This acclaimed portrait of heroism and ingenuity captures a watershed moment in human history. The astronauts themselves have called it the definitive account of their missions. On the night of July 20; 1969; our world changed forever when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. Based on in-depth interviews with twenty-three of the twenty-four moon voyagers; as well as those who struggled to get the program moving; A Man on the Moon conveys every aspect of the Apollo missions with breathtaking immediacy and stunning detail.
#43486 in Books Andrew L Chaikin 2007-08-28 2007-08-28Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x 1.50 x 5.40l; 1.29 #File Name: 014311235X720 pagesA Man on the Moon The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Ride along on EVERY voyageBy T.M. ReaderMost of the other famous lunar voyage accounts were written by astronauts and other insiders. Some of them are very good; but inherently limits the reader's experience to that of the author (and his writing ability). What Chaikin has done is monumental; in several regards.Chaikin conducted in-depth interviews with all of the moon voyagers; many of their family members; and plenty of NASA insiders. He reviewed hundreds of hours of audio and video captured from the Apollo program. He reviewed the bulk of the already penned memoirs and documentary material. Filtered through Chaikin's sense of propriety and writing talent; the result is just fascinating.After a little historical stage-setting; the reader gets to prep up and then ride along on each voyage of Apollo. It's not just a diary. Blocks of time and action are necessarily skipped (this is a big book). But what's included is just magic.Chaikin is kind to the astronauts; yet frank. The reader gets them "warts and all". Great suspense (if I hadn't already known the ending; some of the suspense would have been near unbearable). The author did a wonderful job of interpreting the quite complex technical science of Apollo into information which most readers will easily grasp and appreciate.The tale is pretty much politically neutral. Chaikin does just a bit of Apollo/space exploration cheerleading right at the end; but for the most part; he just tells the story.Although I'm a child of the 50's-70's; and generally witnessed Apollo firsthand (via the media); I never really appreciated the role of geological exploration in the moon voyages. The feat seemed to be just getting there and back (obviously). The book exposes that geological aspect. It exposes that much of the lunar surface exploration was just plain hard work; performed by tired; sore men.A minor criticism -- As much as I esteem this author and book; I found the lunar geological detail towards the end to be tedious and sometimes a little over my head. Also quite curious was that although Chaikin seems to be an advocate for the value of the geological science endeavors (maybe he was a wee bit political); he never really seemed to clearly state and solidify what was an "elephant in the room" issue for me regarding the geology . . . the lunar exploration results really gave relatively few answers. As astronaut Commander Frank Borman quoted from the moon; "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth . . . ." Maybe that is what we scientifically learned; but no one will say it. Moving on . . .Finally; I was amazed (but not really) to find one thing clearly missing from the Apollo story: debilitating fear. That seems to be a common currency among much of our current national populace. I never saw it in the book. There was caution; and a few white-knuckle heart-pounding moments which consistently produced proper response action. There was some even calculated and limited reasonable expectation of death. But not a hint of cowardice or unwillingness to perform.Do read this book.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Simply The Best...By KyleTen years ago; I was reading this book. While sitting in my truck one day; I struck up a conversation with an engineer that was on the site with me. I began telling her that I was reading one of the best books I had ever encountered. She said she was also reading the best book she had ever read. It turns out; we were both reading this book!This is one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. Andrew's writing is crisp; and clear; and draws you in to the lives of the astronauts following their triumphs; and failures. Until this book; I had always assumed that the astronauts were a bunch of adreneline junkies; with more courage then brains. How wrong I was! They were; in fact; the very best we had to offer. Brilliant and resourceful; and never afraid to die; just afraid to screw up! You will come to appreciate the ingenuity of the Contractors who put the hardware together; as well as the countless thousands that sacrificed so much for us to make the goal; by the end of the decade; of landing a man on the moon; and returning him safely to the earth..This book will keep you enthralled all the way through! Pick it up and I guarantee; you will re-read it again someday; it's that good.....2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Comprehensive Review of a Storied Time in U.S. HistoryBy zorbaTo those of us who watched the space program progress from its beginng following a challenge from President Kennedy; this book is an impressive refresher course. We remember suspense-filled hours being glued to the TV set as mission after mission soared from Florida into the unknown. We all know where we were when Neil Armstrong became the first human to step onto the moon. Now; thanks to Chaikin's book; we know "the rest of the story" and it's a good one. But the book also is a must-read for people who were too young or not born during those years; because the space program is one of America's signal peace-time achievements. Chaikin does a masterful job here exploring all facets of the program -- the human; the technical; the sociological; and the cultural. You get to know the astronauts and the mission control teams as if you spent time training with them. You get a better understanding of the spacecraft and related hardware and systems. You learn pointedly that the program was far greater than just the astronauts who slipped the bounds of earth; it was a massive team effort between the private and public sector; peopled by incredible professionals at every step. It seems that every flight had a surprise and a challenge that was met by the astronauts and their backups on earth; which make this book much more than just a technical manual. Chaikin knows how to weave suspense among the nuts and bolts. This is really a comprehensive; definitive history of the Apollo Program and will probably never be surpassed in its completeness. One criticism: I wish they had a few more technical diagrams and illustrations of such things as the Landing Module and the Rovers. The few illustrations contained in the paperback version were pretty poor and didn't do much to help the reader. That one complaint aside; I found this book to be an impressive history of the Apollo Space Program and one of the most worthwhile books I've read recently. Bravo.
