Astronaut Biography

Audie Award, History/Biography, 2016. On the night of July 20, 1969, our world changed forever when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. Based on in-depth interviews with 23 of the 24 moon voyagers, as well as those who struggled to get the program moving, A Man on the Moon conveys every aspect of the Apollo missions with breathtaking immediacy and stunning detail.

In Carrying the Fire, Michael Collins conveys, in a very personal way, the drama, beauty, and humor of the adventure of reaching the moon. He also traces his development from his first flight experiences in the air force, through his days as a test pilot, to his Apollo 11 spacewalk, presenting an evocative description of the joys of flight as well as a new perspective on time, light, and movement from someone who has seen the fragile Earth from the other side of the moon.

In the gripping Never Panic Early, Fred Haise, Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 13, offers a detailed firsthand account of when disaster struck three days into his mission to the moon. An oxygen tank exploded, a crewmate uttered the now iconic words, “Houston, we’ve had a problem here,” and the world anxiously watched as one of history’s most incredible rescue missions unfolded. Haise brings listeners into the heart of his experience on the challenging mission—considered NASA’s finest hour—and reflects on his life and career as an Apollo astronaut.

Getting to the moon was Chris's lifelong dream. And he had the brains, body, and boldness to do it—that is, until he lost his legs in a motorcycle accident. Even then, the universe found a way to make that dream happen when a private tech company offered him his shot at lunar glory—that is, until his ship exploded after liftoff. Suddenly, somehow, Chris finds himself transported to a new world—and a new body. A goblin body. No . . . a goblin king body!

February 1, 2003. A light flashed over a Texas sky and twisted metal rained across the countryside. As images of the wreckage from the Space Shuttle Columbia streamed across the nation's television screens, they became forever burned into our memories. But behind those images were stories that remained untold...until now.

From going to middle school with the astronaut’s kids, to covering the Apollo 11, 12, 13, & 15 missions onsite at the Manned Spacecraft Center with the news media, to a 42 year career with NASA (spent at JSC, KSC, & NASA HQS), followed by serving as an officer on the NASA Alumni League-JSC Board of Directors, Herb Baker has spent most of his life involved with NASA, supporting the Space Shuttle, ISS, Constellation, and Orion Programs as well as Flight Operations, including support to the Astronaut Office. From the Apollo missions to the groundbreaking Artemis program that aims to return ...

Without John C. Houbolt, a mid-level engineer at NASA, Apollo 11 would never have made it to the moon. Top NASA engineers on the project, including Werner Von Braun, strongly advocated for a single, huge spacecraft to travel to the moon, land, and return to Earth. It's the scenario used in 1950s cartoons and horror movies about traveling to outer space. Houbolt had another idea: Lunar Orbit Rendezvous. LOR would link two spacecraft in orbit while the crafts were travelling at 3,600 miles an hour around the moon. His plan was ridiculed and considered unthinkable.

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, and the space race was born. Desperate to beat the Russians into space, NASA put together a crew of the nation's most daring test pilots: the seven men who were to lead America to the moon. The first into space was Alan Shepard; the last was Deke Slayton, whose irregular heartbeat kept him grounded until 1975. They spent the 1960s at the forefront of NASA's effort to conquer space, and Moon Shot is their inside account of what many call the 20th century's greatest feat - landing humans on another world. 

A tense, darkly funny, and politically resonant novel of life under authoritarian rule. Romania, 1989, the twilight of Ceausescu's dictatorship: A time when every neighbor, every friend, every family member may be an informant for the regime. When news emerges of a maneating bear terrorizing the...

If I were an astronaut, I would zoom into outer space! I would help fix the International Space Station. Dream big, and see what fun it is to be an astronaut.

Former NASA astronaut Cady Coleman shares the wisdom that helped her overcome the barriers of others’ expectations—and how to work on a team both in close quarters and remotely. In 2010, Cady Coleman boarded a rocket and blasted off into space for her third NASA mission, a six-month...

Discover the true story of the women who stood beside some of the greatest heroes of American space travel in this New York Times bestseller that inspired the limited TV series on ABC! As America's Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The riveting inside story of three heroic astronauts who took on the challenge of mankind’s historic first mission to the Moon, from the bestselling author of Shadow Divers. “Robert Kurson tells the tale of Apollo 8 with novelistic detail and immediacy...

What's going on in the sky? Astronomy For Dummies takes you through the solar system, the Milky Way galaxy, and all the way to the outer reaches of the universe. You'll have stars in your eyes as you discover the basics of skywatching, planets, asteroids, black holes, and dark matter. Ponder the deep questions that keep humanity guessing, like, is there anybody out there? Two NASA-award-winning astronomers take you on a tour of outer space that will fascinate you—and, if you're a student, help you through your intro astronomy course.

Travel to space and back with astronaut Chris Hadfield's enthralling bestseller as your eye-opening guide. "Hadfield proves himself to be not only a fierce explorer of the universe, but also a deeply thoughtful explorer of the human condition." —Maria Popova, Brain Pickings Colonel Chris...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to find yourself strapped to a giant rocket that's about to go from zero to 17,500 miles per hour? Or to look back on Earth from outer space and see the surprisingly precise line between day and night? Or to stand in front of the Hubble Space Telescope, wondering if the emergency repair you're about to make will inadvertently ruin humankind's chance to unlock the universe's secrets? Mike Massimino has been there, and in Spaceman he puts you inside the suit.

The never-before-told story of NASA’s 1978 astronaut class, which included the first American women, the first African Americans, the first Asian American, and the first gay person to fly to space. With the exclusive participation of the astronauts who were there, this is the thrilling...

NATIONAL BEST SELLER A stunning, personal memoir from the astronaut and modern-day hero who spent a record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station—a message of hope for the future that will inspire for generations to come. The veteran of four spaceflights and the American record...

*Read by celebrated astronaut Leroy Chiao!* The inspiring journey of Leroy Chiao, one of the first Asian American astronauts in history, illuminating his remarkable path into space and the fascinating history of rocketry and space travel from its very beginnings Imagine if you could sit down and...

Now a major motion picture, this is the first—and only—definitive authorized account of Neil Armstrong, the man whose “one small step” changed history. When Apollo 11 touched down on the Moon’s surface in 1969, the first man on the Moon became a legend. In First Man, author James R...