Spacefaring by Albert Harrison, University of California Press, £18.50, ISBN 0520224531
I LIKE to think I know a reasonable amount about the physics, maths and mechanics of space flight. What I know considerably less about is the psychological side of space, which is why I found Albert Harrison’s Spacefaring fascinating.
In the pioneering years of space, a test-pilot background was almost essential. Nowadays, a science background is more likely to get you onto a shuttle flight or to the International Space Station. Increasingly, experimenters will have a say in who takes responsibility for complex payloads, particularly servicing telescopes in orbit,…
