Specialty Press

Return to Flight - Space Shuttle Discovery Photo Scrapbook

by  Dennis R. Jenkins and Jorge R. Frank

Reviewed By  Bart Cusumano, IPMS# 31882

MSRP: $16.95 ISBN: 1-58007-104-X Format: Perfect-bound, Soft cover; 9" x 9"; 108 pages with 382 color photos. Published by and available from Specialty Press (www.specialtypress.com) as item# SP104. I just love the subject of 'real space' models even though the last time I built a such a kit was probably over twenty years ago. Sure, the urge tugs at me with every new project search, but somehow I end up building another tank or plane. I was just given the opportunity to review one of Specialty Press's latest offerings: Return to Flight - Space Shuttle Discovery Photo Scrapbook, and boy, have my real space wheels been spinning! The introduction to this book concludes by saying, "The goal (of this book) was to present an interesting visual record of the (STS-114) mission. We hope you enjoy it." After having read the book, I have to say that Specialty Press surpassed their stated goal. The book is 108 pages chocked full of crisp, clear, high-quality photo images and a few illustrations (printed on good gloss paper stock) that give a step-by-step account of the return -to-flight mission (STS-114 - Discovery) that got the space shuttle program flying again after the Columbia tragedy. The book is arranged chapter-wise in chronological order of not only the flight itself, but events leading up to and following the mission. The chapters break down as follows: Introduction RTF-1. . .STS-114 The Training Vehicle Processing Finally, Launch Approaching the ISS Rbar Pitch Maneuver Visiting the ISS Spacewalks Going Home ISS Flyaround The Alternatives Landing in California Back in Florida RTF-2 . . . STS-121 The many photos make this a good reference volume for space shuttle Discovery modeling projects. I hasten to point out that I said "Discovery modeling projects" since although the orbiters all do look similar, there are differences, however minor they may appear to be. And as the name implies, this is a scrapbook - it is about the photos. Text is mainly in the form of informative photo captions, with small introductions at the beginning of each chapter. What little text there is is quite informative, providing many technical tidbits, like equipment dimensions, how the SRB's are assembled and how they work, a rundown of gap filler problems and translations of many of the acronyms used by NASA (like SRB = solid rocket boosters). While there are many photos of Discovery in orbit, there are also many photos that show everything from interior details of the orbiter and its main fuel tank, to good detail shots of the many vehicle components, like Discovery's main engines. The photos also give a good indication of the weathering that the actual vehicle is subjected to over the course of a mission. There is also a good selection of photos of the space shuttle flight-prep, launch and recovery facilities, as well as the International Space Station (ISS) and some Russian space hardware in the form of Soyuz and Progress spacecraft. There are also some nice shots of the Discovery mission specialists on EVA in their Extravehicular Mobility Units. Of course, the crew of STS-114 is well represented in the photos, but little is given text-wise as to who they are on a professional or personal side. My only snipe at this book has to do with the ending. The final chapter is titled: RTF-2 . . . STS-121. According to the text, STS-121 and its crew is to be the next mission after STS-114. But last I checked, STS-115 is launching tomorrow morning (September 8, 2006). Maybe I'm just dense and misunderstood the text (I read and reread it), but it seems off. Of course, with all of NASA's scheduling and launch snafu's, this could just be a post-publish change that the book was not able to account for. Regardless, it does not really detract from the true value of this photo scrapbook. For an MSRP of $16.95, this book is definitely worth every penny and I highly recommend it. Many thanks to Specialty Press for providing the review copy and to IPMS and John Noack for allowing me to do this review.

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