Space Ship One and Space Ship Two—the ship rocketed higher and faster than any manned aircraft of the time. Designed to approach seven times the speed of sound, it was the first hypersonic aircraft ever created and was engineered to function both in the Earth's atmosphere and at the edge of space. Illustrated with period NASA and USAF photographs, as well as exclusive Smithsonian photography of the first of three X-15s built, X-15 captures the risks and dangers of the X-15 program as Anderson follows the test pilots (including Neil Armstrong) who pushed the very limits of their piloting skills to master groundbreaking experimental technology. Even with the fatal crash of the third X-15, the overall success of the program helped pave the way for NASA to continue to the Moon—and this is the definitive, expertly curated, and beautifully illustrated account of its development.

X-15: The World's Fastest Rocket Plane and the Pilots Who Ushered in the Space Age