NASA's space shuttle was the world's first reusable spacecraft, accomplishing many firsts and inspiring generations across its 30-year lifespan as America's iconic spaceship. In , shuttle astronaut Tom Jones interviewed more than 130 fellow astronauts for personal vignettes from each mission, complemented by their written accounts for all 135 space shuttle missions, from 's maiden flight in 1981 to the final launch of in 2011. The book is a major contribution to the historical record of a momentous era of spaceflight. Each mission profile includes: The Space Shuttle program’s 6 orbiter vehicles ( , , and carried a total of 355 astronauts into orbit on 135 missions aimed at cutting-edge scientific research, satellite launch, retrieval and repair, collaborative work with the Russian station, the launching and servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope, and the construction of the International Space Station. focuses on the lived, human experiences of larger-than-life space missions. It's a definitive oral history that captures the importance, wonder, and exhilaration of the Space Shuttle era.