The Right Stuff
by Tom Wolfe · first published 1973
52% recommend48% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Vivid, delightful prose on early NASA and the test-pilot culture behind the Mercury astronauts, including the psychology of fear, fame, and status. Suits readers curious about the era or what pilots are like.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Mentions per year
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You've got to read The Right Stuff[1], it's fantastic. Tom Wolfe paints the ethos of the era perfectly, and if you have any interest in this period, early NASA, or the guys themselves it's a must-read. I'd also recommend Chuck Yeager's…
on “John Glenn has died” ↗If you like reading about this, I recommend "The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe. He also explores the interesting dynamics of how the astronauts using "simple" rockets became more famous than pilots who achieved stick-based flight to near-space levels.
on “A tale of the supreme competence of Neil Armstrong” ↗If you're interested in the extraordinary characteristics that are needed to be a test pilot or an astronaut or the early history of the space program, check out Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" ( http://www.amazon.com/Right-Stuff-Tom-Wolfe-ebook/dp/B00139X... ) It also puts the Virgin and other private space travel experiments into context. This stuff is really hard and dangerous. It takes…
on “Virgin Galactic pilot defied the odds to survive crash” ↗I can heartily recommend 'The Right Stuff' by Tom Wolfe, where he gives a great description of how challenging it is for new pilots to learn this skill.
on “US Navy remotely lands F/A-18 Super Hornet on carrier deck” ↗"The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe has quite a bit on this topic. The answer seems to be habitualizing or "adapting out" fear. According to the book, when John Glenn was launched into space for the first time, the situation…
on “Neil Armstrong, Neal Stephenson, Neil Gaiman” ↗This book might be worth checking out http://www.amazon.com/The-Right-Stuff-Tom-Wolfe/dp/031242756...
on “Managing your emotional state is fundamental to great design” ↗Reminds me of the book The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe. He describes the start of the US space program, being a test pilot, public reaction to being a astronaut... Astronauts were treated like gods back then, or as Wolfe called them "single combat…
on “An Astronaut’s Guide to Mental Models” ↗The Right Stuff - Test Pilots Arrowsmith - Sinclair Lewis - Medical Profession McTeague - Frank Norris - Dentistry Two Years Behind the Mast - Dana - Sailor in thr Merchant Marine The Red and the Black - Stendahl…
on “Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions” ↗Well, yes, we certainly can as is shown by the coverage of SpaceX launches. I guess NASA is just not as focused on publicity as commercial launch operators are. They should have read The Right Stuff and learned the mantra No bucks, no Buck Rogers. Next time, better I hope.
on “Artemis II lifts off: four astronauts begin 10-day lunar mission” ↗Highly recommend The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe about the Gemini astronauts. They mostly were test pilots prior.
on “Artemis II safely splashes down” ↗It is often said that many pilots emulate Chuck Yeager's voice.[1] Yeager was a US test pilot and jet flying ace. Tom Wolfe has a great novel about Yeager and other test pilots called "The Right Stuff." [1] https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/silky-smooth-chuck-ye... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np272lmVRkU
on “Airbus pilot tries Microsoft Flight Simulator [video]” ↗Read "The Right Stuff" for the first time recently. I didn't find myself particularly invested in the Mercury astronauts' story, but Wolfe's utterly delightful prose made it hard to pull away. Loved the mantra-like phrases…
on “Tom Wolfe Has Died” ↗…Chaikin's 'Man on the Moon' which details all of the Apollo missions from interviews with the astronauts not too long after, as well as some of the pre-Apollo stuff (Gemini and Mercury). Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff is also great to understand the test pilots from which most of the astronauts were picked.
on “Apollo 10 Stopped Just 47k Feet from the Moon” ↗If you're interested in the dead end of space planes, Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" covers how the program lost out to the Mercury system.
on “The legacy of the North American X-15” ↗> I'm curious how that changes from the first book to the twenty-first? For your answer, compare "The Right Stuff" (1979) to "I am Charlotte Simmons" (2004), both by Tom Wolfe. The second book, apart from being unreadable, seems not to have been written by the same person.
on “How to Self-Publish a Novel in 2017” ↗