Francis French
Encyclopedia
Francis French is a book and magazine author from Manchester
, England
, specializing in space flight history. He is a former director of events for Sally Ride Science
, and a director at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.
French's space history books have been reviewed by the Smithsonian's Air & Space
Magazine, The San Diego Union-Tribune
, Jeff Foust
of The Space Review
, Student Life newspaper, Popmatters
, Quest: The History of Spaceflight, Blogcritics
, Space Times, Oxford Journals, Air Power History, Technology and Culture
, Journal of Cold War Studies
, Michelle Evans of the National Space Society
, readers of collectSPACE
, and Hugo Award
nominee Steven H Silver
of Silver Reviews, hosted by SF Site.
French's space history writing is noted for the amount of personal interviews with astronauts and cosmonauts, including Wally Schirra
, Gordon Cooper
, Scott Carpenter
, and Pavel Popovich
. In addition, French is a contributor to the magazine of the British Interplanetary Society
, and is a Fellow of the society. In 2005, astronaut Wally Schirra
personally inducted French into the astronaut branch of the Ancient Order of Turtles
.
French has made appearances as a space expert on the Discovery Channel, History Channel, Science Channel, and The Space Show
, as well as the BBC World Service
, ABC and other international broadcast shows.
Both of French's 2007 books, Into That Silent Sea
: Trailblazers of the Space Era, 1961-1965 and In the Shadow of the Moon
: A Challenging Journey to Tranquility, 1965-1969 were named as finalists for the 2007 Eugene M. Emme Award
given by the American Astronautical Society
. The latter was also named as 2009 Outstanding Academic Title by the American Library Association's Choice magazine. In 2008, French received the AIAA "Outstanding Contribution to Aerospace Education" award, and the "Outstanding Community Support" award for San Diego from the National Space Society
. In 2011, French's co-authored book "Falling To Earth" made the top 12 of the LA Times Bestseller list.
On 20 August 2010, French was inducted into the US Space & Rocket Center's Space Camp
Hall of Fame for his contributions to space history writing plus making science and technology accessible and understandable to family audiences. French joined notable names in space history in the Hall of Fame such as rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun
and NASA astronaut Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, specializing in space flight history. He is a former director of events for Sally Ride Science
Sally Ride Science
-About Sally Ride Science:Sally Ride Science was founded in 2001 by Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, to develop and provide classroom materials, programs and professional development opportunities for K-12 educators...
, and a director at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.
French's space history books have been reviewed by the Smithsonian's Air & Space
Air & Space
Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine is a bimonthly magazine put out by the National Air and Space Museum. Because the museum is a part of the Smithsonian Institution, which puts out its own Smithsonian magazine, the magazine's full title is Air & Space/Smithsonian...
Magazine, The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
, Jeff Foust
Jeff Foust
Dr Jeff Foust is an aerospace analyst, journalist and publisher. He is the editor and publisher of The Space Review and has written for Astronomy Now and The New Atlantis....
of The Space Review
The Space Review
The Space Review is a free online publication, published weekly with in-depth articles, essays, commentary and reviews on space exploration and development. It was founded in February 2003 by Jeff Foust, the current editor, publisher and regular writer....
, Student Life newspaper, Popmatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
, Quest: The History of Spaceflight, Blogcritics
Blogcritics
Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site—a self-proclaimed "sinister cabal of superior writers"—was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn...
, Space Times, Oxford Journals, Air Power History, Technology and Culture
Technology and Culture
Technology and Culture is a quarterly academic journal founded in 1959. It is an official publication of the Society for the History of Technology, whose members routinely refer to it as "T&C." Besides scholarly articles, the journal publishes reviews of books and museum exhibitions. Occasionally,...
, Journal of Cold War Studies
Journal of Cold War Studies
The Journal of Cold War Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal on the history of the Cold War. It was established in 1999 and is published by MIT Press for the Harvard Project on Cold War Studies. The journal is issued also under the auspices of the Davis Center for Russian Studies...
, Michelle Evans of the National Space Society
National Space Society
The National Space Society is an international nonprofit 501, educational, and scientific organization specializing in space advocacy...
, readers of collectSPACE
CollectSPACE
collectSPACE is an online publication and community for space history enthusiasts featuring articles and photos about space artifacts and memorabilia, information on past, current, and upcoming space events, space history collecting resources, and links to other space-related websites...
