Type: Softcover, 108pp, ISBN: 1-58007-104-X, by Dennis R. Jenkins & Jorge R. Frank

MSRP: $16.95 USD (~$19.26 CAN/€ 13.34 EUR) available from Specialty Press

Overall Rating: 10 - a treasure trove of visual reference

Whenever an aerospace program is grounded for a prolonged period, the first flight after the grounding is often called the Return-to-Flight. Thirty months after Challenger's loss, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Program's Return-to-Flight using Discovery.

This flight was the most photographed Space Shuttle flight ever, with numerous cameras on the ground, ships, and aircraft tracking the vehicle during ascent, and the crew of the International Space Station taking a series of detailed photographs as the Orbiter approached the ISS. In addition, the crew of Discovery used cameras in the cockpit and on a long, robotic arm to examine almost every inch of the Orbiter. The result was some stunning photography that shows the Space Shuttle in ways that have never before been seen.

What You Get

• Introduction
• RTF-1 ... STS-114 (overview of the mission)
• The Training
• Vehicle Processing
• Finally, Launch
• Approaching the ISS
• Rbar Pitch Maneuver
• Visiting the ISS
• Spacewalks
• Going Home
• ISS Flyaround
• The Alternatives
• Landing in California
• Back in Florida
• RTF-2 ... STS 121

Each stage of the mission starts with a brief explanation of what happened and is followed by a huge number of well-captioned photographs. Everything is covered; not only is this book a visual reference of extraordinary value on the Space Shuttle Discovery, but of the ISS, spacesuits, satellites, transport and launching systems, crew, 'weathering' in space ... you name it, there's a picture of it.

Conclusions

Return to Flight: Space Shuttle Discovery is well worth picking up simply for the in-depth look at a Shuttle mission. For scale modelers interested in space subjects (or sci-fi subjects that operate in space), it's a must-have addition to the reference library. I've read through the book three times now and I'm still finding neat stuff.

Very highly recommended!

Many thanks to the folks at Specialty Press for the review sample.