Description

Space Oddities: Forgotten Stories of Mankind’s Exploration of Space by Joe Cuhaj

Paperback – Pantheon Books – Aug 2022 – 227 pages

Nothing captivates the human imagination like the vast unknowns of space. What were once flights of fancy and dreams of science fiction writers have become nearly routine–a continuous huuman presence orbiting Earth, probes flying beyond our solar system, and men walking on the moon. Space travel is a sometimes heroic, sometimes humorous, and always dangerous journey fraught with perils around every corner.

Space Oddities brings these unknown, offbeat, and obscure stories of space to life. From the showmanship and bravado of the earliest known space fatality, German Max valier, to industry tradtions like using a musical playlist to wake up astronauts, fascinating tales about inventions like the Fischer Space Pen, Omega watches, and even Tang breakfast drink, and the story of a single loose bolt that defeated the Soviet Union’s attempt to beat America to the moon.

In addition to fun and entertaining space trivia, Space Oddities also feature stories of the profound impact that space travel has had right here at home, like the effort by civil rights activists to bring money from the space program back to those in need on Earth; NASA’s FLATs (First Lady Astronaut Training) program and the thirteen women who were selected to become astronauts in 1960 but were denied a chance at flying; and the animals who sacrificed their lives to prove that man could fly in space. Filled with rare and little-known stories, Space Oddities brings the final frontier to the homes of die-hard space readers and armchair astronauts alike.