, and Hugo Award
Hugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
nominee Steven H Silver
Steven H Silver
Steven H Silver is an American science fiction fan and bibliographer, publisher, and editor. He has been nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer ten times and Best Fanzine three times without winning....
of Silver Reviews, hosted by SF Site.
French's space history writing is noted for the amount of personal interviews with astronauts and cosmonauts, including Wally Schirra
Wally Schirra
Walter Marty Schirra, Jr. was an American test pilot, United States Navy officer, and one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts chosen for the Project Mercury, America's effort to put humans in space. He is the only person to fly in all of America's first three space programs...
, Gordon Cooper
Gordon Cooper
Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr. , also known as Gordon Cooper, was an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot and NASA astronaut. Cooper was one of the seven original astronauts in Project Mercury, the first manned space effort by the United States...
, Scott Carpenter
Scott Carpenter
Malcolm Scott Carpenter is an American engineer, former test pilot, astronaut, and aquanaut. He is best known as one of the original seven astronauts selected for NASA's Project Mercury in April 1959....
, and Pavel Popovich
Pavel Popovich
- Biography :He was born in Uzyn, Kiev Oblast of Soviet Union . to Roman Porfirievich Popovich and Theodosia Kasyanovna Semyonov. He had two sisters and two brothers ....
. In addition, French is a contributor to the magazine of the British Interplanetary Society
British Interplanetary Society
The British Interplanetary Society founded in 1933 by Philip E. Cleator, is the oldest space advocacy organisation in the world whose aim is exclusively to support and promote astronautics and space exploration.-Structure:...
, and is a Fellow of the society. In 2005, astronaut Wally Schirra
Wally Schirra
Walter Marty Schirra, Jr. was an American test pilot, United States Navy officer, and one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts chosen for the Project Mercury, America's effort to put humans in space. He is the only person to fly in all of America's first three space programs...
personally inducted French into the astronaut branch of the Ancient Order of Turtles
Ancient Order of Turtles
The Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles started as an informal "drinking club" between World War II pilots, self-described as "an honorable drinking fraternity composed of ladies and gentlemen of the highest morals and good character, who are never vulgar."To gain admission, one...
.
French has made appearances as a space expert on the Discovery Channel, History Channel, Science Channel, and The Space Show
The Space Show
The Space Show is a biweekly radio talk show, presented by Dr. David Livingston, about space commerce and exploration that is also available archived online as a podcast....
, as well as the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
, ABC and other international broadcast shows.
Both of French's 2007 books, Into That Silent Sea
Into That Silent Sea
Into That Silent Sea: Trailblazers of the Space Era 1961-1965 is a 2007 non-fiction book by space historians Francis French and Colin Burgess...
: Trailblazers of the Space Era, 1961-1965 and In the Shadow of the Moon
In the Shadow of the Moon (book)
In the Shadow of the Moon: A Challenging Journey to Tranquility is a 2007 non-fiction book by space historians Francis French and Colin Burgess...
: A Challenging Journey to Tranquility, 1965-1969 were named as finalists for the 2007 Eugene M. Emme Award
Eugene M. Emme Award
The Eugene M. Emme Award is an award given annually to a person or persons selected by a panel of reviewers from the American Astronautical Society History Committee to recognize "the truly outstanding book published each year serving public understanding about the positive impact of astronautics...
given by the American Astronautical Society
American Astronautical Society
Formed in 1954, the American Astronautical Society is an independent scientific and technical group in the United States dedicated to the advancement of space science and exploration. AAS supports NASA's Vision for Space Exploration and is a member of the Coalition for Space Exploration and the...
. The latter was also named as 2009 Outstanding Academic Title by the American Library Association's Choice magazine. In 2008, French received the AIAA "Outstanding Contribution to Aerospace Education" award, and the "Outstanding Community Support" award for San Diego from the National Space Society
National Space Society
The National Space Society is an international nonprofit 501, educational, and scientific organization specializing in space advocacy...
. In 2011, French's co-authored book "Falling To Earth" made the top 12 of the LA Times Bestseller list.
On 20 August 2010, French was inducted into the US Space & Rocket Center's Space Camp
United States Space Camp
U.S. Space Camp is owned and operated by the Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission d.b.a. U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. "Space Camp" refers to both the actual camp and a family of related camp programs offered year-round by the facility. The camp provides residential and...
Hall of Fame for his contributions to space history writing plus making science and technology accessible and understandable to family audiences. French joined notable names in space history in the Hall of Fame such as rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun
Wernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
and NASA astronaut Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger.