Customer Reviews

Apollo: The Race to the Moon

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I've read most of the other "space" books and this one is the best by far. Most of these books are written from the astronaut's point of view, and while this is an exciting and interesting view point, it's pretty clear that there are thousands of people working behind the scenes for each astronaut out doing his job (his - this is Apollo - all of them were men).

After reading "Apollo" I have a new understanding for the amount of effort and love that went into the creation of the Apollo program. The men and women who helped put a man on the moon are every bit the heroes as the 12 who stood on the surface (as well as the seven, the nine, etc.).

If you really want to understand how America put a man on the moon, this is the book to read. After you finish, go back and watch Tom Hanks' "From the Earth to the Moon."

This book is the true "diamond-in-the-rough". With so many re-issues of material from the manned space program and specifically Apollo, it's hard to imagine that this book isn't re-issued again and again! This book (along with Andrew Chaiken's Man on the Moon and Jim Lovell's Lost Moon) is by far the definitive account of the Apollo program. Not just a re-gurgitation of the Apollo history, this story is told from a Flight Controller/Engineering perspective and gives a truer picture of what the early and subsequent days of the program were like. Here, Apollo Program Manager Joe Shea comes alive and is portrayed as an heroic/brilliant manager, not the villian of the Apollo 1 fire as in other accounts. You're down in the "trench" in Mission Control for not only the Apollo 11 Moon landing, but also for the lesser known Apollo 6, the ill-fated second un-manned launch of the Saturn V. It may be hard to find this book, but the effort is well worth it...one of the top 5 books that I've ever read.

Murray and Cox wrote by far the single best book on Apollo. It covers the political decisions, the engineering, the people, and the history. The engineering is explained in a clear and non-condescending way that non-technical people can understand, and yet it's thorough enough to interest scientists and engineers as well. The detailed descriptions of the various technical and political debates, as well as the struggles between divisions of NASA and various contractors are well documented with many different sources consulted.

With the current resurgence of interest in Apollo and the reissue of a number of lesser books, it's a great pity this book has not been reissued.

Perhaps saying this is the best book I've ever read is too much (although, honestly, it just might be the best), but I will say it is my favorite, including fiction works. I've read it six times, after which I had to hide it from myself. If I walk by my copy and just happen to pick it up to thumb through I'll read it again.
Many non-fiction books tend to become tangential, or will leave the reader wondering if anyone involved with the project ever heard of an editor. Not this book. There is scarcely a wasted word or waver in direction, to the point that even the footnotes are worthy.
The authors' pacing of the story and placement of the material and concepts are unsurpassed in my experience. They create a genuine excitement in the reader.
It's a mystery why the book has never been reissued, which has driven up the price of existing copies and so reduced access to such an enticing and, in my opinion, needed history. I would very much like to see the BBC or Tom Hanks latch on to this story -- it's worth a twelve-part series.
Update, 9-19-04 - I have learned from the most reliable source this book has been reissued. Go to www.apollostory.com for details.

Since the majority of books on Apollo deal with the project and missions with an astronaut bias, it is extremely refreshing to be presented with it from an engineering and technological one through the characters of the enginners and flight controllers. It is full of anecdotes that inspire and amaze. I particularly enjoyed the account of the development of the F1 engine and the antics of the flight controllers (surely Gene Kranz is the epitomy of a technical leader). The book is very well researched and contains an excellent bibliography. My only complaint is that the number of illustrations and photographs is too small: those that are included are excellent but I would have enjoyed many more. If I ever need inspiration I re-read this book.

This book is the most surprising book in my collection and also one of the very best books I have ever read. The writing is superbly understated, incisive, and the subject timeless.

The story is authentically paced as a gentle crescendo: quickly building from a time in the early 50's of steady aeronautical research by dedicated, patient, men in the languid surroundings of a NASA campus, to the titanic romance and frenetic energy of the Apollo program which captivated the entire country through the mid 70's.

The story is about the engineers - not the astronauts - and we come to see the truth of their transformation as the intensity of their passion for their dream and the scale of their problem inevitably leads them from the merely dedicated into the achievements of the superhuman.

