<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I guess I'm looking for memoirs, or something that would describe day-to-day activity at NASA. How do astronauts handle the rigorous training? How was it to help design the space shuttle, and then to witness subsequent shuttle disasters? I am interested in the people who make it all happen. <br />Posted by tesqua</DIV></p><p>I'm not aware of any books like that. I do know some of the people involved, and have worked with them. NASA didn't really design the shuttle. That was primarily done by contractors, Rockwell being probably the major player at the time. The solids were designed by Thiokol.</p><p>The people who make it happen are primarily engineers who get little or no public exposure. They worry detailed design issues, run sophisticated analyses to evaluate performance and make sure the structures hang together, conduct tests to verify the analyses, develop the manufacturing processes, review the data for the as-built condition of the various parts and subsystems, and make decisions on useability when things are not quite within specification. A few of the higher level engineers must give their OK for their area of responsibility before the launch decision can be made. It can be interesting work, but would make a pretty dry book.</p><p>I don't know of any stories regarding failure investigations other than what was in the popular press and Feynman's accounts of his participation. Failure investigations are not particularly exciting, just a lot of hard work and many dead ends until you find a likely culprit -- and sometimes you don't. Quite often the details of a failure investigation are not made public. </p><p>Also don't believe everything that you see in the press. NASA is rather adept at public relations and puts their best foot forward.</p><p>If you want to go back to the very early days there must be a biography of Werner Von Braun out there somewhere.</p><p>If you want to see some of the people, there is, or at least used to be, an annual AIAA meeting at Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Sometimes they have some old timers there. The time that I attended was years ago, but I recall seeing Alan Shepherd walking around and later heard him speak.</p><p>The astronauts that I have met are all really nice folks, and well-spoken. But they don't get to fly the shuttle a lot. A great deal of their time goes to public appearances. They are spectacular representatives for NASA. <br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>