Test Gods: Virgin Galactic and the Making of a Modern Astronaut
- Downloads：7980
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-03 08:51:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Nicholas Schmidle
- ISBN：1786331853
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Meet the astronauts leading the way to a new world of space travel。
'An instant classic。' Scott Kelly， astronaut and author of Endurance
When Richard Branson founded Virgin Galactic in 2004， the goal was simple: to offer civilian space travel by the end of the decade。 Fifteen years， a dozen delays and one catastrophic rocket crash later， we are on the verge of space tourism becoming a reality。
New Yorker journalist Nicholas Schmidle has witnessed the fall and rise of Virgin Galactic first-hand。 Over the last five years， he has spent thousands of hours at Virgin's 'spaceport' in the Mojave desert， befriending the pilots who are risking their lives to make space tourism a reality。
Now， Schmidle offers the definitive inside story of the individuals building this new world of commercial space travel。 At the heart of the story is Mark Stucky， Virgin's showboating chief pilot who will stop at nothing to take Virgin to space。 Along the way， we encounter Branson， who emerges as an excitable if overoptimistic evangelist for commercial space travel; Mike Moses， Virgin Galactic's grounded， unflappable president; and Mike Alsbury， the pilot who， as a result of a momentary miscalculation， crashes his plane into the California desert - becoming the first casualty of the new space race。
The result is a compelling examination of the inner lives of a new generation of astronauts。 Theirs is a world where the line between lunacy and genius is blurred， and where no sacrifice is too great in pursuit of the dream of space flight。
_______________________________
'If you want to know what being a test pilot truly looks and feels and even smells like， read this riveting book。 Schmidle has done something remarkable， capturing all the visceral grit we experience inside the cockpit， in addition to all the tragedies and triumphs that we encounter along the way。 This is the book about the new space race you've been waiting to read。' Scott Kelly， astronaut and author of Endurance
'Unique， fascinating， compulsively readable， brilliantly reported with unprecedented access， a kick-ass adventure story of the last of the great swashbucklers addicted to speed and altitude。 It is a journey unlike any I have ever read 。 。 。 Strap yourself in and get ready for one helluva ride。' Buzz Bissinger， author of Friday Night Lights
'An instant classic。' Scott Kelly， astronaut and author of Endurance
When Richard Branson founded Virgin Galactic in 2004， the goal was simple: to offer civilian space travel by the end of the decade。 Fifteen years， a dozen delays and one catastrophic rocket crash later， we are on the verge of space tourism becoming a reality。
New Yorker journalist Nicholas Schmidle has witnessed the fall and rise of Virgin Galactic first-hand。 Over the last five years， he has spent thousands of hours at Virgin's 'spaceport' in the Mojave desert， befriending the pilots who are risking their lives to make space tourism a reality。
Now， Schmidle offers the definitive inside story of the individuals building this new world of commercial space travel。 At the heart of the story is Mark Stucky， Virgin's showboating chief pilot who will stop at nothing to take Virgin to space。 Along the way， we encounter Branson， who emerges as an excitable if overoptimistic evangelist for commercial space travel; Mike Moses， Virgin Galactic's grounded， unflappable president; and Mike Alsbury， the pilot who， as a result of a momentary miscalculation， crashes his plane into the California desert - becoming the first casualty of the new space race。
The result is a compelling examination of the inner lives of a new generation of astronauts。 Theirs is a world where the line between lunacy and genius is blurred， and where no sacrifice is too great in pursuit of the dream of space flight。
_______________________________
'If you want to know what being a test pilot truly looks and feels and even smells like， read this riveting book。 Schmidle has done something remarkable， capturing all the visceral grit we experience inside the cockpit， in addition to all the tragedies and triumphs that we encounter along the way。 This is the book about the new space race you've been waiting to read。' Scott Kelly， astronaut and author of Endurance
'Unique， fascinating， compulsively readable， brilliantly reported with unprecedented access， a kick-ass adventure story of the last of the great swashbucklers addicted to speed and altitude。 It is a journey unlike any I have ever read 。 。 。 Strap yourself in and get ready for one helluva ride。' Buzz Bissinger， author of Friday Night Lights
Reviews
Jim Becker
，
Tremendously detailed and very interesting personalities。 The author is talented and has a good background to write this book， as he is the son of a naval aviator。
Karen Genachowski
，
I expected an amazing adventure story about space travel - I did not expect a heartwarming reflection on family， but the combination makes for a gripping read！ The author’s voice is clear and the story is incredibly well-written。 Bravo！
