From the Author's Preface
Late into
the night of January 31, 2003, I was plugging through what I
hoped would be my final line-by-line edit. About 60% through
the draft, I happened to be fine-tuning a chapter detailing
the dire peril of the stranded astronaut crew if they tried
reentry with their shuttle—a shuttle that had suffered
left-side damage to a vital portion of its thermal
protection system.
The next morning some of my former students perished in the
sky less than 300 miles from my home. |
* * * *
"Bob Mahoney has vividly portrayed the
pressures, the dedication, and the fabled resourcefulness of the
Mission Control Center team. His book comes alive because of his
own personal experience and expertise to give us a 'Clancy-like'
thriller of a story."
Glynn S. Lunney, Former Apollo Flight Director
* * * *
A work of fiction initially conceived more than twenty years
ago, Damned to Heaven immerses the reader in a fast-paced
world of real-time shuttle and space station operations, weaving
an uncannily realistic storyline that taps the underlying
yearning for humankind's continued exploration of the solar
system.
Like many, William Francis Drake grew up on the exhilarating
promise of the early space program. Now a flight director in
Mission Control, he must admit that his space program has
fallen far short of that youthful promise. The bureaucracy of
the present has eroded his passion for the future. Yet a new
hope has been born—the President has formulated a grand but
controversial blueprint for solar system exploration and
exploitation.
This new program's first critical milestone, however, involves
unfinished business—completion of the ailing International Space
Station Alpha.
Into this technical and political maelstrom a crisis descends.
During one of the final ISS assembly missions, orbital debris
strikes space shuttle Discovery, compromising its cabin
and rendering a successful reentry dubious. Flight Director
Drake and his team must swiftly advise the seven-person crew to
either attempt reentry with their damaged thermal protection
system or dock the dying Discovery to Alpha
(already supporting a three-person crew) in the hope the ground
can launch a rescue before the Station's degraded systems reach
their limits.
Drake's struggle to retain his passion for spaceflight has
suddenly become a matter of life and death—and even through the
crisis, his battle with the bureaucracy rages on.
Contact Bob Mahoney
Here's Bob's email address so you can contact him personally:
Tether-Shadow@austin.rr.com
What Reader's Are Saying
"I recently finished Damned to Heaven and wanted to let
you know I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought you did a
particularly good job of portraying mission ops. I also don't
think your story is too far off on some of the political battles
associated with the space program. Thank you for an enjoyable
read, I look forward to your next novel." - Tim Jennings
"Just finished your book! Wow, I was exhausted! That would have
made a GREAT sim! I think you need to get someone to make this
into a movie. It's a cross between Apollo 13 and Indiana Jones!"
- Chuck Shaw
Excerpts from Damned To Heaven:
Preface
From Chapter 1 - The Near Future
From Chapter 15 - Soyuz Undocking
