SPACE SHUTTLE: THE QUEST CONTINUES <i> by George Torres (Presidio Press: $12.95, illustrated) </i>

George Torres writes about the U.S. Space Program and the shuttle program in particular with the relentless boosterism of a used-car salesman describing the bargains on his lot. He ignores the questions about overspecialization raised by critics of the shuttle, much as he ignores the enormous and, in the opinion of many experts, insurmountable problems of creating a functional SDI system. The illustrations help redeem the text, especially the photographs from the Apollo missions, which recall the excitement and hope that galvanized the nation only 20 years ago.