This book was a fab celebration of 40 years of exploration into the stars via the amazing feats of engineering and science that are the Space Shuttles.

The layout of this book makes for very fun and easy reading, with the most beautiful photos, pictures and accompanying text.

From its origins, to the space race, engineering involved and history of this type of space flight, this short little informative book packs in plenty of information for the reader to learn about these revolutionary space missions. From the successes to the failures, this book was a great little guide to all things space shuttle and was a pleasant small read which could happily be read in one sitting (exactly what I did!).

This was an amazing book of the history of the NASA Space Shuttle. The pictures and anecdotes were beautiful. This would be good for any space enthusiast, probably middle school or older. I cannot say enough about the photographs!

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL coffee table book. The chapters consist of a easy to read history of the space shuttle program, and countless stunning photographs. While you CAN read it on a digital device, it has a MUCH bigger impact in print.

This book sums up the Space Shuttle program 30-year-long history in 4 chapters: Building the Bird (Origins of the Space Shuttle), Loss and Recovery (Learning from Lethal Mistakes), Inhabiting Orbit (Shuttles, Telescopes, and Stations) and Honor and Legacy (The Shuttle Story in Perspective). The book is relatively light on text, but still manages to deliver to-the-point overview of successes and failures of the program. Where it shines and why you should consider buying this book is the first rate quality photodocumentation from NASA's archives - stunning photographs taken both on land and in space convey the sense of wonder and accomplishment better than any text could. Highly recommended.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Like so many other kids, I dreamed of being an astronaut and swimming in the sea of space. I was captivated by the shuttle that carried brave men and women there. When a launch was planned, I was front and center in front of the TV or reading the print coverage, word for word. This book is a tribute to those with the same spirit of space adventures. Stunning historical photos bring poignant moments to life and remind us all of the journey of space exploration. Allow yourself to live vicariously through these images and keep dreaming of what is yet to come. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

This is an amazing and engaging book for enthusiasts and occasional dipping in to by anyone interested in the amazing history of the Space Shuttle. The beautiful images speak for themselves and it would be a more talented reviewer than this one to do them justice. The development of the Shuttle is well-documented as well as beautifully illustrated and demonstrates what a challenge it was to develop a fully reusable space transportation system - the difficulty demonstrated by the two fatal accidents involving Challenger and Columbia shuttle craft.

Space is exciting! Science is exciting! History is exciting! Combine all three, and enjoy this pictorial and well-researched account of how and why the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Space Shuttle came into being and its first 40 years of existence!