Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

A somewhat controversial practice of the now-retired space-shuttle program was to welcome non-NASA passengers. Called payload specialists, the 22 civilians who orbited Earth until 1986, when the policy was suspended by the Challenger disaster, are the primary focus of authors Croft and Youskauskas. Providing biographical background of each, they note his or her reception by professional astronauts and explain their responsibilities, which were tied to the reason for their presence: to gain financial support for the space shuttle. Thus NASA invited the U.S. Air Force, aerospace companies, science organizations, the European Space Agency, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico to provide personnel. To help shore up political and public support, other specialists included two U.S. senators, a U.S. representative, and two school teachers. After considering many aspects of the missions, Croft and Youskauskas conclude that the payload-specialist role was a success. This provides an interesting perspective and stands as a welcome addition to space-shuttle history.--Gilbert Taylor Copyright 2019 Booklist