Author Topic: Erik Seedhouse book "SpaceX: Making Commercial Spaceflight a Reality" (Read 9450 times)

FutureSpaceTourist · « **on:** 04/28/2013 01:57 pm »

I just spotted that Erik Seedhouse has a Springer Praxis book due out in July on the first 'ten' years of SpaceX:

SpaceX: Making Commercial Spaceflight a Reality

http://www.springer.com/engineering/mechanical+engineering/book/978-1-4614-5513-4

It's available for pre-order in all the usual places. RRP for the paperback is about £20 or $30.

Quote from: Contents

Elon Musk
Space Exers
The Engines – Merlin
The Rockets: from the Falcon 1 to the Falcon 9
The Rockets: from the Falcon 9 to the Falcon Heavy
The Spacecraft – Dragon
Contracts and Flight Operations
I’ll Put a Man on Mars in 10 Years
Red Dragon

Edit: forgot to attach the cover!

ArbitraryConstant · « **Reply #1 on:** 04/28/2013 02:20 pm »

Is this worth reading for anyone that follows this forum with regularity?

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #2 on:** 04/28/2013 02:24 pm »

Quote from: ArbitraryConstant on 04/28/2013 02:20 pm

Is this worth reading for anyone that follows this forum with regularity?

I think that'll depend on what, if any, priviledged access Erik has had to people and/or material. There can be all sorts of intertesting behind the scenes info (including why certains things were or were not done) that make a book worth reading even if the main events/milestones are known.

I'm hoping that once the book is out, or advance copies circulated, someone can post here what they think!

Lar · « **Reply #3 on:** 04/28/2013 03:56 pm »

I'd venture that unless this author HAD access to Musk[1], Shotwell, et. al. (and they were forthcoming) the astute reader knows everything this book is likely to contain, and more (in fact, if one wanted to write a book on any of a variety of topics, this would be a great place to do research and identify people to interview... ESPECIALLY if you have an L2 subscription)

1- Elon supposedly was interviewed by Chris a fair bit, back in the day... was he a user here? did he ever post anything?

Jim · « **Reply #4 on:** 04/28/2013 04:17 pm »

The title is misleading. It already existed through the efforts of many other companies.

Lar · « **Reply #5 on:** 04/28/2013 05:19 pm »

Quote from: Jim on 04/28/2013 04:17 pm

The title is misleading. It already existed through the efforts of many other companies.

What would you title it, if you wanted to
a) not be misleading
b) sell lots of copies.

If you have a better title I'm sure we all want to hear it. If not, how many books have you written so far? (you always call out others lack of expertise so... )

Jim · « **Reply #6 on:** 04/28/2013 05:24 pm »

Quote from: Lar on 04/28/2013 05:19 pm

Quote from: Jim on 04/28/2013 04:17 pm
The title is misleading. It already existed through the efforts of many other companies.

What would you title it, if you wanted to
a) not be misleading
b) sell lots of copies.

If you have a better title I'm sure we all want to hear it. If not, how many books have you written so far? (you always call out others lack of expertise so... )

"Spacex, an early history"
2
Also, the author is a astronaut trainer and physiologist. There are others better suited for this book. But considering the publisher, I wouldn't expect quality, just quantity when it comes to their books.

Lar · « **Reply #7 on:** 04/28/2013 05:27 pm »

Quote from: Jim on 04/28/2013 05:24 pm

Quote from: Lar on 04/28/2013 05:19 pm
Quote from: Jim on 04/28/2013 04:17 pm
The title is misleading. It already existed through the efforts of many other companies.

What would you title it, if you wanted to
a) not be misleading
b) sell lots of copies.

If you have a better title I'm sure we all want to hear it. If not, how many books have you written so far? (you always call out others lack of expertise so... )

"Spacex, an early history"
2

Not misleading but I doubt it would sell as well.

What were they? How well did they sell and can you still get them on Amazon (even used?) I love to read.