Sally
，
TEST GODS by Nicholas SchmidileI didn't care for the title of the book， though the non-fiction aspect of test pilots was intriguing。 The book follows Mark Stucky in his personal quest for NASA。 Unfortunately， NASA rejected him repeatedly and he was able to find fulfilling work as a test pilot。We learn the history of Virgin Galactic and what it meant to that company to possibly get the first tourist space ships into operation。 They had to design the properly shaped space ships， design a fuel that TEST GODS by Nicholas SchmidileI didn't care for the title of the book， though the non-fiction aspect of test pilots was intriguing。 The book follows Mark Stucky in his personal quest for NASA。 Unfortunately， NASA rejected him repeatedly and he was able to find fulfilling work as a test pilot。We learn the history of Virgin Galactic and what it meant to that company to possibly get the first tourist space ships into operation。 They had to design the properly shaped space ships， design a fuel that could propel the ships "out of this world，" and find pilots who kept their cool and were able to fly out of our atmosphere。When you think of being a space tourist， you'd probably think that only a select few of the world's richest inhabitants would be able to afford a seat， you'd be right。 Space tourism isn't for the middle class or lower classes。 Probably not even many years into the future。 It's just not affordable。 But， it's okay to dream about it。 That's what Virgin Galactic started with， was a dream。Many thanks to #henryholt #nicholasschmidle for the complimentary copy of #testgodsvirgingalacticandthemakingofamodernastronaut #testgods I was under no obligation to post a review。 。。。more
Pbloom
，
I ordered this book after hearing the author at a reading。 It is the perfect complement to the Michael Collins "Carrying the Fire" that I also reviewd。Virgin Galactica has been in the news recently with a crazy financing event and a successful trip to space yesterday。 If you are thinking of investing in the company （No） or going on a space tourism flight （No） this book is mandatory reading。It's really two gripping stories being told in tandem。 One is about the manic quest for private companies t I ordered this book after hearing the author at a reading。 It is the perfect complement to the Michael Collins "Carrying the Fire" that I also reviewd。Virgin Galactica has been in the news recently with a crazy financing event and a successful trip to space yesterday。 If you are thinking of investing in the company （No） or going on a space tourism flight （No） this book is mandatory reading。It's really two gripping stories being told in tandem。 One is about the manic quest for private companies to take tourists into space。 Suffice it to say that if you think that's a crazy idea， you won't be dissuaded after reading about all the mistakes， hype and tragedy associated with that quest。The other story woven through the book is a compelling account of what it takes to be a test pilot and astronaut。 The author had unfettered access （for a while） and does a great job of humanizing the people who have a job that is so technically demanding and dangerous that it's hard to understand how anyone survives it。 I learned a lot about bleeding edge technology and a particularity unique aspect of human nature。The book is not overly long and I was locked-in to the dual narratives until the last page。 I will be watching developments in the space tourism business with a lot more knowledge and a LOT more admiration for the engineers and pilots who are devoting their careers and lives （literally） to pursuing the quest。 。。。more
David
，
Schmidle spends time with Virgin Galactic， getting to the know pilots of SpaceShipTwo。 Virgin has dreams of sending passengers into space （a sub-orbit， but still space）。 In an era when NASA seems uninspired （at least for human missions） and when private industry is going into space， reading about one of those companies is illustrative and insightful。 The author’s father is was a revered pilot， so part of this book is a memoir and a coming-to-terms of fathers and sons。
Jenn
，
I won a copy of this book。A look behind the making of a rocket ship and everyone that is involved with it。 There are so many little things that go into making these ships as safe as possible， but things can always go wrong。 This is just a really interesting book for anyone who is interested in the mechanics of modern space travel。
Tim
，
Not quite the right stuff but great nonetheless， enjoyed and sent me off down some fun rabbit holes， not much new but some interesting perspective for anyone into the current space race。 well written。
LeAnne M Weimer
，
