Marianne J Dyson

NASA's flight control teams work diligently during every flight to safeguard spacecraft and their crews, but few people appreciate the significance of their contributions to the American Space Program. Shuttle Mission Control: Flight Controller Stories and Photos, 1981-1992, showcases twenty first-person accounts of Space Shuttle controllers solving problems from dangerous pressure readings to slippery satellites. The decisions made and actions taken by these unsung heroes, many recognized with the honor of hanging the mission patch, epitomize the motto of Mission Control, "Achievement through Excellence." Flight controller rosters and honorees plus an acronym list and index are included.

When the only person with the knowledge to help you escape the Moon has Alzheimer's, you have a problem. In Fly Me to the Moon, Dyson deals with this and other problems, drawing on her experience as a NASA flight controller to add depth and realism to her stories. She shares journeys into diverse futures, where the reader experiences taking drastic actions during a spacewalk, making a life-changing discovery on Jupiter's moon, and contemplating if the life of a cloned human is worth saving at the end of the universe. Participate in adventures and unravel thought experiments in racial profiling, misinterpretations of data, and a fear of bugs in this unique story collection.

Marianne J. Dyson recounts for us a time when women were making the first inroads into space flight control, a previously male-dominated profession. The story begins with the inspiration of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon and follows the challenges of pursuing a science career as a woman in the 70s and 80s, when it was far from an easy path. Dyson relates the first five space shuttle flights from the personal perspective of mission planning and operations in Houston at the Johnson Space Center, based almost exclusively on original sources such as journals and NASA weekly activity reports. The book’s historical details about astronaut and flight controller training exemplify both the humorous and serious aspects of space operations up through the Challenger disaster, including the almost unknown fire in Mission Control during STS-5 that nearly caused an emergency entry of the shuttle. From an insider with a unique perspective and credentials to match, this a must-read for anyone interested in the workings of NASA during one of its busiest and defining times, and the challenges faced by women pursuing scientific careers.