Partnership in space : the mid to late nineties /

This is the fifth volume in the "History of Human Space Exploration" miniseries written by space writer/historian Evans. The first volume started with the 1950s: Escaping the Bonds of Earth (CH, Jan'10, 47-2537). One more volume is planned that will complete this historical series. At nearly 500 pages, the book makes for tedious reading, with no detail spared and no person, no matter how minor a role played, unmentioned. It begins with a review of the shuttle and even the X-15. Every hydrogen leak and its consequences are described. The book jumps around in time--sometimes a couple of years, sometimes five or so years, and sometimes a decade or two. Chapter 1 describes STS-40, the first medical research flight that took place in 1991 (p. 110), while chapter 2, "The Last Soviet Citizen" deals with Soyuz, Mir, and Kvant (p. 151). By page 395, the book is up to 1994. The description of launches, missions, experiments, and operations is comprehensive, and the biographical information presented on astronauts and their accomplishments as well as their personal lives is well done. This book will primarily benefit those interested in the nitty-gritty details of humans in space history. Summing Up: Recommended. Comprehensive space history collections, graduate students and above. A. M. Strauss Vanderbilt University