NASA's First Space Shuttle Astronaut Selection

Unofficially they called themselves the TFNG, or the Thirty-Five New Guys. Officially, they were NASA’s Group 8 astronauts, selected in January 1978 to train for orbital missions aboard the Space Shuttle. Prior to this time only pilots or scientists trained as pilots had been assigned to fly on America’s spacecraft, but with the advent of the innovative winged spacecraft the door was finally opened to non-pilots, including women and minorities. In all, 15 of those selected were categorised as Pilot Astronauts, while the other 20 would train under the new designation of Mission Specialist. Altogether, the Group 8 astronauts would be launched on a total of 103 space missions; some flying only once, while others flew into orbit as many as five times. Sadly, four of their number would perish in the Challenger tragedy in January 1986.

In their latest collaborative effort, the authors bring to life the amazing story behind the selection of the first group of Space Shuttle astronauts, examining their varied backgrounds and many accomplishments in a fresh and accessible way through deep research and revealing interviews. Throughout its remarkable 30-year history as the workhorse of NASA’s human spaceflight exploration, twice halted through tragedy, the Shuttle fleet performed with magnificence. So too did these 35 men and women, swept up in the dynamic thrust and ongoing development of America’s Space Shuttle program.

"This book on the Group 8 Astronauts, the TFNGs, is an excellent summation of the individuals first selected for the new Space Shuttle Program. It provides insight into what it took to first get the Space Shuttle flying. For any space enthusiast it is a must read."

                      - Robert L. Crippen PLT on STS-1                                      

 “As a reader, I had many moments where long, lost memories of the triumph and tragedy of the space shuttle program were brilliantly reawakened at the turn of a page.  Loved it!  This is a must-have book for every space enthusiast’s library.” 

                      -  TFNG Mission Specialist Astronaut Richard ‘Mike’ Mullane, author of Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut

“Many of the anecdotes in the book brought back memories of challenges, opportunities, and a team of men and women who were committed not just to the space program, but to one another...I've gone back to it several times as a reference source.” 

                       -  TFNG Steve Hawley, 5-time Space Shuttle Mission Specialist Astronaut

 "The TFNG book is incredible and amazingly thorough! The detail in the book is awesome! It is my go-to book for any of the details I’ve forgotten."

                       -  TFNG Dr. Rhea Seddon, 3-time Space Shuttle Mission Specialist Astronaut.

"I can't believe how detailed and complete it is!!! FANTASTIC work!!!"

                       -  TFNG Robert L."Hoot" Gibson, 5-time Space Shuttle Pilot & Commander and former Chief of the NASA Astronaut Office                                   

"We are presented with an in-depth history of the 35 brave, clever, and dedicated people who initially flew the Space Shuttle. The book does much more than concentrate on their successes. ... What I specially liked about this book was its emphasis on intricacy and detail. The stories were well told, well-illustrated, well referenced, and never dull.” (David W. Hughes, The Observatory, Issue 141, June, 2021)



“It is an inspiring read for those with an interest in the shuttle era, which the authors describe in human, as well as technical terms. The photo of Ron McNair, who made it from segregated South Carolina via MIT to playing the saxophone on board Challenger on STS-41B, shows that the Right Stuff has indeed been redefined.” (Andy Sinharay, Aerospace, March, 2022)

David Shayler has been writing books for Springer-Praxis for over 18 years, with a total of 25 authored or coauthored titles for the series. These have ranged from various aspects of American and Russian manned spaceflight history and operations to topics on women in space, the human exploration of Mars and the development of EVA techniques and operations. He has a passion for recording the lives and careers of the world’s space explorers. He has been a member of the British Interplanetary Society for over 40 years and currently is a serving Council Member. He also organized and hosted the annual Sino-Chinese Technical Forum and is currently organizing two extra Forums for next year on the topic of Space Rescue and Safety and 20 years of ISS Operations. Dave is a guest editor of the annual BIS JBIS Space Chronicle issue on Sino and Chinese Technical Forums and has contributed to a number of BIS Publications. His work has been published in the UK in Spaceflight, and Spaceflight News, and in the United States under Macmillan’s Who’s Who in Space trilogy as well as the Magill Science Survey and the MPress Secrets of the Universe Card Collection. A number of his titles and published articles have been referenced in other books, journals and official NASA publications.

Colin Burgess’s early books were on the Australian prisoner-of-war experience, before he turned his efforts to writing about his principal interest: human space exploration. Colin has written a number of books on the subject for the University of Nebraska Press and Springer-Praxis.  The books he has written or coauthored for Springer-Praxis are “NASA’s Scientist-Astronauts,” “Animals in Space,” “The First Soviet Cosmonaut Team,” “Selecting the Mercury Seven,” “Moon Bound,” “Freedom 7,” “Liberty Bell 7” “Friendship 7” and “Aurora 7.” More recently, he has written about the Interkosmos program and a history of NASA’s Group 5 and 7 astronauts with coauthor David Shayler.