Damned to Heaven

Rating:
Summary: "Vertical is to Live"
Review: Bob Mahoney's "Damned to Heaven" is a real Engineering Thriller! The boldness and creativity demanded in putting up humans vertically* (towards the stars) is fully captured. The role of human temperament and political cross purposes is deftly portrayed. I normally do not read mysteries and I certainly have no engineering or mathmematical credentials. That Mahoney could engross my interest so completely is due to his treating the essential human drama involved with such integrity.

* The title of this review is taken from "Vertical is to Live, Horizontal is to Die" , the title of a Buckminister Fuller essay written many decades ago defending the space probram.

Rating:
Summary: "Vertical is to Live"
Review: Bob Mahoney's "Damned to Heaven" is a real Engineering Thriller! The boldness and creativity demanded in putting up humans vertically* (towards the stars) is fully captured. The role of human temperament and political cross purposes is deftly portrayed. I normally do not read mysteries and I certainly have no engineering or mathmematical credentials. That Mahoney could engross my interest so completely is due to his treating the essential human drama involved with such integrity.

* The title of this review is taken from "Vertical is to Live, Horizontal is to Die" , the title of a Buckminister Fuller essay written many decades ago defending the space probram.

Rating:
Summary: an inside peek at shuttle flights
Review: I am not much of a reader, however when I got this book - I could not put it down. I like the way Mr. Mahoney describes the NASAese and all the special acronyms that NASA uses.

In some cases I could even picture the inside of the Station and the Shuttle

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing and Believable
Review: I have long wondered about the future of our planet, and what hope -and challenges-- space exploration offers us. I have tried reference works on the U.S. Space Program, but found them unreadable. I decided to buy this book when I read the recommendation of Apollo Flight Director Glynn Lunney. When someone of Lunney's stature tells me the author has gotten the facts right in this work of fiction, I am sold. And then I read the book...

This book is both riveting and convincing. The author Gore Vidal is said to bring an historian's knowledge to his books and blend that knowledge with a wonderful writing style. Similarly, Tom Clancy is considered a master of military fiction because he comes up with frighteningly realistic situations, makes the technical stuff intelligible, and writes a great story. This book is like that, and Mahoney appears to have the space exploration niche all to himself.

The book is a joy to read, an accessible means by which to understand NASA and space exploration generally. It is hard to believe this is Mahoney's first novel. I suspect it will not be his last.

Rating:
Summary: an inside peek at shuttle flights
Review: Mr. Mahoney's obvious experience in the world of our nation's manned space program comes shining through in this compelling tale of honor, corruption, and the American Dream. This behind-the-scenes peek into the Mission Control Center, although fiction, reveals more than any book on the subject I have read to date. We get taken through the inner hardware workings and orbital mechanics of spaceflight, the backrooms of the control center, and the rarely-discussed conference rooms and private offices of the NASA team. The technical content is astounding, and written so as to break down rocket science for "the rest of us" to consume.

Rating:
Summary: Space Suspense
Review: This book is very entertaining. It is full of fast paced action, and a memorable cast of colorful characters facing real world problems and challenges of space flight. Its a great read! I'm thinking of forming an "I hate Jensen fan club" Read the book and you'll understand. Full of suspense, I couldn't put it down during the last quater. Have fun!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome - hard to put down
Review: This was a great read. The book just seemed to fly by and was difficult to put down. It will definitely eat into your sleep time! I thought he did a good job explaining the NASA words and taking everyone "inside" NASA. The characters behaved like real people - you could imagine a person behaving this way or that way. It was a good story and I hope he writes some more books that are just as good in the near future.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome - hard to put down
Review: This was a great read. The book just seemed to fly by and was difficult to put down. It will definitely eat into your sleep time! I thought he did a good job explaining the NASA words and taking everyone "inside" NASA. The characters behaved like real people - you could imagine a person behaving this way or that way. It was a good story and I hope he writes some more books that are just as good in the near future.