There have been several books on the space shuttle project lately…. Franklyn Branley's contribution [Columbia and Beyond: The Story of the Space Shuttle] is distinguished for going more deeply than most into the future missions in which the shuttle is expected to play a part. His descriptions of the shuttle itself and of the projects and operations are clear and generally accurate, though if the diameter of the space rescue ball is really 86.36 centimeters (34 inches), as he states, the human figure in the diagram is certainly a midget. The author gives many good reasons for taking some of our industries into space, though no very new ones.