Before Lift-off: The Making of a Space Shuttle Crew (New Series in NASA History)
Cooper, who covers the space program for the New Yorker , offers an engaging account of crew training for a 1984 Space Shuttle launching. The book illuminates the world of "sims"the endless computerized simulations that crews endure to learn their complex task. Writing with wit, sensitivity, and intelligence, Cooper conveys the bond that develops among the crew members and between crew and instructors. His vivid account is poignant in the aftermath of the 1986 Challenger explosion, but it captures the exuberance that existed before that disaster. Highly recommended. Thomas J. Freiling, Bainbridge Coll. Lib. , Ga.Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.