Two Years Turned Thirteen-ishFrom my husband， Geoff: Test Gods is an exceptionally well written collection of accounts that add immense meaning to an already riveting main story。 Nicholas gives credit to a host of professionals who helped make this a masterpiece， but he deserves all the credit for what clearly required all of his focus， passion and energy for several years。 His main subject， Forger， had my attention long ago。 I was the Operations Group Superintendent and Chief of Maintenance at Two Years Turned Thirteen-ishFrom my husband， Geoff: Test Gods is an exceptionally well written collection of accounts that add immense meaning to an already riveting main story。 Nicholas gives credit to a host of professionals who helped make this a masterpiece， but he deserves all the credit for what clearly required all of his focus， passion and energy for several years。 His main subject， Forger， had my attention long ago。 I was the Operations Group Superintendent and Chief of Maintenance at one of his USAF assignments， and took his phone call Monday morning after dust devil number one as he expressed why he wasn't on the morning manifest。 My mind was blown when he showed up what seemed like just days later in his plastic torso contraption， doing everything possible to get back in the seat and， more importantly， to stay immersed with the teams that provided that seat。 So many bureaucratic processes could have gotten in the way of his next ride， and he made all the right moves to keep the path clear。 This book opened my eyes to so much more than I could have gathered about Forger in that highly compartmentalized setting so many years ago。 Thanks so much， Nicholas， for doing the hard work and engaging all the right resources to perfectly blend so many lives and stories into the kind of book I just can't put down。 Be proud！ 。。。more
Annabelle
，
A well written and thoroughly researched account of a test pilot’s journey to becoming an astronaut with Virgin Galactic。 A bit technical at times， but still able to build tension before launch days。 A call to dream。
Alexandra
，
Awesome！ Enjoyed the information and how relevant it was to today。
Lauren
，
Thank you to the publisher， Henry Holt & Co。， for forwarding me a gifted copy of this book to review！ *DISCLAIMER: All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any way for my review*🚀🚀🚀RATING: 4/5“I traveled to the moon， said Buzz Aldrin。 ‘But the most significant voyage of my life began when I returned。’”Growing up and even into adulthood， I loved learning about space。 I think it’s amazing what human beings have been able to accomplish through space travel and flight。 When I heard about Thank you to the publisher， Henry Holt & Co。， for forwarding me a gifted copy of this book to review！ *DISCLAIMER: All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any way for my review*🚀🚀🚀RATING: 4/5“I traveled to the moon， said Buzz Aldrin。 ‘But the most significant voyage of my life began when I returned。’”Growing up and even into adulthood， I loved learning about space。 I think it’s amazing what human beings have been able to accomplish through space travel and flight。 When I heard about Test Gods， which is about Virgin’s journey to commercialize space flight from the perspectives of the test pilots， I geeked out at the chance to learn more about the people who worked behind the scenes。 However， if you’re not a fan of space/aeronautics， then this book might not be a good fit for you。 Although I thought it was interesting， there was often a lot of jargon used that wasn’t well explained。I had no idea of the lengths Virgin went to try and put together a space program but as I learned， they achieved more than they could’ve imagined but at great cost。 The best part of this story was seeing experiences of the test pilots and other members of the program。 You can feel the camaraderie between the pilots and it was a nice touch to see the author’s own personal connection to the program。 While I disliked the lack of diversity in Virgin’s program and how they lacked consistent safety protocols， I respected the group’s shared goals to get to space。 Their shared history evolved in ways I didn’t expect and at times Test Gods felt like I was reading an action-packed fiction novel。 。。。more
Patrick Pilz
，
It is an interesting story， right along the stories of "The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe and certainly extremely well written and told。 While it certainly makes todays Astronauts approachable， once cannot ignore the fact that this is almost a swan song of a rocket company。 Virgin Galactic was certainly ambitious， but their flight apparatus is mothballed and may not fly again。 It seems to be the first loser in the race of private business to space。 Nicholas Schmidle had the pleasure to be along for It is an interesting story， right along the stories of "The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe and certainly extremely well written and told。 While it certainly makes todays Astronauts approachable， once cannot ignore the fact that this is almost a swan song of a rocket company。 Virgin Galactic was certainly ambitious， but their flight apparatus is mothballed and may not fly again。 It seems to be the first loser in the race of private business to space。 Nicholas Schmidle had the pleasure to be along for some of that ride and just had to write it down， after spending so much time and effort in following the story。 He could not have known the ending， and his account about a 3rd place finisher in the space race is enjoyable to read for the people deeply interested in the race。 。。。more
Amanda Johnson Barton
，