Final Countdown: NASA and the End of the Space Shuttle Program

by Pat Duggins

Go behind the scenes of NASA's most visible program "NPR journalist Duggins reviews the 25-year saga of the shuttle missions, some of which have been shrouded in mystery, as astronauts took secret military payloads into space; others received worldwide attention and acclaim, as when the Hubble Space Telescope was restored to 20–20 vision. . . . A worthy addition to the recent torrent of books about the American space program." -- Publishers Weekly "A story of lost dreams, new hopes, and the ongoing conquest of space." -- Spaceflight "Provides a very personal look at America's manned space program from a veteran reporter who has covered the shuttle's ups and downs for more than 20 years."--Bill Harwood, CBS News "A refreshingly candid look at the U.S. space program at this crucial juncture. Duggins's enthusiasm for space flight enhances his ability to explore tough questions about NASA's ability to plan for its next giant leap."--David Brancaccio, Host of "NOW" on PBS "Artfully merges excellent reporting with great writing to chronicle the highs and lows of the Space Shuttle program, along with rare astronaut anecdotes about what it's really like to fly to space and back."—Craig Covault, senior editor, Aviation Week & Space Technology Magazine   In Final Countdown , Pat Duggins chronicles the milestones, the setbacks, the breakthroughs, and the breakdowns of the Space Shuttle program. His unfiltered perspective is that of a journalist, but his passion, evident on every page, is that of a space enthusiast who grew up just south of Kennedy Space Center.

Genres: Space, Nonfiction, Science, History

268 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short book that makes a nice break from reading extremely long books. I have been a fan of the space program since it started. I try to read as much about NASA as I can, thus I grabbed this book to read. Duggins provides us with the reasons for the end of the shuttle program. As well, it covers major milestones for the program. It is neither a concise history nor a program review. Rather, Duggins book takes the reader on a human perspective. It is, the social issues come more to the fro than those of a technical nature.

The author’s fondness for the space industry comes through in the book. Duggins acknowledges the shuttles shortcomings, he also lauds it successes. Duggins discusses the dramatic influences of politics up on the space shuttle program. The author does not cover the effect of closing the shuttle program on the key areas such as Florida’s Space Coast, The Johnson Space Center or California space area or about the thousands of workers who will lose their jobs.

Pat Duggins is a senior news analyst at WMFE in Central Florida. He has covered more than 85 shuttle launches. I read this as an audio book downloaded from Audible. Pat Duggins does his own narration.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a scant few books about the space program which is comewhat surprising because of my love for history as well as science fiction. Anyway I found this book at the local library after hearing the author talk on C-SPAN's Book TV.

The book covers the history of the space shuttle program which was so much more dangerous then any of us were aware of. The book which is written in a fast paced manner concludes with some information regarding NASA's future plans with the Orion project to go back to the moon and onward to Mars.

[Francisco Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great detailed look on the space shuttle program. Never would I have imagined how good the author explains the program, with interviews with NASA executives and astronauts, and detailed accounts on the imperfect program. This is a completely necessary read if you're into the past, and even future of space exploration.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thorough if sometimes uneven account of the shuttle program post Challenger. Book at its best when the author gets access to key NASA officials for an unvarnished take on some of the challenges they faced.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

If one is interested in the general history of the space shuttle, without getting too deep into engineering and other tedious details, this is the book to read.

[Chad Kohalyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pat Duggins is an NPR correspondent and does an excellent job of narrating this audiobook. However, since he is used to delivering short, information-dense radio pieces, the book seems like a flood. I found myself rewinding a few times to catch up.

The content is an excellent overview of NASA's shuttle program, filled with anecdotes and stories from the astronauts and other crew members themselves. There is an excellent discussion about the committee-driven design of the mission, and its bureaucratic over-management that makes me even more supportive of commercial space flight. The shuttle program did do some amazing things, but in the end was strangled by a the political yoke around its neck.

This is an entertaining read and good reference material. I am sure I will come back to it, and have been inspired to pick up Duggins's next book Trailblazing Mars: NASA's Next Giant Leap.

[Keishi · Rating 5 out of 5]

As you can see from the cover, this book is about space shuttles and the history of NASA/Kennedy Space Center. If you are a NASA fan, this book should be interesting. For students like me, reading this may take a long time because it gets confusing. However, this book still worths reading, so give it a try. This book describes how NASA was formed and how this administration evolved overtime. In addition to the history of NASA, this book also describes the basic facts about the parts of space shuttle like the engine. I thought this book was amazing because I love space shuttles. Next, I want to read A HIstory of Kennedy Space Center. Even though this book is 500 page long, I am sure this book is interesting, just like this book.

[Tammy Powley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered this book while doing research on Kennedy Space Center and found it really helpful. As someone who was "there" during much of the story covered by Duggins, I found his information to be accurate and enlightening. It was also a lot less dry than most of the other related books I was reading on this topic. In particular, I was impressed by his candid narrative. Many of the books I reviewed on KSC and NASA seemed to gloss over issues that may have put the agencies in a bad light, but Duggins was able to tell the truth about what happened using an unbiased voice.

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duggins delivers more than the title promises, actually providing an overall history of the Shuttle, from conception to retirement. In addition to descriptions of key missions, he provides a careful study of design, creation, and functioning of the entire program, emphasizing the human elements both in orbit and on the ground. Overall, he concludes that the Shuttle was a vehicle in search of a mission, until construction of the International Space Station began, at which point the Shuttle was nearing the end of its useful life.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned of this book while watching a speech by the author on C-SPAN. It is an interesting account of the space shuttle program in its final years, however, for a more thorough examination of the space shuttle read "The Space Shuttle Operator's Manual" by Kerry Mark Joels.

[Kate Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on NASA's history and where the agency is going. Highly recommend!