This volume, like the others, not only focuses upon the individual missions within the decade but also upon key challenges facing human space exploration at specific points within those years - from the problems of simply breathing and eating in space to the challenges of venturing outside in a pressurized spacesuit, the development of newer and better space toilets, and the difficulties of locomotion on the Moon. The Eighties was a time when traveling into space far more commonplace. Examining in detail the American and Soviet fronts, Ben Evans gives a comprehensive analysis of the varying fortunes of the U.S. space shuttle in the Eighties, including its early test flights and commercial flights, its problems, the 51L tragedy and its aftermath, and the resumption of operations with STS-26. The U.S. story ends with STS-37 in April 1991. In the Soviet sphere, two pivotal space station efforts - Salyut 7 and its succesor, Mir - are considered, showing how they were alike and different.

From the reviews:

“In At Home in Space … author Ben Evans offers his perspective on human spaceflight programs of 1973-1982. … this book is packed with the sorts of details that space fans will love. … The black-and-white photos that illustrate the book are an interesting addition. … Space enthusiasts will likely enjoy this book.” (Linda Billings, Quest, Vol. 21 (2), 2014)

“This book covers the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, Skylab, the Salyut 6 and Salyut 7 space stations and the start of the space shuttle programme. … I was also pleased to see some detailed coverage of the USS Enterprise orbiter. Accompanied throughout with colour and black and white photographs, this book … is a very absorbing and authoritative read. … Highly recommended.” (Robin Flegg, Astronomy Now, August, 2012)

“The third and latest book in Ben Evans’ monumental five-volume series on human space flight is now available and continues the journey from the early 1970s through to the end of the early Shuttle flights. As a narrative history it reads well and the link to global events, both political and economic, is welcome … . With 481 pages, the book is well illustrated, supporting 65 pictures of which 49 are in colour.” (Spaceflight, Vol. 54 (7), July, 2012)

“The author has skillfully recounted each manned space mission of Salyut 5 and 6, Skylab, ASTP, and the first four space shuttle flights. … What sets this book apart from other space histories is the description of each mission set in the political, economic, and social conditions of the time. … Anyone interested in space should enjoy reading these chronicles, and like the space explorers of the seventies and early eighties, they may just feel ‘At Home in Space.’” (Stephen Adamczyk, AD Astra, 2012)

Ben Evans is an accomplished and experienced space writer ideally qualified to chronicle the epic story of human space exploration. In addition to writing five books for Springer/Praxis, including the first book in this series: Escaping the Bonds of Earth: The Fifties and Sixties (2009) and the most recent Foothold in the Heavens – The Seventies (2010), he has published numerous space and astronomy related articles in such journals as Spaceflight, Countdown, and Astronomy Now.