Space Memoir

The commonly held view of Albert Einstein is of an eccentric genius for whom the pursuit of science was everything. But in actuality, the brilliant innovator whose Theory of Relativity forever reshaped our understanding of time was a man of his times, always politically engaged and driven by strong moral principles. An avowed pacifist, Einstein’s mistrust of authority and outspoken social and scientific views earned him death threats from Nazi sympathizers in the years preceding World War II.

People like to say, "It's not rocket science." But Fallingstar's father designed space rockets and satellites, so in her childhood it was all rocket science. Fallingstar's rollicking trajectory from a Republican cold war upbringing to Pagan Priestess is a unique, yet utterly relatable portrait of a culture growing from denial to awareness.

Built of titanium and a chrome-nickel alloy known as Inconel X, the X-15 was the fastest plane ever built, streaking through the lower reaches of outer space even before the first space capsules reached orbit. First tested in 1959, the X-15 proved to be a crucial testing ground for the astronauts and hardware in the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and even the Space Shuttle programs. Celebrated reporter Richard Tregaskis spent time with the pilots, engineers, and other key personnel involved in the project.

The Space Age began just as the struggle for civil rights forced Americans to confront the long and bitter legacy of slavery, discrimination, and violence against African Americans. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson utilized the space program as an agent for social change, using federal equal employment opportunity laws to open workplaces at NASA and NASA contractors to African Americans while creating thousands of research and technology jobs in the Deep South to ameliorate poverty.

In this book filled with exclusive interviews with Canadian astronauts and key players in the Canadian space program, Elizabeth Howell showcases how a little space program is making it big in the universe.

Twice as Hard is an exploration of Black identity in the working world and a blueprint for success. Listeners will learn what obstacles limit opportunity for Black professional progress, how to understand and overcome racial stereotypes, be productive, find purpose, and, ultimately, succeed in business. Featuring tips on entrepreneurship, as well as insights from famous and successful people spanning a range of careers, this is an inspiring business book that highlights the positive progress made in recent years.

"Liminal" means threshold, and we find thresholds all day long if we have the eyes to see. Thresholds are not just a transitionary place, they are opportunities for discovery, awareness, and choice. We are at a fascinating place now in the history of the human experience, at the threshold of the next paradigm place. By all measures, our world is changing, and this requires us all to be prepared by building capacity to contribute to its ease.

It is a world unlike any other, one that seems to have no escape. Millions of families are torn apart by such a loss, and those left behind search endlessly to fill the void. Jennifer Hartman's Filling the Empty Spaces offers hope to those in despair. She shares her tragic experience and how she was able to gain victory over the suppressing anguish and pain. As you listen, you will see the transformation take place through her avid faith. Walk with Jennifer through her journey of healing and learn that God can renew your hope and fill the empty spaces.

On January 28, 1986, NASA space shuttle orbiter Challenger lifted off into the clear blue skies over Florida on mission STS-51L, carrying a crew of seven, including teacher Christa McAuliffe. Just 73 seconds into the launch, a massive explosion tore Challenger apart. This newly revised edition of Teacher in Space tells the story of how McAuliffe graduated from her role as a much-loved high schoolteacher to occupying a seat on the veteran orbiter’s 10th and last flight into space.

Galileo's oldest child was 13 when he placed her in a convent near him in Florence, where she took the most appropriate name of Suor Maria Celeste. Her support was her father's greatest source of strength. Her presence, through letters which Sobel has translated from Italian and masterfully woven into the narrative, graces her father's life now as it did then. Galileo's Daughter dramatically recolors the personality and accomplishment of a mythic figure whose 17th-century clash with Catholic doctrine continues to define the schism between science and religion.

Women today feel pressure to be the best wife, mom, and professional possible - often at the expense of their own identity. But what if you could experience deep peace - knowing you are loved right now, just as you are? In Brave Love, the founder of the multi-million-dollar company Lisa Leonard Designs inspires women to find themselves again amidst the noise and competing demands of real life.

As a young boy Frank Kovac Jr. fell deeply in love with stargazing, painting glow-in-the-dark constellations on his bedroom wall and inviting friends to an observatory he built in his Chicago backyard. As he reached adulthood, Kovac did not let go of his childhood dreams of reaching the stars. He began scheming to bring the universe home. While working at a paper mill as a young man, Kovac tirelessly built a 22-foot rotating globe planetarium in the woods.

Traci Shoblom is the youngest daughter of Apollo 12 astronaut Richard F. Gordon. She is an author, speaker, and a university lecturer. Although she’s published numerous nonfiction books, articles, academic chapters, scripts, and more, Apollo’s Creed is Traci’s “labor of love.” In it, she shares the stories, anecdotes, and wisdom that her dad told her at home—when the cameras were off.

A groundbreaking compendium honoring the amazing true stories of 50 inspirational women who helped fuel some of the greatest achievements in space exploration from the 19th century to today - including Hidden Figure’s Mary Jackson and Katherine Johnson as well as former NASA Chief Astronaut Peggy Whitson, the record-holding American biochemistry researcher who has spent the most cumulative time in space.

Homer Hickam recalls his first years as a NASA engineer, while also telling the story of his fluffy black and white cat Paco, who had the magic ability to make people smile and give them hope. But when Paco was struck down by a disease that left him unable to walk, Hickam was faced with a terrible decision, let his beloved cat live in misery or put him to sleep. Before that decision could be made, the space mission Hickam was working on needed to be rescued and there was only one sure way to save it: Paco's magic meow!

Tycho Brahe: The Life and Legacy of the Legendary Astronomer Who Mentored Johannes Kepler examines the life and work that made him one of history’s most important scientists. You will learn about Tycho Brahe like never before.

Because of the painstaking work of this tireless American astronomer, we were given a clearer picture of our place in the universe. Shapley was a prodigious astronomer who completed significant work on globular clusters, Cepheid variables, as well as key aspects of cosmology and stellar astronomy, including nebular and stellar spectroscopy and photometry.

The first popular introduction to Hawking's work, this program discusses the mysterious world of black holes, singularities, and the "big bang"--the point at which our universe may have begun.

I Am More Than What You See is an outlook on Renaldo Lawrence's life. After the doctors gave him three months to live when he was born, the author has used the blessing of life as an opportunity to enhance as many people's lives as he can. This book gives an insight of Mr. Lawrence's life growing up to help encourage others to understand that regardless of your circumstances, anything is possible once you develop and work your plan.

The family is unhoused, finances are in shambles, we are going through a health crisis and it is all my fault. This is my story, Dwight Thompson, and my journey to becoming a person I can be proud of, maybe even a person I can depend on.