Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The never-before-told story of NASA's barrier-breaking Astronaut Class of 1978, which for the first time ever, included women, Blacks, and people of color--with exclusive cooperation of five astronauts. They rode NASA's cutting-edge shuttle, through its triumphs and tragedies (Challenger, Columbia), never losing sight of their conviction--space is for everyone.
In 1978, NASA changed the rules and hired its first class of civilian astronauts for its new Space Shuttle program. For the first time ever, the astronaut ranks were open to candidates beyond white male fighter pilots. In that historic class were the first American woman, the first African American, the first Jewish person, the first Asian, the first gay person, and the first mother.
The New Guys, the nickname their military predecessors gave them, tells their stories, for the first time ever, with exclusive access to three of the first American women in space, Kathy Sullivan, Anna Fisher, and Rhea Seddon, as well as the first African Americans, Guy Bluford and Fred Gregory.
Running in parallel to their story is the extraordinary four-decade-long history of the Shuttle itself. Conceived in the 1960s, the Space Shuttle was an ambitious new vehicle that would launch like a rocket, haul like a truck, and land like a plane. It would be NASA's most ambitious technical achievement. The New Guys pioneered the Shuttle program, which defined a generation of space travel, and helped build a dream of a new American century in space that brings all of the human race along.
Synopsis
The never-before-told story of the barrier-breaking NASA class of 1978, which for the first time consisted of a diverse crew of women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and more, and their triumphs and tragedies working on the newly launched space shuttle program, with the exclusive cooperation of five astronauts.
This account of "The F*cking New Guys," as their military predecessors nicknamed them, is an intimate, humorous, emotional look at these extraordinary explorers who broke barriers and blasted through glass ceilings. Egos clashed, ambitions flared, and romances bloomed as the New Guys competed with one another and navigated the cutthroat internal politics at NASA for a chance to rocket to the stars.
Marking a departure from the iconic military test plots who had dominated the space program since its inception, the New Guys arrived at the dawn of a new era of space flight, as teardrop-shaped space capsules from Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo gave way to the space shuttle, a revolutionary space plane capable of launching like a rocket, hauling crews and cargo like a truck, and landing back on Earth like an airliner. They mastered this new machine from its dangerous first test flights to its greatest achievements: launching hundreds of satellites, building the International Space Station, and deploying the Hubble Space Telescope.
The New Guys depicts these charismatic young astronauts and the exuberant social and scientific progress of the space shuttle program against the efforts of NASA officials who struggled to meet America's military demands and commercial aspirations. When NASA was pressured to fly more often and at greater risk, lives were lost in the program's two biggest disasters: Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003).
Caught in the crosshairs of this battle are the shuttle astronauts who gave their lives in those disasters, and who gave their lives' work pursuing a more equitable future in space for all humankind. Through it all they became friends, rivals, lovers, and ultimately, family.
The New Guys is The Right Stuff for a new generation.
Synopsis
The never-before-told story of NASA's 1978 astronaut class, which included the first American women, the first African Americans, the first Asian American, and the first gay person to fly to space. With the exclusive participation of the astronauts who were there, this is the thrilling, behind-the-scenes saga of a new generation that transformed space exploration
The story of NASA's Astronaut Class 8, or "The F*cking New Guys," as their military predecessors nicknamed them, is an unprecedented look at these extraordinary explorers who broke barriers and blasted through glass ceilings. Egos clashed, ambitions flared, and romances bloomed as the New Guys competed with one another and navigated the cutthroat internal politics at NASA for a chance to rocket to the stars.
Marking a departure from the iconic military test pilots who had dominated the space program since its inception, the New Guys arrived at the dawn of a new era of space flight. Teardrop-shaped space capsules from Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo gave way to the space shuttle, a revolutionary space plane capable of launching like a rocket, hauling cargo like a truck, and landing back on Earth like an airliner. They mastered this new machine from its dangerous first test flights to its greatest achievements: launching hundreds of satellites, building the International Space Station, and deploying the Hubble Space Telescope.
The New Guys depicts these charismatic young astronauts and the exuberant social and scientific progress of the space shuttle program against the efforts of NASA officials who struggled to meet America's military demands and commercial aspirations. When NASA was pressured to fly more often and at greater risk, lives were lost in the program's two biggest disasters: Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003).
Caught in the crosshairs of this battle are the shuttle astronauts who gave their lives in those catastrophes, and who gave their lives' work pursuing a more equitable future in space for all humankind. Through it all they became friends, rivals, lovers, and ultimately, family.