The Best-Selling Cosmonautics Books of All Time

Discover the cosmonautics best sellers recommended by leaders and readers worldwide

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Recommendations by Chris Addison, Neal Mann, Tim Peake, Lindsey Adler and 7 others

Red Star in Orbit

By James E Oberg

4.46 | 1981 | 272 Pages

CosmonauticsOuter Space

Provides a candid, behind-the-scenes look at the Russian space program since 1957, discussing the designers of the program, the cosmonauts, the successes, the failures, and more.

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Recommended by Bryan Suits (Not California Compliant)

Bryan Suits (Not California Compliant)Red Star In Orbit by James Oberg is still the Book Of Record on the machinations and mechanics of the Soviet program. Great read (source)

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Riding Rockets

The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut

By Mike Mullane – USAF Colonel and NASA Astronaut

4.66 | 2006 | 384 Pages

CosmonauticsAstronauticsConversationalHonest

A revealing memoir of the astronaut's career with the space shuttle program describes his childhood dreams after the launch of Sputnik, work as a Mission Specialist in the first group of shuttle astronauts, and hundreds of hours spent aboard the Discovery and Atlantis. 60,000 first printing.

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Recommended for:

Space enthusiasts and memoir readers. Ages 12 to Adults.

You will:

Learn about the realities of astronaut life and the challenges faced during missions.
Discover the inner workings of NASA and its management during the shuttle era.
Understand the emotional impact of the Challenger disaster on astronauts and their families.
Explore the cultural changes at NASA regarding gender roles in the 1970s and 1980s.
Gain insight into the rigorous training and preparation required for space missions.

Reviews:

Insightful

Candid

Humorous

Engaging

Well-Written

Repetitive

Too Simplistic

New York Times Bestseller
Rated Amazon Best Book of the Year

Recommended by Tim Peake

Tim PeakeNASA esa Great book :) Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane is another fave of mine (source)

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⭐

Cosmonautics - Your Custom-Tailored Book

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By TailoredRead – AI that creates personalized books for you

4.98 | 2025 | 30-300 pages

Product MarketingPersonalizedMade-for-youTime Saving

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Recommended for:

All readers across all knowledge levels.

You will: