{"product_id":"star-sailor-my-life-as-a-nasa-astronaut-isbn-9781536244496","title":"Star Sailor: My Life as a NASA Astronaut","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"An important and inspiring astronaut memoir.\" —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSail the stars with astronaut Charlie Bolden as he recounts his amazing shuttle missions, including deploying the Hubble Space Telescope, training with Sally Ride, and leading the first US space mission that included a Russian cosmonaut as a crew member. Charlie even got to congratulate Star Wars creator George Lucas at the Academy Awards—from space! Follow Charlie’s incredible story, from watching movies as a kid about Flash Gordon flying to Mars—from the balcony where Black people had to sit—all the way to becoming the first Black NASA Administrator. From the thrill of watching lightning storms from the mesosphere to the heartbreak of the \u003ci\u003eChallenger \u003c\/i\u003edisaster, Charles’s life as a star sailor is full of adventure and discovery, told in his own words along with award-winning author Tonya Bolden. In-depth looks at how astronauts train, work, and live are complemented by diagrams, highlighted vocabulary, scientific sidebars, and incredible personal photographs. Back matter includes an author’s note and timeline.This book tells the story of major events in human spaceflight and critical themes in American history with suspense and humor from a firsthand perspective that no one else on Earth can provide.\u003cbr\u003e—Mike French, vice president for space systems at the Aerospace Industries Association\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStar sailing with four-time space shuttle astronaut Major General Charles Bolden is an unforgettable ride. In his new book, \u003ci\u003eStar Sailor\u003c\/i\u003e, Bolden puts you in the copilot seat, sharing the rigors, twists, and harrowing thrills of space travel. You will learn what it was like to deploy the Hubble Space Telescope, pilot a space shuttle, and gaze down at planet Earth far below, as only he can tell it. Sailing in Bolden’s starship makes you feel like you could touch the stars.\u003cbr\u003e—Carol L. Folt, president of the University of Southern California\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn inspirational story about a true American hero, \u003ci\u003eStar Sailor\u003c\/i\u003e will take readers, both young and old, on an unforgettable cosmic voyage. Charlie Bolden’s masterful storytelling intertwines adventure and self-discovery and will inspire readers to reach for the stars and beyond.\u003cbr\u003e—Chris Lu, former White House Cabinet Secretary\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn important and inspiring astronaut memoir.\u003cbr\u003e—Kirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBolden’s lively narrative is as engaging as the well-captioned color photos that appear throughout the book. A detailed yet very readable introduction to the astronaut program at NASA from a well-informed source.\u003cbr\u003e—Booklist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVery informative and has some great photos and graphics. . . engaging.\u003cbr\u003e—School Library Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn accessible, conversational text.\u003cbr\u003e—The Horn Book\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTake a ride with the second Black NASA astronaut in his exciting memoir about his space shuttle experiences and later stint as NASA administrator (that’s like CEO.) . . . Space enthusiasts will be well-satisfied by the breadth and depth of this uplifting life story.\u003cbr\u003e—San Francisco Chronicle\u003cb\u003eCharles F. Bolden Jr.\u003c\/b\u003e became the first Black NASA Administrator in 2009. He logged more than six hundred hours in space over the course of four shuttle missions. During Bolden’s eight-year tenure as NASA Administrator, the agency developed a spacecraft to carry astronauts to asteroids and Mars, landed the \u003ci\u003eCuriosity\u003c\/i\u003e rover on Mars, and launched spacecraft to Jupiter. Charles F. Bolden Jr. lives outside Washington, DC.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTonya Bolden\u003c\/b\u003e has authored, coauthored, or edited more than forty books, including \u003ci\u003eDark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow\u003c\/i\u003e with Henry Louis Gates Jr., \u003ci\u003eNo Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas\u003c\/i\u003e, illustrated by Don Tate; and \u003ci\u003eFacing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e a Monumental American Man\u003c\/i\u003e. She is the recipient of a Coretta Scott King Author Honor, an Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, and the Virginia Library Association Jefferson Cup Award, and several of her books have been named\u003ci\u003e School Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e Best Books of the Year. She lives in New York City.\u003cb\u003eChapter 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDelight at Dawn\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe were about fifteen minutes into our launch when I glimpsed what I thought was a giant island.\u003cbr\u003eThen I realized that it wasn’t an island but our world’s second-largest continent, Africa.\u003cbr\u003eTraveling around our planet at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour, we saw a cyclone swirling over the Indian Ocean.\u003cbr\u003eWhile orbiting Earth every ninety minutes, we lived through \u003ci\u003esixteen \u003c\/i\u003esunrises and sixteen sunsets every twenty-four hours. Night and day switched back and forth on the surface of Earth every forty-five minutes.\u003cbr\u003eDuring our six-day mission, I was constantly in awe of the magnificence of our home planet. That was me, Charlie B., in January 1986, aboard a space shuttle with the same name as the South Carolina city where I was born and raised.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eColumbia.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd I was its pilot!\u003cbr\u003eGetting up, up, and away into space had been a bit of a nightmare.\u003cbr\u003eDelay after delay.\u003cbr\u003eCountdown after countdown.\u003cbr\u003eOn the day we were first scheduled to launch, December 18, 1985, the crew never even boarded \u003ci\u003eColumbia\u003c\/i\u003e. We were more than ready—mentally, physically, emotionally—for flight, but the technicians had problems getting all their tools and equipment out of a compartment at the tail end of the shuttle. By the time they did, it was too late to launch.\u003cbr\u003eOn the next attempt, after we were all strapped in, there was a weird reading from the hydraulic system of our right-hand solid rocket booster. That time the countdown stopped at T-minus fourteen seconds.\u003cbr\u003eBut it turned out to be a false alarm. The technicians later discovered that a bit of debris on a computer card had caused the strange reading. Had we launched, we would’ve been A-OK—but that’s not a chance you take when you’re about to ride a rocket.\u003cbr\u003eOn another day, the launch was scrubbed because a main engine valve wouldn’t close. Had we launched that time, things would \u003ci\u003enot \u003c\/i\u003ehave been A-OK. If the valve hadn’t closed properly, it could have caused the engine to explode—destroying the vehicle and killing us!\u003cbr\u003eDelay after delay, seven in all, including one caused by a fierce thunderstorm.\u003cbr\u003eBut then . . .\u003cbr\u003eOn January 12, 1986, at NASA’s main East Coast launch site, the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 6:55 a.m. Eastern Standard Time . . .\u003cbr\u003eLiftoff!\u003cbr\u003eA reporter called it “a delight at dawn.”\u003cbr\u003eThis was \u003ci\u003eColumbia’s \u003c\/i\u003eseventh flight.\u003cbr\u003eBut it was my very first time star sailing!\u003cbr\u003eWhat a ride!","brand":"Candlewick","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233576988901,"sku":"NP9781536244496","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781536244496.jpg?v=1767737180","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/star-sailor-my-life-as-a-nasa-astronaut-isbn-9781536244496","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}