Hitting the Books: NASA's Class 8 broke color barriers and glass ceilings alike

America's first astronauts from the 1960s were all pulled from the highest ranks of the nation's military. As such, NASA's first few classes tended to conform to a rather specific demographic theme — white, male, flattop haircut you could set a watch too. By the mid-70's however, the space agency had gotten with the times and opened up the spacewalking profession to more than former Air Force and Navy test pilots. In The New Guys, author Meredith Bagby follows the exploits of NASA's Astronaut class of 1978 — "Class 8," America's first women, African Americans, Asian American, and gay person to fly to space — from the team's selection through their mastering of cutting-edge technologies aboard the Space Shuttle and their history-making orbital missions. In the excerpt below, Class 8 receives a brutal introduction to the dangers that await them. Harper Collins PublishingFrom The New Guys by Meredith Bagby. Copyright © 2023 by Meredith Bagby. Reprinted courtesy of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.Johnson Space Center, Houston. July 1978“Hey! We’ve got a fire in the cockpit!” a man screamed, then his voice cut out. Within seconds, another desperate voice cut through the static.“We’ve got a bad fire . . . !” the second man shouted in pain.“We’re burning up . . . !!!” a third howled.Then the transmission faded into nothing but static.In one of the many tiered seats in Mission Control, Ron McNair and his new classmates listened to a recording of the Apollo... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2023-02-12 15:30:30 UTC ]
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Printed book sales fall as Christmas digital sales rise

Physical book sales in the final week of the year totalled £22.5m — down 70% week on... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Duffy among contenders for Costa Book of the Year

Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy has won the Costa Poetry Award for The Bees (Picador), and debut... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Savannah Book Festival Comes Of Age

At just five years old, the Savannah Book Festival, in the genteel coastal city of Savannah, Ga., is carving a space for itself among the book festival big leagues, boasting not one but two of the nation’s current #1 bestselling authors: Stephen King (for 11/22/63) and Walter Isaacson (Steve Jobs). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-12-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"Goodnight iPad" Is the Perfect Book for the Kid Who Has Everything That Beeps

The parody of the classic children's book "Goodnight Moon," which got a hilarious analog update for the digital generation is a holiday hit. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Domain: For Libraries and Publishers, an E-Book Tug of War

E-books and audio books on the Web site of the New York Public Library. Publishers are waiting for an industrywide approach to e-lending to gel. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-12-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Books and ActuaLitté launch out-of-copyright library

Google Books and the French online publication ActuaLitté have launched a digital library... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Moran wins Galaxy Book of the Year

Journalist Caitlin Moran's take on modern feminism How to Be A Woman, published by Ebury, has... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Callow donates books to Westminster Reference Library

Actor Simon Callow has donated 1,000 of his own books to the Westminster Reference Library. Most... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Malvern's Beacon Books to close

Malvern independent Beacon Books is to close in February 2012. Owners Stuart and Anne-Marie... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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France delays VAT hike on books

The French parliament yesterday voted to raise the reduced VAT rate on physical books from 5.5%... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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YouGov: books 'among most popular online buys'

Books are among the items most commonly bought online, according to a report from market research... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-books in Apple's annual giveaway

Apple is to launch a 12 Days of Christmas giveaway, to begin on Boxing Day, which will include e-... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder Blog: A New Children's Book Parodies a Beloved Classic

"Goodnight iPad" is a bedtime tour of our electronic lives, mimicking the tone of the classic "Goodnight Moon." Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Faceless net giants writing own rule books

Businesses have little recourse - or human contact - when resolving disputes with Google or Facebook, write Julian Lee and Ben Grubb. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald

[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2011-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jobs Bio a Global Hit: International Bestsellers December 2011

A few days after Amazon announced that the Steve Jobs biography was its top-selling book of 2011 (combined print and ebook sales), the book debuted on bestseller charts around the world, including the three countries highlighted this month. Steve Jobs was #3 in France and the Netherlands, and... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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OUP hits 300 with Very Short Introductions

Oxford University Press will be releasing its 300th Very Short Introduction title in January 2012... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-Book Readers Face Sticker Shock

Cheap new e-readers are expected to be one of the hottest gifts this holiday season. But new owners of Kindles and Nooks may be in for sticker shock on Christmas morning: The price gap between the print and e-versions of some top sellers has now narrowed to within a few dollars -- and in some... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US World Book Night titles revealed

World Book Night in the US has appointed Pulitzer Prize-wining journalist Anna Quindlen as its... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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French book trade protests at VAT hike

French booksellers have called it a "catastrophe" that VAT rates will go up to 7% in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book sales soar week on week, remain down on 2010

Printed book sales soared by £8.6m week on week last week, but spending remains down on... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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