About this product

Product Information
One of the most elusive and controversial figures in NASA's history, George W. S. Abbey was called "the Dark Lord," "the Godfather," and "UNO"--short for unidentified NASA official. He was said to be secretive, despotic, a Space Age Machiavelli. Yet Abbey had more influence on human spaceflight than almost anyone in history. His story has never been told--until now. The Astronaut Maker takes readers inside NASA to learn the real story of how Abbey rose to power, from young pilot and wannabe astronaut to engineer, bureaucrat, and finally director of the Johnson Space Center. During a thirty-seven-year career, mostly out of the spotlight, he oversaw the selection of every astronaut class from 1978 to 1987, deciding who got to fly and when. He was with the Apollo 1 astronauts the night before the fatal fire in January 1967. He was in mission control the night of the Apollo 13 accident and organized the recovery effort. Abbey also led NASA's recruitment of women and minorities as space shuttle astronauts and was responsible for hiring Sally Ride. Written by Michael Cassutt, the coauthor of the acclaimed astronaut memoirs DEKE! and We Have Capture, and informed by countless hours of interviews with Abbey and his family, friends, adversaries, and former colleagues, The Astronaut Maker is the ultimate insider's account of ambition and power politics at NASA.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
ISBN-10
1613737009
ISBN-13
9781613737002
eBay Product ID (ePID)
240973149
Product Key Features
Book Title
Astronaut Maker : How One Mysterious Engineer Ran Human Spaceflight Fora Generation
Author
Michael Cassutt
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Topic
Biography & Autobiography / Science & Technology, Physics / Astrophysics, Technology / Aeronautics, Astronautics & Space Science, Aeronautics & Astronautics, Science & Technology
Publication Year
2018
Genre
Biography & Autobiography, Technology & Engineering, Science, Juvenile Nonfiction
Number of Pages
480 Pages
Dimensions
Item Length
9in.
Item Height
6in.
Item Width
0.2in.
Item Weight
32 Oz
Additional Product Features
Lc Classification Number
Tl789.85.A333c37
Reviews
"The real book about the manned space program would be a book about George Abbey." --Richard Truly, former astronaut and administrator of NASA, "NASA buffs will be fascinated by this profile of an undervalued figure whose most significant legacy, Cassutt concludes, was at the human level--making 'spaceflight available to all, regardless of citizenship, gender, color, or ethnic background.'" - Publishers Weekly
Copyright Date
2018
Target Audience
Trade
Lccn
2017-060552
Dewey Decimal
629.4092
Dewey Edition
23
Illustrated
Yes