Wheels Stop: The Tragedies and Triumphs of the Space Shuttle Program, 1986-2011
Outward Odyssey: A People's History of Space
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Narrated by:
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James Killavey
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By:
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Rick Houston
About this listen
Humanity's first reusable spacecraft and the most complex machine ever built, NASA's space shuttle debuted with great promise and as a dependable source of wonder and national pride. But with the Challenger catastrophe in 1986, the whole space shuttle program came into question, as did NASA itself, so long an institution that was seemingly above reproach.
Wheels Stop tells the stirring story of how, after the Challenger disaster, the space shuttle not only recovered but went on to perform its greatest missions. From the Return to Flight mission of STS-26 in 1988 to the last shuttle mission ever on STS-135 in 2011, Wheels Stop takes listeners behind the scenes as the shuttle's crews begin to mend Cold War tensions with the former Soviet Union, conduct vital research, deploy satellites, repair the Hubble Space Telescope, and assist in constructing the International Space Station. It also tells the heart-wrenching story of the Columbia tragedy and the loss of the magnificent STS-107 crew.
As complex as the shuttle was, the people it carried into orbit were often more so - and this is their story, too. Close encounters with astronauts, flight controllers, and shuttle workers capture the human side of the space shuttle's amazing journey - and invite listeners along for the ride.
The book is published by University of Nebraska Press.
©2013 Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska (P)2015 Redwood AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
In April 1970, during the glory days of the Apollo space program, NASA sent Navy Captain Jim Lovell and two other astronauts on America's fifth mission to the moon. Only 55 hours into the flight of Apollo 13, disaster struck: a mysterious explosion rocked the ship, and soon its oxygen and power began draining away. Written with all the color and drama of the best fiction, Apollo 13 (previously published as Lost Moon) tells the full story of the moon shot that almost ended in catastrophe.
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Great story but a terrible narrator
- By Nicci on 01-29-20
By: Jim Lovell, and others
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Into the Black
- The Extraordinary Untold Story of the First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the Astronauts Who Flew Her
- By: Rowland White, Richard Truly
- Narrated by: Eric Meyers
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Using interviews, NASA oral histories, and recently declassified material, Into the Black pieces together the dramatic untold story of the Columbia mission and the brave people who dedicated themselves to help the United States succeed in the age of space exploration. On April 12, 1981, NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral. It was the most advanced, state-of-the-art flying machine ever built, challenging the minds and imagination of America's top engineers and pilots.
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Great Story About a Flawed Spacecraft
- By John on 12-04-16
By: Rowland White, and others
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Apollo 8
- The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon
- By: Jeffrey Kluger
- Narrated by: Brian Troxell
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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In August 1968 NASA made a bold decision: In just 16 weeks, the United States would launch humankind's first flight to the moon. Only the year before, three astronauts had burned to death in their spacecraft, and since then the Apollo program had suffered one setback after another. Meanwhile, the Russians were winning the space race, the Cold War was getting hotter by the month, and President Kennedy's promise to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade seemed sure to be broken.
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Great history of NASA and Apollo 8: a must listen
- By J on 11-17-17
By: Jeffrey Kluger
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Moon Shot
- The Inside Story of America's Apollo Moon Landings
- By: Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton, Jay Barbree, and others
- Narrated by: Christopher Grove
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, and the space race was born. Desperate to beat the Russians into space, NASA put together a crew of the nation's most daring test pilots: the seven men who were to lead America to the moon. The first into space was Alan Shepard; the last was Deke Slayton, whose irregular heartbeat kept him grounded until 1975. They spent the 1960s at the forefront of NASA's effort to conquer space, and Moon Shot is their inside account of what many call the 20th century's greatest feat - landing humans on another world.
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A Definitive Summary of Our Manned Space Missions
- By Robert on 08-15-19
By: Alan Shepard, and others
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Rocket Men
- The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Ray Porter, Robert Kurson
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the moon by President Kennedy's end-of-decade deadline and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch, sending the first men in history to the moon - in just four months.
