While researching my 2011 book, Out of this World: New Mexico's Contributions to Space Travel, I became aware of a valuable but underutilized resource for the history of the United States' space program. Since 1986, the New Mexico Museum of Space History staff have recorded oral history interviews of people involved in all aspects of space research since the 1940s. Some of the interviewees are well known, like Gene Kranz and Eileen Collins. Others are nearly anonymous but essential contributors like electricians and welders.
The interview transcripts are only accessible to researchers who can travel to Alamogordo in southern New Mexico. To make those experiences widely accessible, along with commentary that establishes the context for each period of development, I wrote Space Pioneers: In Their Own Words. It includes excerpts of varying lengths from nearly a hundred interviewees, along with historic photographs that bring their experiences to life.
Inside the book:
Introduction
Chapter 1: A Century of Paradigm Shift
Chapter 2: Life in the Trenches
Chapter 3: Taking over the V-2s
Chapter 4: Balloon Boosters
Chapter 5: Bopping the Daisies
Chapter 6: HSTT!
Chapter 7: Animal Pioneers
Chapter 8: Pilotless Rockets
Chapter 9: NASA Gets US off the Ground
Chapter 10: Paul Haney
Chapter 11: Walter Cunningham
Chapter 12: Gene Kranz
Chapter 13: Flying High
Chapter 14: Shuttling Pioneers
Chapter 15: Eileen Collins
Chapter 16: Stars in their Eyes
Chapter 17: Anyone Else Out There?
Chapter 18: Pioneers of the Future
The interview transcripts are only accessible to researchers who can travel to Alamogordo in southern New Mexico. To make those experiences widely accessible, along with commentary that establishes the context for each period of development, I wrote Space Pioneers: In Their Own Words. It includes excerpts of varying lengths from nearly a hundred interviewees, along with historic photographs that bring their experiences to life.
Inside the book:
Introduction
Chapter 1: A Century of Paradigm Shift
Chapter 2: Life in the Trenches
Chapter 3: Taking over the V-2s
Chapter 4: Balloon Boosters
Chapter 5: Bopping the Daisies
Chapter 6: HSTT!
Chapter 7: Animal Pioneers
Chapter 8: Pilotless Rockets
Chapter 9: NASA Gets US off the Ground
Chapter 10: Paul Haney
Chapter 11: Walter Cunningham
Chapter 12: Gene Kranz
Chapter 13: Flying High
Chapter 14: Shuttling Pioneers
Chapter 15: Eileen Collins
Chapter 16: Stars in their Eyes
Chapter 17: Anyone Else Out There?
Chapter 18: Pioneers of the Future
Space Pioneers in Their Own Words
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Space Pioneers in Their Own Words
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Space Pioneers in Their Own Words
About the Book
While researching my 2011 book, Out of this World: New Mexico's Contributions to Space Travel, I became aware of a valuable but underutilized resource for the history of the United States' space program. Since 1986, the New Mexico Museum of Space History staff have recorded oral history interviews of people involved in all aspects of space research since the 1940s. Some of the interviewees are well known, like Gene Kranz and Eileen Collins. Others are nearly anonymous but essential contributors like electricians and welders.
The interview transcripts are only accessible to researchers who can travel to Alamogordo in southern New Mexico. To make those experiences widely accessible, along with commentary that establishes the context for each period of development, I wrote Space Pioneers: In Their Own Words. It includes excerpts of varying lengths from nearly a hundred interviewees, along with historic photographs that bring their experiences to life.
The interview transcripts are only accessible to researchers who can travel to Alamogordo in southern New Mexico. To make those experiences widely accessible, along with commentary that establishes the context for each period of development, I wrote Space Pioneers: In Their Own Words. It includes excerpts of varying lengths from nearly a hundred interviewees, along with historic photographs that bring their experiences to life.
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Inside the book:
Introduction
Chapter 1: A Century of Paradigm Shift
Chapter 2: Life in the Trenches
Chapter 3: Taking over the V-2s
Chapter 4: Balloon Boosters
Chapter 5: Bopping the Daisies
Chapter 6: HSTT!
Chapter 7: Animal Pioneers
Chapter 8: Pilotless Rockets
Chapter 9: NASA Gets US off the Ground
Chapter 10: Paul Haney
Chapter 11: Walter Cunningham
Chapter 12: Gene Kranz
Chapter 13: Flying High
Chapter 14: Shuttling Pioneers
Chapter 15: Eileen Collins
Chapter 16: Stars in their Eyes
Chapter 17: Anyone Else Out There?
Chapter 18: Pioneers of the Future
Introduction
Chapter 1: A Century of Paradigm Shift
Chapter 2: Life in the Trenches
Chapter 3: Taking over the V-2s
Chapter 4: Balloon Boosters
Chapter 5: Bopping the Daisies
Chapter 6: HSTT!
Chapter 7: Animal Pioneers
Chapter 8: Pilotless Rockets
Chapter 9: NASA Gets US off the Ground
Chapter 10: Paul Haney
Chapter 11: Walter Cunningham
Chapter 12: Gene Kranz
Chapter 13: Flying High
Chapter 14: Shuttling Pioneers
Chapter 15: Eileen Collins
Chapter 16: Stars in their Eyes
Chapter 17: Anyone Else Out There?
Chapter 18: Pioneers of the Future
Contact
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Space Pioneers: In Their Own Words won this award in the History category in September 2019.
Space Pioneers: In Their Own Words won the Science category of the 2014 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards and was also named "Best Book" of the contest.
Space Pioneers: In Their Own Words won this award in the History category in September 2019.
Space Pioneers: In Their Own Words won a Silver Award in the Science category of Foreword magazine's 2015 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards.
Unless otherwise attributed, all SpacePioneerWords.com content is © Loretta Hall, 2013-2019.
See what reviewers say about Space Pioneers: In Their Own Words.
Order it from Amazon.