Space Oddities - by Joe Cuhaj (Paperback)

About the Book

Filled with rare and little-known stories, Space Oddities will bring the final frontier to the homes of diehard space readers and armchair astronauts alike.

Book Synopsis

Nothing captivates the human imagination like the vast unknowns of space. Ancient petroglyphs present renderings of the heavens, proof that we have been gazing up at the stars with wonder for thousands of years. Since then, mankind has systematically expanded our cosmic possibilities. What were once flights of fancy and dreams of science fiction writers have become nearly routine - a continuous human presence orbiting the Earth, probes flying beyond our solar system, and men walking on the moon. NASA and the Russian space program make traveling to the stars look easy, but it has been far from that. Space travel is a sometimes heroic, sometimes humorous, and always dangerous journey fraught with perils around every corner that most of us have never heard of or have long since forgotten.

Space Oddities brings these unknown, offbeat, and obscure stories of space to life. From the showmanship and bravado of the earliest known space fatality, German Max Valier, to the first ever indictment under the Espionage Act on an Army officer who leaked secrets concerning the development of early U.S. rockets; and the story of a single loose bolt that defeated the Soviet Union's attempt to beat America to the moon.

Author Joe Cuhaj also sheds light on the human aspects of space travel that have remained industry secrets - until now: how the tradition of using a musical playlist to wake astronauts up began, fascinating tales about inventions like the Fischer Space Pen, Omega watches, and even Tang breakfast drink.

In addition to fun and entertaining space trivia, Space Oddities also features stories of the profound impact that space travel has had on challenges right here at home, like the effort by civil rights leaders and activists in the 1960s to bring the money from the space program back home to those in need on Earth; NASA's FLATs (First Lady Astronaut Training) program and the 13 women who were selected to become astronauts in 1960, but were denied a chance at flying even after successfully completing the rigorous astronaut training program; and, the animals who many times sacrificed their lives to prove that man could fly in space.

Filled with rare and little-known stories, Space Oddities will bring the final frontier to the homes of diehard space readers and armchair astronauts alike.

Review Quotes

NetGalley Review: 4 stars

Last updated on 24 Jun 2022

"Space Oddities by [Joe] Cuhaj is comprised of a collection of stories about human's exploits in (and trying to get to) space. I enjoyed reading this book, and I think Cuhaj really strived to humanize the people we grew up hearing about with tales of their practical jokes, musical wake up calls, and lucky peanuts.

Not every story is a happy one, but I think that just makes it all the more important to memorialize the people and animals that sacrificed in the pursuit of knowledge. All in all, I'd recommend this to anyone with an interest in space, as it's a quick and pleasant read."--Elizabeth McLaughlin, librarian at Lee County Library System

NetGalley Review: 5 stars

Last updated on 08 Feb 2022

"I enjoyed this book. I found it well-written with great stories. There was some humor and I loved the author's tone. There are politics, history and some science in the book. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone interested in space. Thank you to Netgalley and Rowman & Littlefield, Prometheus for the advance reader copy."--Stephen Goldberg, freelance writer

For anyone who enjoys books about space or is interested in space exploration and its history, this is a good collection of stories to read.

NetGalley review: 5 stars

Last updated on 07 Feb 2022

"Space Oddities was a fun book to read. Even if you're familiar with the stories, the author manages to highlight an obscure fact, use a great quote, or offer a new perspective. He ties it all together by strking just the right tone and providing a great deal of information for a very readable narrative.

The book follows a fairly linear timeline, beginning with the first Chinese fire arrow before introducing the reader to 20th century (manned) rocket development with the work of Max Valier and subsequently Wernher von Braun. Many, if not all, stories include an international perspective, not limited to the US alone.

Serious topics include the use of animals in launch tests, malfunctions, the integration of women and minorities, and international politics; however, these are appropriately balanced with humorous tales of wake up music, practical jokes, and sex in space.

This is not a technical history and Cuhaj does a fine job bringing out the human element. I appreciated that the author deliberately pointed out that the impressive Women in Space program (nicknamed Mercury 13) was a privately funded venture and not a government/NASA sanctioned project. Animal lovers may find it difficult to read about the sad, though necessary, use of animals.

Overall, there is something for everyone who thinks they "know it all" about the space race. I highly recommend this book."--Shelly Kelly, reviewer at Of Sound Mind and Spirit

NetGalley Review: 4 stars

Last updated 04 Feb 2022

"Space Oddities by Joe Cuhaj was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. Since my days as a wee lad I have been interested in space, "the final frontier." This book shares many different true stories about the space program, most are known, some maybe not, such as the earliest known person to die due to the space program. Depending on your age, you may remember the space race between the US and the USSR, this book expounds on that with a military man leaking secrets to the Soviets regarding US rockets and how the USSR failed to beat the US to the moon. The author also tells of musical playlists, Space pens (as seen on TV) and Tang (again, as seen on TV). If you or someone you buy gifts for is interested in the mostly defunct Space Program, give this book a read."--Jeffrey Wells, consumer reviewer

About the Author

Joe Cuhaj grew up in New Jersey as a space fanatic. He would skip school to watch every launch and recovery from the late Mercury missions to the final Skylab mission all while building and flying model rockets. Cuhaj is a Navy veteran and former radio broadcaster turned author and freelance writer. He began his radio career just outside of New York City but moved to Mobile, Alabama in 1981 with his wife who is from the Port City. During this time, Cuhaj worked in various positions including news director / reporter where he applied to take part in NASA's Journalist in Space program, but he never heard back.

He is the author of eight books, including the forthcoming Hiking Waterfalls Alabama.