Site Created : October 1, 2017
Last Update: November 6, 2023
Downey Industrial Site
Clic Meme
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33*55'26.0" N 118*07'55.9" W
Question for This Month!
Image of the Month
Henry J. Dinenno Jr.
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1939 -2013
The Last Frontier
WebMaster
G.A. Blackburn
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TIC BOOK CLUB
The Technical Information Center TIC was our on site library. Run by Nan Pak it was a great repoisitory of information. Here we will list and review some of the best books on our history and Industry.
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The decades-long love story of a NASA commander and the leader of the Astronaut Wives Club
Far Side of the Moon is the untold, fully authorized story of the lives of Frank and Susan Borman. One was a famous astronaut—an instrumental part of the Apollo space program—but the other was just as much a warrior. This real-life love story is far from a fairy tale.
Life as a military wife was beyond demanding, but Susan always rose to the occasion. When Frank joined NASA and was selected to command the first mission to orbit the moon, that meant putting on a brave face for the world as her husband risked his life for the space race. The pressure and anxiety were overwhelming, and eventually Susan's well-hidden depression and alcoholism finally came to light. Frank had to come to terms with how his "mission above all else" mentality contributed to his wife's suffering. As Susan healed, she was able to begin helping others who suffered in silence from mental illness and addiction.
Discover how Frank and Susan's love and commitment to each other is still overcoming life's challenges, even beyond their years as an Apollo commander and the founder of the Astronaut Wives Club.
A great read! Enjoyed this well written story that peeks behind the curtain of fame. JB
“Few people know the real story behind the building of Apollo, but Mike Gray has managed to capture the drama and excitement of those urgent times. This is a fascinating book full of lessons about what America can achieve with vision and teamwork.” ―Buzz Aldrin
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Centuries from now, when the Cold War is as remote as the War of Roses and the passions of our time have faded into footnotes, humanity will still remember July 16, 1969, the day the first human beings departed from earth bound for a landing on the moon. Angle of Attack turned out to be a story of ordinary people organized for an extraordinary purpose. It is an anthem to human cleverness, and it is a vivid reminder of what we are capable of when we choose to follow leaders with courage and vision.
A classic about Apollo and the Downey site and Stormy. Mike did a great job here. JB
Travel to space and back with astronaut Chris Hadfield's "enthralling" bestseller as your eye-opening guide (Slate).
Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4000 hours in space. During this time he has broken into a Space Station with a Swiss army knife, disposed of a live snake while piloting a plane, and been temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft. The secret to Col. Hadfield's success-and survival-is an unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst- and enjoy every moment of it.
In An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, Col. Hadfield takes readers deep into his years of training and space exploration to show how to make the impossible possible. Through eye-opening, entertaining stories filled with the adrenaline of launch, the mesmerizing wonder of spacewalks, and the measured, calm responses mandated by crises, he explains how conventional wisdom can get in the way of achievement — and happiness. His own extraordinary education in space has taught him some counterintuitive lessons: don't visualize success, do care what others think, and always sweat the small stuff.
You might never be able to build a robot, pilot a spacecraft, make a music video or perform basic surgery in zero gravity like Col. Hadfield. But his vivid and refreshing insights will teach you how to think like an astronaut, and will change, completely, the way you view life on Earth — especially your own.
"Hadfield proves himself to be not only a fierce explorer of the universe, but also a deeply thoughtful explorer of the human condition." —Maria Popova, Brain Pickings
Using interviews, NASA oral histories, and recently declassified material, Into the Black pieces together the dramatic untold story of the Columbia mission and the brave people who dedicated themselves to help the United States succeed in the age of space exploration. On April 12, 1981, NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral. It was the most advanced, state-of-the-art flying machine ever built, challenging the minds and imagination of America’s top engineers and pilots. Columbia was the world’s first real spaceship: a winged rocket plane, the size of an airliner, and capable of flying to space and back before preparing to fly again.