Author Topic: To Orbit and Back Again - By Davide Sivolella (Read 16320 times)

Chris Bergin · « **on:** 10/18/2013 09:08 pm »

Introducing a stunning new book by Davide Sivolella.

I was kindly sent a copy of the book and it's 500 pages of wall-to-wall Shuttle. Really is a must for Shuttle fans. Brilliant book.

http://www.amazon.com/Orbit-Back-Again-Springer-Exploration/dp/1461409829/

NavySpaceFan · « **Reply #1 on:** 10/18/2013 11:06 pm »

I had the pleasure of reviewing Davide's draft prior to publication. He did a great job!!!

Ben E · « **Reply #2 on:** 10/19/2013 07:17 am »

I was also asked to peer-review this book, ahead of publication, and totally agree that Davide has done an amazing job. This is one of the best "nuts and bolts" books about the Shuttle system that I've ever seen.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #3 on:** 10/19/2013 11:57 am »

That's high praise coming from you both, given your own stature on the subject!

I'm not even 20 percent through this book and I already wish I could copy and paste out of it!

woods170 · « **Reply #4 on:** 10/19/2013 08:10 pm »

Shame that's only available as a paperback. Really good books should always be published as hardcovers IMO.

DMeader · « **Reply #5 on:** 10/19/2013 11:36 pm »

Quote from: Ben E on 10/19/2013 07:17 am

I was also asked to peer-review this book, ahead of publication, and totally agree that Davide has done an amazing job. This is one of the best "nuts and bolts" books about the Shuttle system that I've ever seen.

Now you've got my interest up. How does it compare to the Jenkins books?

sivodave · « **Reply #6 on:** 10/20/2013 09:08 am »

Hi Dmeader.

Thanks for your question, it is a very good one. To respond, let me tell you first about the rational behind “To Orbit and Back Again”.

As you know several books have been written up to today about the Space Shuttle program. Browsing Google readily shows that most of the books are focused on the history of the program, its origin, development and mission flown. Most of them give some technical explanation regarding the parts constituting the Space Shuttle as well as its operations, but they all lack of depth of details. Often they give only a very superficial description of the system, not dwelling upon its inner working. For example, how does the GNC software employ two different algorithms for propagating the state vector during orbital flight and during re-entry? Or why while manoeuvring a payload out of the cargo bay for being installed on the ISS, the robotic arm operator had to switch to different robotic arm operative modes? How are the five general purpose computers connected to each other in order to provide redundancy for all the avionic systems and why this configuration has been preferred to others? In which way the propellant acquisition devices inside the OMS tanks worked in order to discharge propellant to the OMS engines? How does it work the rendezvous and docking of the Space Shuttle with the ISS and why and how a specific profile has been developed?

Answers to these questions and to many similar other questions, can be found reading lengthy and complex technical manuals, checklists, workbooks and so on. Unless you have an engineering-oriented mind and a real fondness for the subject, you would very quickly be put off by the first pages of a paper describing the priming sequence of the main engines during ignition or by a checklist for performing a RTLS abort.

This book wants therefore to be a bridge to span the vast gap between those books that are too basic in explaining how the Space Shuttle works and those that belonging to the technical literature are too detailed. Everything using a highly narrative and descriptive style in such a manner that also without a degree in engineering it will be possible to enjoy it and understand its content.

With that said, to answer to your question, Jenkins' book is a wonderful opera on how the Space Shuttle was developed examining all the configuration studied up to arriving to the one we all know. It also has a chapter offering a technical description (Chapter 10) which however I personally find it quite dry and not with so many details as instead “To Orbit and Back Again” has. Furthermore the book does not linger on describing step by step what is happening during ascent, rendezvous-docking and re-entry. In “To Orbit and Back Again” you will find three extensive chapters explaining step by step, almost minute by minute with extracts from checklists what the onboard computers and the astronauts were requested to do during these phases of flight.

Jenkins' book has also a large chapter where a brief description of each mission (for the first 100 at least) is provided. “To Orbit and Back Again” is not a log of all the missions flown, although it contains numerous reference to them as well as a great number of anecdotes from astronauts and engineers. “To Orbit and Back Again” does not explain all the configurations studied in the 70s by the several companies that bid for the NASA contract, since it focuses on the final configuration that eventually was built and flown, also if there are references to those studies to provide a rational behind the design of each on board system, their components and operations. As stated by BenE, this is a truly “nuts and bolts” book on the Space Shuttle.

To summarize, the difference respect to Jenkins' book is that “To Orbit and Back Again” provides an in depth description of the Space Shuttle onboard systems and its operations in a way never seen before in the present day available literature. All written in order to allow a vast audience, especially for whom has not an engineering mind, to understand it thanks to its narrative style plenty of anecdotes from astronauts and engineers and explanations allowing the reader to always understand the following subject based on the knowledge build up by the previous chapter.

I hope this can help you to comprehend better the differences between these two books. If you have other doubts please do not hesitate to ask.

Davide

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #7 on:** 10/20/2013 09:51 am »

Davide, many thanks for the very informative post and congratulations on what is obviously an excellent book.

Now confirmed on my Xmas list!

clongton · « **Reply #8 on:** 10/20/2013 12:28 pm »

Sounds to me like BOTH books deserve an honored place on any Shuttle enthusiast's bookshelf.

brahmanknight · « **Reply #9 on:** 10/20/2013 01:30 pm »

I just went all digital with books. Any idea when this will be available on Kindle?

sivodave · « **Reply #10 on:** 10/20/2013 02:15 pm »

Quote from: FutureSpaceTurist

Davide, many thanks for the very informative post and congratulations on what is obviously an excellent book.

Now confirmed on my Xmas list!

Thanks! Very much appreciated! Once you have read it let me have your feedback.

Quote from: clongton

Sounds to me like BOTH books deserve an honored place on any Shuttle enthusiast's bookshelf.

I perfectly agree with you!

Quote from: brahmanknight

I just went all digital with books. Any idea when this will be available on Kindle?

I've been told that it will appear in ebook format soon. As soon as it happens I will promptly let you know.

yg1968 · « **Reply #11 on:** 10/20/2013 02:39 pm »

I just ordered it. Based on the table of contents, it looks very interesting.

brahmanknight · « **Reply #12 on:** 10/23/2013 04:09 am »

I've been told that it will appear in ebook format soon. As soon as it happens I will promptly let you know.

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Thank you, and I look forward to this book. I've been waiting for something like this for a long time.