Amazon Space Pioneers in Their Own Words Rio Grande Books Space Pioneers' Words Category:  History Publisher: Rio Grande Books ISBN-10:  1936744279 Type: Non-Fiction Pages: 616 Copyright: June 15, 2014 ISBN-13: 9781936744275 Annotated excerpts from oral history interviews of 90 men and women who worked in some type of space research from 1945 through the space shuttle era. Ninety space pioneers describe their experiences while working on space research and exploration from the 1940s through the space shuttle program. Some of these men and women were well known as astronauts or members of Mission Control for Apollo flights to the Moon, and some were minor players in the programs—people like lab technicians, weather forecasters, welders, and helicopter pilots who supported rocket tests. Their stories disclose events and behind-the-scenes details available nowhere else. They reveal the human experiences of an era that extended from the launch of this planet’s first “artificial moon” to routine shuttle missions carrying people and supplies between Earth and the International Space Station. Drawn from the archives of the oral history program supported by the International Space Hall of Fame Foundation, the excerpts describe funny, frightening, and fascinating episodes. They paint the hues of human experience on the canvas of technological achievements. In this book, for the first time, extensive portions of the New Mexico Museum of Space History and International Space Hall of Fame’s oral history collection are available to the general public. Supplemented with photographs and annotated for historical context, this presentation offers a unique glimpse into humanity’s struggles to become a spacefaring race. That perspective forms an important foundation for the new era of commercial spaceflight and interplanetary exploration.       Excerpt Space Pioneers: In Their Own Words consists of annotated excerpts from the oral history collection of the New Mexico Museum of Space History. Men and women interviewed for that collection are not limited to people who worked on space projects in New Mexico; in fact, one of the people featured in this book as a Russian cosmonaut. The ninety oral histories I selected were, I thought, the most informative and relevant to the development of manned spaceflight. Each excerpt is in the first person, as the interviewee spoke about his or her involvement with space programs. Each excerpt is introduced with a brief description of the individual whose comments follow. I edited the excerpts with what I hope was a gentle but firm hand. In order to create a smooth narrative, I sometimes moved paragraphs or sentences around. I omitted material that I thought was redundant or extraneous to the presentation at hand. Because I wanted the excerpts to read smoothly and without undue distractions, I did not mark omissions with ellipses. In a few instances, I realized that an interviewee had misremembered or misstated a fact. To the extent possible, I verified the correct information and substituted it for the incorrect version. When I inserted explanatory words or sentences, I did put them brackets. Researchers who wish to study the oral histories in detail should contact the New Mexico Museum of Space History (nmspacemuseum.org) to request access to the full transcripts. For more information on the space research programs at Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range, see my previous book Out of this World: New Mexico’s Contributions to Space Travel.

Howard Hallmark, PhD
It is unlikely that any of the men and women who have contributed to the space program have considered themselves as extraordinary. It is more likely that they were merely ordinary men and women doing their job, an ordinary job. But these ordinary men and women doing their ordinary jobs accomplished an extraordinary feat. They set man on the Moon. Some of those ordinary men walked on the Moon.

Loretta Hall in [her previous book] Out of This World rose to the extraordinary challenge to chart our trek toward the stars. Perhaps, since the beginning of time we have looked at the stars and dreamed of traveling to them. Now Ms Hall has once more risen to the challenge of charting the space program through the words of many of the participants in that program. None of them thought of themselves as “making history.” They were just doing their job.

Ms Hall has done a very good job of taking the words of these space pioneers and weaving them into a narrative of their involvement in the development of the space program. Ms Hall didn’t stop with the walks on the Moon. She has also included the space station and the shuttle program, and even a look at the dreams for the future. She has also given a well-balanced presentation of UFOs. You can make your own decision.

These men and women in Space Pioneers: In Their Own Words came from all walks of life. Some of them accomplished great things. Some didn’t contribute very much. But each contribution was important. Regardless, each contribution is a gem that helps complete the picture. Ms Hall has captured those gems for us. I recommend Ms Hall’s Space Pioneers: In Their Own Words to enhance your knowledge of Space History.

Unique Personal Remembrances
"This is a unique book in that it covers a broad spectrum of personal remembrances as derived from the private interview collection of the New Mexico Museum of Space History. While many of the persons included (about 90) represent those who have had some connection with New Mexico, the pioneers quoted are from a diverse spectrum that includes a former Soviet cosmonaut.... There are a lot of diverse and interesting people and topics to keep you involved in the book." National Space Society, Featured Nonfiction Book Review, October 2014

Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly
Space Pioneers: In Their Own Words is relatively unique in its primary focus on minor players in space exploratin history, which provides insight into the day-to-day challenges of rsearch and development that tend to get lost in the bigger picture.... Although the author edited and correct the accounts with a 'gentle but firm hand,' they still retain the spirit and memories of those interviewed; their voices are clearly heard. German scientist Cynthia Sommers-Guzevich summed it up nicely: 'White Sands is old history. People don't know what we did out there.' Thanks to Loretta Hall, now they do.