Jim · « **Reply #8 on:** 04/28/2013 05:33 pm »

Quote from: Lar on 04/28/2013 05:27 pm

What were they? How well did they sell and can you still get them on Amazon (even used?) I love to read.

Maybe not books but documents.

Spacehab Payload Processing Facility Handbook
And I have to go to work to find the actual title of the other. Not allowed to have a copy at home due to ITAR and propriety info.

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #9 on:** 04/28/2013 06:25 pm »

Depending on which end of the spectrum people sit the following titles might strike a chord:

SpaceX: the triumph of ambition over delivery
SpaceX: saving humans from extinction

Probably more misleading than the actual title though. Ho hum.

SpaceX: catalyst of 1000 arguments

Hmm, this book title writing business is not as easy as it looks.

king1999 · « **Reply #10 on:** 04/28/2013 07:41 pm »

SpaceX: A New Hope in Human Spaceflight.

meekGee · « **Reply #11 on:** 04/28/2013 08:12 pm »

I'm guessing you're just playing on "SpaceX: A New Hope"

To be followed by, what, "ULA Strikes Back?", and "OSC, The Phantom Menace"?

EDIT: Or is it "Blue Origin, The Phantom Menace" and "Revenge of OSC"?

Lar · « **Reply #12 on:** 04/28/2013 08:15 pm »

Quote from: meekGee on 04/28/2013 08:12 pm

I'm guessing you're just playing on "SpaceX: A New Hope"

To be followed by, what, "ULA Strikes Back?", and "OSC, The Phantom Menace"?

EDIT: Or is it "Blue Origin, The Phantom Menace" and "Revenge of OSC"?

Just don't let George write any prequels, that never ends well.

docmordrid · « **Reply #13 on:** 04/28/2013 09:30 pm »

Quote from: Lar on 04/28/2013 08:15 pm

Quote from: meekGee on 04/28/2013 08:12 pm
I'm guessing you're just playing on "SpaceX: A New Hope"

To be followed by, what, "ULA Strikes Back?", and "OSC, The Phantom Menace"?

EDIT: Or is it "Blue Origin, The Phantom Menace" and "Revenge of OSC"?
Just don't let George write any prequels, that never ends well.

Michael Arndt (Brave, Hunger Games: Catching Fire) & JJ Abrams are doing that for Star Wars now. Let them do the SpaceX prequel?

king1999 · « **Reply #14 on:** 04/28/2013 10:52 pm »

Quote from: meekGee on 04/28/2013 08:12 pm

I'm guessing you're just playing on "SpaceX: A New Hope"

To be followed by, what, "ULA Strikes Back?", and "OSC, The Phantom Menace"?

EDIT: Or is it "Blue Origin, The Phantom Menace" and "Revenge of OSC"?

I wasn't thinking that far but thought a new hope is fitting because of the falcon...

deltaV · « **Reply #15 on:** 04/28/2013 11:29 pm »

Don't forget to see "Return of the Saturn V engines" available at a block 2 SLS near you.

QuantumG · « **Reply #16 on:** 04/28/2013 11:40 pm »

I wonder if they're doing a Kindle version.

llanitedave · « **Reply #17 on:** 04/29/2013 02:05 am »

Quote from: king1999 on 04/28/2013 10:52 pm

Quote from: meekGee on 04/28/2013 08:12 pm
I'm guessing you're just playing on "SpaceX: A New Hope"

To be followed by, what, "ULA Strikes Back?", and "OSC, The Phantom Menace"?

EDIT: Or is it "Blue Origin, The Phantom Menace" and "Revenge of OSC"?
I wasn't thinking that far but thought a new hope is fitting because of the falcon...

Just keep your Force peeled in case Darth Bezos shows up.

meekGee · « **Reply #18 on:** 04/29/2013 02:17 am »

... telling them that he's already patented a spherical space station having a concave depression on its surface used for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, so sorry, if they want a space station, they'll need to make it in the shape of a (Warning, cross-over joke) cube.

llanitedave · « **Reply #19 on:** 04/29/2013 03:15 am »

But it better not have rounded corners.