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The Men Who Saved 1968
- By Gillian on 04-04-18
By: Robert Kurson
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Moon Shot
- The Inside Story of Man's Greatest Adventure
- By: Dan Parry
- Narrated by: John Chancer
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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‘It didn’t matter that they were now three miles beyond their target site, that communications were dropping out and that they were running low on fuel. All that mattered to Neil as he searched for a safe spot to land was that boulders littered the surface below. “Thirty seconds,” called mission control. In truth, the flight controllers were now no more than spectators, just like everybody else. No more needed to be said. It was down to Armstrong
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Wow.
- By Shellbin on 02-04-12
By: Dan Parry
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SR-71, the Blackbird, Q&A
- By: Terry Pappas
- Narrated by: Chris Abell
- Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Higher, farther, faster - what every real aviator aspires to. The SR-71 was the epitome of this dream for three decades. The only way to beat the SR-71 was to rocket into space, and every astronaut in the office with me in the 1960s would have loved to have flown the Blackbird. In many ways it placed greater demand on piloting proficiency than any spacecraft.
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Great in sight on life and times of Blackbird crew
- By J Bo on 11-11-15
By: Terry Pappas
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Beyond
- The Astonishing Story of the First Human to Leave Our Planet and Journey into Space
- By: Stephen Walker
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 15 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Travelling at almost 18,000 miles per hour - 10 times faster than a rifle bullet - Yuri Gagarin circles the globe in just 106 minutes. From his windows, he sees the Earth as nobody has before, crossing a sunset and a sunrise, crossing oceans and continents, witnessing its beauty and its fragility. While his launch begins in total secrecy, within hours of his landing, he has become a world celebrity - the first human to leave the planet. Beyond tells the thrilling story behind that epic flight on its 60th anniversary.
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A remarkable story on many levels
- By Dipam on 03-22-22
By: Stephen Walker
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Legacy
- Stellar Heritage, Book 1
- By: Bob Mauldin
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 19 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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When Simon and Katherine Hawke stumble upon an alien shuttle that has landed on earth, it’ll not only change the course of their lives, but of the entire world. Taking the shuttle into orbit, they discover a much larger ship left adrift with no one on board. Commandeering it, they confirm that we’re not alone in the universe and must prepare the human race for what is about to come. Recruiting from all over the world, they begin to expand their fleet and build a federation to give humans a foothold in the galaxy.
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Childish Writer Rant
- By Brutis on 10-25-20
By: Bob Mauldin
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The Burning Blue
- The Untold Story of Christa McAuliffe and NASA's Challenger Disaster
- By: Kevin Cook
- Narrated by: Rick Adamson
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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On January 28, 1986, NASA's space shuttle Challenger exploded after blasting off from Cape Canaveral. Christa McAuliffe, America's "Teacher in Space", was instantly killed, along with the other six members of the mission. At least that's what most of us remember. Kevin Cook tells us what really happened on that ill-fated, unforgettable day. He traces the pressures - leading from NASA to the White House - that triggered the fatal order to launch on an ice-cold Florida morning.
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Not bad, but not much new either
- By Dave on 07-27-22
By: Kevin Cook
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Neil Armstrong
- A Life of Flight
- By: Jay Barbree
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Much has been written about Neil Armstrong, America's modern hero and history's most famous space traveler. Yet, shy of fame and never one to steal the spotlight, Armstrong was always reluctant to discuss his personal side of events. Here for the first time is the definitive story of Neil's life of flight he shared for five decades with a trusted friend - Jay Barbree.
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A Profound Personal Impact
- By Michael on 08-21-14
By: Jay Barbree
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The Right Stuff
- By: Tom Wolfe
- Narrated by: Dennis Quaid
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Millions of words have poured forth about man's trip to the moon, but until now few people have had a sense of the most engrossing side of the adventure: namely, what went on in the minds of the astronauts themselves - in space, on the moon, and even during certain odysseys on earth. It is this, the inner life of the astronauts, that Tom Wolfe describes with his almost uncanny empathetic powers that made The Right Stuff a classic.
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Righteous Book, Righteous Narrator, Righteous MEN!
- By Gillian on 02-08-18
By: Tom Wolfe
What listeners say about Wheels Stop: The Tragedies and Triumphs of the Space Shuttle Program, 1986-2011
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Abe
- 03-03-16
Very good book
Would you consider the audio edition of Wheels Stop: The Tragedies and Triumphs of the Space Shuttle Program, 1986-2011 to be better than the print version?
Yes, in that sense that I was able to through it at times were I could not read a print version..driving, jogging etc.
