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Title details for Handprints on Hubble by Kathryn Sullivan - Available

Handprints on Hubble

An Astronaut's Story of Invention

by Kathryn Sullivan
Christina Moore
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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The first American woman to walk in space recounts her experience as part of the team that launched, rescued, repaired, and maintained the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionized our understanding of the universe. It has, among many other achievements, revealed thousands of galaxies in what seemed to be empty patches of sky; transformed our knowledge of black holes; found dwarf planets with moons orbiting other stars; and measured precisely how fast the universe is expanding. In Handprints on Hubble, retired astronaut Kathryn Sullivan describes her work on the NASA team that made all of this possible. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space, recounts how she and other astronauts, engineers, and scientists launched, rescued, repaired, and maintained Hubble, the most productive observatory ever built. Along the way, Sullivan chronicles her early life as a "Sputnik Baby," her path to NASA through oceanography, and her initiation into the space program as one of "thirty-five new guys." (She was also one of the first six women to join NASA's storied astronaut corps.) She describes in vivid detail what liftoff feels like inside a spacecraft (it's like "being in an earthquake and a fighter jet at the same time"), shows us the view from a spacewalk, and recounts the temporary grounding of the shuttle program after the Challenger disaster. Sullivan explains that "maintainability" was designed into Hubble, and she describes the work of inventing the tools and processes that made on-orbit maintenance possible. Because in-flight repair and upgrade was part of the plan, NASA was able to fix a serious defect in Hubble's mirrors?leaving literal and metaphorical "handprints on Hubble."

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    November 5, 2019

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781980060802
      • File size: 221620 KB
      • Duration: 07:41:42

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In a clear voice, narrator Christina Moore presents the technical language that Kathryn Sullivan uses to explain her life's work as the first woman astronaut charged with maintaining the Hubble telescope in space. Sullivan's presentation is structured and orderly. Moore tackles the narrative with a tone of confidence and pleasure in her voice. Sullivan and her fellow astronauts invented and fabricated tools to help service the Hubble. As a result of their efforts, NASA was able to fix a significant defect in the Hubble's mirror system. The rich detail in this audiobook gives Moore an opportunity to display her performance skills. She engages listeners with Sullivan's journey and sparks an appreciation for the Hubble's place in our exploration of the universe. E.E.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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