Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age

Full disclosure, I've been a passionate space nerd since childhood. I've gone to Edwards for Space Shuttle landings and Cape Canaveral for Shuttle launches. Until recently I watched every single SpaceX launch via YouTube, since the early Falcon 1 days. For me, Eric Berger's "Reentry" was both a chance to relive those amazing years where SpaceX exceeded every possible expectation, but also to get insight into the passionate and inspirational people that made it all happen. My job involves writing software for complex devices so I have a little insight into the true challenges faced by the engineers at SpaceX."Reentry" was a true page turner. I burned through it like a Raptor burns through propellant.Berger has done a great job of capturing the true emotions of the triumphs and disappointments, the dedication and disillusionment. There are so many examples where his writing elicits strong emotions. It is why this book demands attention and keeps the reader anxious for the next page. This is perhaps best illustrated by the Dragon Crew One mission with Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. These NASA astronauts are amazing people in their own right, but we also learn about the SpaceX and NASA people that accomplished something never done before -- a private company creating the large and complex infrastructure to launch astronauts to the space station and get them safely back home again. Each moment in that first Crew Dragon flight had drama and intensity.I'll add one more comment. Other Amazon reviewers are upset about the Epilogue because Berger expresses concern about Elon Musk's recent behavior. I take issue with reviewers who claim this to be liberal bias. There is no evidence for bias here. The truth is that Berger has shown himself to be an outstanding observer of events, with a talent for reporting the facts clearly and without undue bias. When he offers an opinion as he did in the Epilogue, he calls it out as opinion. It's my view that his bias is nothing more than a personal desire to see SpaceX continue to succeed. I found the comparison of Musk to Howard Hughes to be insightful. Many of you will disagree and that's fine with me. In my experience it is totally normal for people to have different views of the world, no agenda or bias required.

I want to continue talking about space travel. I have a great book recommendation for you this morning. First, I want to introduce the author to you. Like me, in his childhood, Eric Berger was fascinated with space travel. He decided to become an astronomer. He went to the University of Texas. He earned a B.S. degree in astronomy. His next steps would have been an M.S. and a Ph. D in astronomy. He decided to take a radically different course in life. He chose a career in writing. He decided to attend the prestigious University of Missouri School of Journalism. He earned an M.A. degree. For the past 17 years, he has been the science writer for The Houston Chronicle.I first got to know Eric through his first book "Liftoff." It was the history of how Space X went from a startup to the success of the Falcon 1 rocket. I found Eric to be a great storyteller. When you pick up a book he has written, you will be entertained and enlightened. With his background in science, he was able to take very complicated technical matters and explain them in such a way that non-technical people could understand them. He also has this marvelous talent to get people to completely relax and "tell all" during the interview process.Eric has written a new book that I just finished reading. Its title is "Reentry." Here is a summary of the book:Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age Hardcover – September 24, 2024by Eric Berger (Author)4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 125 ratings4.7 on Goodreads129 ratings#1 Best Seller in Astronautics & Space FlightSee all formats and editions________________________________________USA Today BestsellerHow did a shaky startup defy expectations and become the world’s leading spaceflight company? Get the untold story of the team of game-changers, led by a well-known billionaire, who are sending NASA astronauts to space—and just might carry the human race to Mars.One company dominates the modern space industry: SpaceX, founded by controversial entrepreneur Elon Musk in 2002, now sending more payloads into orbit than the rest of the world combined. But Musk didn’t do it alone—the saga of SpaceX is the story of a diverse cadre of true believers in the limitless potential of space travel.For the first time, Reentry relates the definitive chronicle of how this daring team was able to redefine what it takes to reach the stars.With Pulitzer Prize–nominated journalist Eric Berger, author of Liftoff, as your guide, you’ll accompany SpaceX’s innovative thinkers during their toughest trials and most audacious moments, including:• Creating the first orbital rockets that land by themselves and fly again• Transporting a 120-foot rocket from Texas to Florida• Recovering from a “Hell’s Bells” accident before the first Falcon Heavy launch• Frantically searching the ocean for the first rocket that splashed down intact• Identifying the $20 part that led to a rocket exploding in flight• Slicing up an engine days before it launched into spaceFrom launchpad explosions to a pernicious cricket infestation to the demanding management style of Musk himself, the rise of SpaceX was beset with challenges and far from inevitable. Find out how the startup beat the odds and flew high enough to outpace their rivals . . . and where they’re going next.This book is the fascinating history of how the Falcon 9 rocket went from being an idea in Elon Musk's head to one of the most incredible launch vehicles on planet Earth. It is the first major booster system to be reusable. NASA, Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, and the China National Space Agency (CNSA) have not been able to equal yet.This book is a page-turner that you will not be able to put down.

A thorough and candid look at SpaceX during their years developing the Falcon 9. Sometimes brutally honest about Musk and the working environment at the company, but that's the point.Just as he does in his writing on Ars Technica, Eric Berger writes in a compelling and interesting manner. Many others, I suspect, could leave this material dry and not terribly interesting, but he writes an exciting story without embelleshment or hype.Would strongly recommend for anyone interested in the modern space program.