Which scene was your favorite?
Too many to list
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Wheels Stop sounds fine to me.
Any additional comments?
Personal anecdotes from the people involved was what made the book interesting and the reader did a good job which certainly helped.
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43 people found this helpful
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- Dario Perryman
- 07-08-18
This was the worst narrator ever.
The story was interesting, but I had to convince myself more than a few times to stay with it, this guy narrating was awful. I'll make sure I write his name down to steer clear of him in the future. ù_
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3 people found this helpful
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- Flyboy965
- 02-07-18
Poor Performance
Loved the information but the performance is unbelievably bad. The reader is doing his best Ted Baxter impression...totally distracting. I wish I would have read the book instead. I would have given the performance 0 stars but the application would’nt let me
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2 people found this helpful
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- BogieNet
- 04-21-22
The bible doesn’t hold a candle to this masterpiece! …until you hear it.
This book is a treasure chest waiting to be opened full of stories from the Space Shuttle Program- many that most of us never knew! And I’m such a STS nerd that I have one tattooed on my leg! So I thought I knew a thing or two about it’s +30 year triumphant (and tragic) era. Wow was I misinformed! The stories, quotes, recounts and every thing in between chronicling NASA’s finest era is a book that will forever be ‘tattooed’ onto my mind and imagination.
HOWEVER- the narrator reading this story is absolutely AWFUL. I was never fond of his portrayal from the beginning, but I was able to bare through it. Until he quoted Eileen Collins, distinguished astronaut, using a borderline offense and inappropriate ‘female voice.’ This narrator is butchering this work of art and history with his awful voice! It is down right offensive and insulting. Shame on him!
But the book itself is SPECULAR & STELLAR!
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- Jeb
- 05-22-16
More about people than machinery
What did you love best about Wheels Stop: The Tragedies and Triumphs of the Space Shuttle Program, 1986-2011?
The personal anecdotes...actual words and memories of the Astronauts and the people in Mission Control. The kind of stuff you never saw or heard on TV.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Wheels Stop: The Tragedies and Triumphs of the Space Shuttle Program, 1986-2011?
The first disaster. Those of us who saw it on TV will never forget it. RIP to them all.
What does James Killavey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
For one thing, I was able to "read" it while driving to work, jogging etc...things I could never do with a print book. The reading itself, in my opinion, was quite good..well paced and intelligently read. Hence, my five stars.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Wheels Stop is fine.
Any additional comments?
Hoping there will be more from this author on this subject and hoping he will use the same narrator. So far, this seems to be the only one by Mr. Houston.
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21 people found this helpful
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- Lukas
- 11-29-16
good story, bad narrator
Title says it all. If you like a mix of Kent Brockman and Bernie Sanders as a narrator, this book is for you. But that accent drove me crazy
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2 people found this helpful
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- Red
- 12-10-16
Narration terrible
Had to quit after two chapters because the narration is unlistenable -- stiff and stilted with too many words mispronounced (e.g., nuclear as "nukeleear".)
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1 person found this helpful
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- Super Nintendo Chalmers
- 08-03-19
Good story, REALLY disliked the narration.
It's a good summary of the shuttle program. Frustrating to watch the program end without any kind of replacement (hardly the fault of the author). But I just couldn't stand listening to the narrator. His voice, inflections, and pronunciations were like nails on a chalkboard.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Espen Urkedal
- 01-14-18
Good book, and ok narrator
I really liked the book. Lots of details and stories from missions. However two things really annoyed me with the narrator.
1. He has to learn how to pronounce dates..
2. His voice was monotonous, but every time he was narrating a woman, he would try a very soft voice. When narrating non Americans, he would try to speak in an accent. A horrible, horrible accent...
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- Bonita
- 03-19-16
Up close and personal
Where does Wheels Stop: The Tragedies and Triumphs of the Space Shuttle Program, 1986-2011 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Top 5
What was one of the most memorable moments of Wheels Stop: The Tragedies and Triumphs of the Space Shuttle Program, 1986-2011?
The two tragedies.
What does James Killavey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Good reader. Made the experience very enjoyable.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No...too long.
Any additional comments?
Loved the way the author used candid reflections of some of those involved in the Shuttle Program. Made for an "up[ close and personal" look at this incredible era of Space Flight.
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34 people found this helpful