Thomas D Jones, Skywalker
I'm currently reading Jones' book.
It spans the period after Mullane's flights, thus both books are very complementary (2 different backgrounds, characters, flight experiences and shuttle eras).
Here are his latest opinions on manned space exploration.
The Russian element, as difficult as it was to digest in the beginning, proved essential, I think, to the credibility of the whole enterprise in the long run.
I don’t think the space station has to be on the critical path to get to the Moon or beyond to Mars. But it will be a lot more difficult if we ignore the opportunity that the space station offers.