No human story every really ends in victory, and sadly, those who dream great dreams and struggle toward noble goals often cannot understand what is happening to them, as their dreams slip away in the very moment of their success.

Do not be afraid of this book. It is too rich to be simply described. It is not sad - it is a real story with the authenticity of life ringing through every page. You will find it immensely rewarding. Many of its stories are vivid and you will find yourself retelling them over the years.

Because of the authors acuity and the subject matter itself, the book also shows, in the natural context of the story, the lessons of how such programs can be managed, how teams are formed, how conflicts are resolved, and what motivates people to realize great dreams.

The authors are engaging and incisively honest. Their initial attempts at an "objective history," in the sense of a dry historical assessment, were abandoned as they came to know the people and the story - inevitably they were drawn into the profound human truth of Apollo. The story is all the richer for their obvious love and admiration for the men and women of Apollo.

Finally, there are only a handful of books which explore the romance of engineering or science and successfully place this life choice into a cultural perspective. While strictly accurate, the book avoids details the nontechnical reader would find tedious. This book is surely the best of its kind and should be read by anyone who wants to understand the impact of technology on society as it affects particular people in their life choices.

Other books to try: Tracy Kidder's The Soul of a New Machine, Feinman's biographies (Surely You're Joking Mr. Feinman, What do you care what other people think?)

Reading another review, In which the reviewer states that he has to hide his copy from himself, I had to chuckle. This is the first book I can ever remember finishing, and then immediately flipping back to page one and starting all over again. Not only is the story an absolute stunner, in which some of the brightest and most engaged minds of a generation are swept into a whirlwind of impossible problems, which all have to be solved yesterday, but it is also made even more amazing by the fact that it is true. As if it weren't enough to start with such great material, the authors weave a terrific web in which all parts of the story are brought together, and the people involved are shown to be real people.

After reading this book, I would highly recommend watching "Apollo 13, to the Edge and Beyond", to see the faces and hear the voices of some of the extraordinary people whose stories appear in this truly excellent book.

On May 25 1961 President John Kennedy addressed Congress on his plan to put a man on the Moon within nine years. This date is usually considered the inception of the Apollo program, one of the most ambitious and advanced engineering projects in history. The idea for Apollo had already been conceived in the last year of the Eisenhower administration, but the main credit for pushing it into the shape that has become familiar to the World.

This book aims to describe the achievements of the Apollo program from the point of view of the engineers and other technological staff. Apollo is arguably the most ambitious engineering program in history, and the fact that it was so successfully carried out was tremendously inspirational for all of humanity. Achieving what was considered almost an unattainable goal just a few years earlier at such a rapid pace left everyone imagining that the decades ahead will usher an unprecedented human colonization of space. As we well know now, these were grossly unrealistic expectations, and have led many to be disillusioned with the human exploration of space. Others, on the other hand, have grown up taking lunar landing for granted in the light of subsequent shuttle missions, and don't appreciate the tremendous effort that went into the Apollo program. In the light of all of that, this book serves as a wonderful reminder of how difficult this whole endeavor was and how many tremendous feats of engineering had been accomplished along the way.

This book is not written with some overarching deep message in mind. The authors primarily concentrate on many invaluable individuals behind the Apollo program and try to explain in the most general terms the contributions that these remarkable men (and a very few women as it turns out) had made. For the most part they let the stories speak for themselves, although due to the enormity of this project and the high number of individuals working on it a lot of editorializing had to be done. Nonetheless, one message that one can glean from this book is that even though Apollo was a grand team effort, there are many outstanding individuals who have left an indelible mark on the whole undertaking.

Because of its great deal of technical detail this book is not for everyone. However, if you have an appreciation for grand scientific and engineering endeavors this book is an excellent source of information about one of the greatest such endeavors. It is detailed, thorough, and clearly written. It ought to be an indispensable part of any library of works on history of science and technology.

This book gives the account of the men behind the machinery of the space program. A recommended read for space enthusiasts and the budding engineer or scientist

There are also audio files, and lots of extra pictures not included in the book at their website, where you can also buy the book.

You can get more information at http://www.apollostory.com/