8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Against all odds, this book is fascinating!, April 20, 2005
This review is from: Lunar Prospector: Against All Odds (Paperback)
It is not very often that a book grabs my interest against my expectations. This book is one of them. It is the story of the "little satellite that could," and of the giant NASA and corporate bureaucracy that fought it every step of the way. "Lunar Prospector" is the name of a small, relatively simple, inexpensive satellite designed, built, and flown under the hands-on guidance of author Alan Binder as the project's chief scientist. He records the project in minute detail from its conception to its successful conclusion, showing how space missions should be done: better, smarter, and cheaper. I could not have imagined enjoying such a story, but Binder's writing is lively, and the day-to-day obstacles he and his colleagues surmounted is inspiring.
Having been an insider, Binder is a knowledgeable critic and the book is a timely look at NASA's underbelly. Its most valuable contribution, in my opinion, is its exposure of the greed, waste, and cronyism characterizing NASA, its missions, and its huge private-sector corporate partners. Every congressperson should read it before voting on any NASA appropriations bills, and every person interested in space exploration and industry will find in Binder a vocal advocate for productive change. I recommend the book highly.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant mission -- pity about the book, April 3, 2010
This review is from: Lunar Prospector: Against All Odds (Paperback)
This book's author, Alan Binder, was the Principal Investigator for NASA's Lunar Prospector mission. Alan's mission did great science and at the same time helped to transform the way that NASA runs planetary space missions. For those things the planetary community owes him a debt of gratitude.
But this book is unreadable. One of the core design strategies that made the Lunar Prospector mission great was its focus. Alan Binder monomaniacally focused on keeping the mission targeted, small, and simple, despite every pressure on him to expand its goals. More than anything it was this focus that drove the mission forward, and that allowed it to be so efficient in terms of dollars per science gained.
If only he had used the same focus on the book. It seems to be the antithesis of the mission itself -- bloated, directionless, and poorly managed. It is organized by the day, with one little subchapter per day, for ten years. Instead of picking a few interesting stories and cutting out the irrelevant details, this book revels in those boring details. It contains completely useless information throughout like the time that Alan got to work in the morning, that he hates the Bahamas due to a vacation that he took there, and his thoughts on the Clinton impeachment.
The book is endlessly repetitive. Ongoing story arcs like annoying coworkers occupy hundreds of pages, and could easily be compressed into something more concise and coherent. Did anyone who rated this book a 4 actually make it through the book? I tried as hard as I could, but just couldn't get past page 550 or so.
It is not clear at whom the book is aimed. Alan claims to be writing the book for the public who pays the bills, but the book would be utterly incomprehensible to a layman. It doesn't define technical terms. It uses the usual littany of aerospace acronyms, which are defined, but just once. If he defines an acronym on page 60 and then doesn't mention it again until page 500, you're out of luck if you can't remember what it means. Given the disparaging way that he describes nearly everyone with which he comes into contact, it is apparent that the true purpose of this book is to tell all of his old coworkers what idiots they are.
This leads to my final point, perhaps worst of all: the book is unprofessional, egotistical, and insulting.
Alan talks about coworkers in ways that I wouldn't talk about anyone, much less in print. He refers to Marcie Smith, an engineer at NASA Ames, as "that little bitch" (page 533). One of his Project Managers, Tom Dougherty, was "a big stupid oaf" (also page 533). Regarding his Lockheed chain of command, "[t]hose guys (upper management bozos) were . . . just stupid asses" (page 252). I have no problem with Alan describing the deficiencies of the people that he works with, but this kind of juvenile name-calling got old about 1% of the way through the book, and became exasperating not long after that. Moreover, hearing about his professional friction with everyone was just plain not interesting. It was frustrating to read.
Everything seems to be about Alan. He's the only one who can see the obvious. NASA is full of "wienies", none of whom are worthy of his time. He insults and belittles them at every opportunity. NASA certainly deserves some criticism, especially back then. But part of the solution to these problems was the very Discovery program of PI-led missions that allowed Lunar Prospector to fly. This book is a slap in the face to those people who supported the mission and the Discovery program.
Alan uses the word "idiot" to describe someone on average about once every other page. And I am not making that up. Sometimes 2 or 3 times per page to make up for the pages where he's talking about househunting in Sunnyvale and can't find anyone to insult. If you are one of the book's intended audience, Alan's old coworkers, let me save you from reading 1100 pages: he thinks you're an idiot.
Lunar Prospector the mission was a great scientific success, due in large part to Alan Binder's vision and management. But this book does the mission's legacy a great disservice. If you want to read an actually interesting, well-written book about how a mission works, I recommend Steve Squires' _Roving_Mars_ instead. If you want to read about an angry old man's petty vendettas against the people and institutions that wronged him over the years, then by all means, read this book.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Working the system: getting to space, September 7, 2005
This review is from: Lunar Prospector: Against All Odds (Paperback)
This is a tome by anyone's calculation, but Binder's unique insider view of the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the US's first mission to the Moon since the Apollo program is a page-turner.
The book tracks more than a decade in the development of the little spacecraft conceived by a group of space enthusiasts in their spare time. When their pet project evolves into the first community-selected "faster, better, cheaper" NASA Discovery Mission, the small, dedicated team finds itself almost overwhelmed by the established system and "big mission" way of doing business.
Binder's grasp of, and immersion in every aspect of the mission is a tale in itself. Likewise, his passion for the project and the manner in which he dedicated himself to getting Lunar Prospector launched is an eye-opener for anyone who wants to succeed in the space business. This book, with its mix of frustration, invective, dedication, and joy is a "must read" for space enthusiasts and mission planners alike.
Pat Dasch
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