An Inverness author who has written a book about life as an astronaut, has had his book praised by former NASA astronaut and Kennedy Space Center ambassador, Brian Duffy.
During a recent visit to Scotland, Brian, a pilot and commander on four space shuttle missions saw a copy of Ken MacTaggart’s book, The Astronaut Owners’ Workshop Manual, published by Haynes.
“This is a great book and a great way to tell a story,” said Brian, 64, who was delighted to find a photograph he’d taken included in the publication.
“I took that picture on my second mission. It’s of a crewmate preparing for a space walk. ”
Mr MacTaggart became fascinated with space at an early age.
“I remember being in Glasgow and my father taking me out into the street, with a coat over my pyjamas to stare at the sky. Only later did I realise were looking for Sputnik, the first Earth satellite, which had just been launched by Russia.
“Being Scotland, it was inevitably cloudy, so although we saw nothing, my curiosity about the sky was sparked off,” he said.
Over a long and varied career he has worked as a writer and editor in London, economist at Highlands & Islands Enterprise, worked on UK foreign aid projects in Afghanistan and Africa, and been a technical adviser on the TV space movie, Moonshot.
While working as a journalist in London in the 1980s he met Apollo astronaut, Rusty Schweickart.
“The moon flights were then long finished, and public interest had faded. But we stayed in touch over the years and as the Moon flights receded into the past, so public curiosity grew again,” said Mr MacTaggart.
“That spurred renewed interest in the extraordinary achievements of the 12 men who walked on the Moon all those years ago. Six remain alive, the youngest aged 86, and soon there will be none.”
Asked to name his favourite astronauts he said: “The crew of Apollo 12 who made the second lunar landing, following Neil Armstrong’s historic flight. They were probably the happiest team in the programme, had a harmonious and fun-filled flight to the Moon despite the dangers, and stayed close friends afterwards.”
Mr MacTaggart said: “I’m really pleased to know Brian liked the book. He is just a few weeks younger than me, and piloted four daring Space Shuttle flights, helping assemble the International Space Station which UK astronaut Tim Peake visited last year.
“That picture he took of his crewmate making a spacewalk appears in many media outlets, but the photographer and subject are never properly explained. I was able to track down and publish some of the details.”
