Before Lift-Off: The Making of a Space Shuttle Crew

Before Lift-Off is a wonderfully detailed look at the entire process that a Space Shuttle crew goes through in preparing for a mission, from selection, through all their training, and on to the flight itself. You get a chance to see what goes on behind the scenes, and you get a glimpse of just how much work goes into it, not just from the astronauts, but from the thousands of people in the background. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to work in the space industry, or just dreams of being an astronaut.I read this book for the first time in probably 1988 for a junior high assignment, and it was an epiphany. I knew what I wanted to do with my life - train astronauts. And lo and behold, from 1996 through 2000, I did, and it was as amazing (and as much hard work) as the book described.

This book allows the reader to trail along the astronauts & their instructors during training, and it also lets the reader get to know the people involved. It's a wonderful adventure with the crew of 41G!