Customer Reviews

Rocketman : Astronaut Pete Conrad's Incredible Ride to the Moon and Beyond

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There are insufficient superlatives to describe the amazing life and many careers of Charles (Pete) Conrad. The first time I ever saw a NASA photograph of Pete following his September 1962 astronaut selection, I remember thinking how little he looked like the archetypal spaceman. Slight, unsmiling, balding and gap-toothed, he looked more like the guy who ran your local electronics store than one of his nation's fledgling space heroes. How wrong I was, because Pete Conrad emerged as one of the finest, boldest and sharpest of the early astronaut corps, with a wry, devlish sense of humour that even renowned astronaut punster Wally Schirra conceded he could never match. On paper, Pete's Gemini career may appear a little pedestrian to those who are not overly-familiar with spaceflight history - a long duration flight with Gordon Cooper in which the biggest problems seemed to be increasing tedium and finding places to stow the mounting trash, while his incredible, record-breaking Gemini 11 flight with Dick Gordon became sadly lost in the mounting excitement of the forthcoming Apollo program. Yet both of these missions were carried out with consummate skill by all three astronauts, and Pete was rewarded with the command of an Apollo lunar landing mission. In fact his crew could easily have been the first to touch down on the moon, but fate and early mission successes decreed that they would be second to do so. Despite being the third man to walk on the moon, he would later declare that his favourite mission was the one in which he and two crewmembers flew up to the ailing Skylab space station, where their actions and skill saved this multi-million dollar space project, along with NASA's hard-won reputation as a can-do administration.

Of all those early space pioneers, the one whose story has been most eagerly anticipated in recent years has been Pete Conrad. While spaceflight aficionados may perhaps bemoan the lack of technical detail in this superb book, it is nevertheless about a stongly-dedicated man who strove to become an aviator and an astronaut against many odds, and it is a heartwarming story that is superbly crafted by the authors. His flight to the moon almost ended in catastrophic failure when two bolts of lightning slammed into their ascending Saturn V rocket and shut down many of Apollo 12's systems, yet he and his crew somehow solved these problems and then relaxed and resorted to mild levity all the way to the moon. That was Pete's way; solve the problem, solve it well, and then move on, but maintain that all-important sense of humour and an even keel.

Sadly, we lost Pete Conrad all too early. He would certainly have been swept up in recent events that saw civilian astronauts fly into the very fringes of space aboard rockets launched from airplanes, and would likely have been at the forefront of a parallel venture. Spaceflight, and flying, intrigued him all of his life. Death, on the other hand, would have caught poor Pete by surprise - he still had many more frontiers to explore, and he would have met any obstacles head on, but with that renowned mirth we associate with this legendary aviator/astronaut.

Nancy Conrad and Howard Klausher honour us with this marvellously warm and exquisitely-told biography of an extraordinary, likable, passionate and sadly-missed man. Their love and admiration for the Rocketman in the title shines through in every page, and it's a journey all readers will find as amazing, enthralling and wonderful as the man himself.

Authors Nancy Conrad and Howie Klausner accomplished the impossible in The Rocketman. Since I was so fortunate to count Pete Conrad as a friend, I was able to evaluate the degree of success that the authors achieved in the very difficult task of writing this book. How is it possible to accurately emblaze Pete's life with the upbeat fun, astronomical success, and down to earth personality that was uniquely and gloriously his? Yet they did so magnificently. What a triumphant accomplishment! Since Pete was treasured by many, there naturally exists a tendency for the book to be challenged by an unfair level of expectation or criticism. Yet the authors were impossibly able to take mere black symbols on wood pulp and make the characters come alive with rich history and inspirational imagery. They were able to accomplish something even larger than what Pete Conrad might have wistfully desired as life's final result. Even though he left his footprint on the surface of the moon and indelibly upon the hearts of many, only the authors reached beyond that by giving Pete life beyond his years and extending to millions the joy of his presence, all within the cherished pages of this book. This great book launches beyond its five star rating, leaves behind most of the techno-jargon which typically saturates aeronautical titles, and positively impacts its readers long, long after its covers are reluctantly closed. You simply cannot miss this one.

I'm not much for reading biographies but I genuinely enjoyed this one. I felt that I understook this person on so many different levels and grew a greater appreciation for the lives of those in the space program.

I found the book so enjoyable to read, the story was great as was the writing style. I can highly recommend it.

What an amazing feat it must have been to have succeed in such a career! This made even more challenging for anyone with dyslexia. Pete Conrad is clearly a role model in so many ways.

This book is first and foremost about the man - Pete Conrad. Being an astronaut, walking on the moon and the whole space program is a big part of it but the main course is the man himself - who he is and what makes him tick. Klausner (who seems to be the real author here) gets inside Conrad's head through all phases of his life: the child, the adolescent, the man, the astronaut and the "former astronaut". It is a blazing page turner that reads like dialog and captures the man, his adventurous life, and those who shared the ride with him.

Being more of an outdoors person and natural history buff,I am not usually a big fan of aviation and space-related items. My father, some of my uncles and a close cousin are however, prompting me to read Rocketman so I could discuss it with them when we gathered later this summer. I was thrilled to find Conrad and Klauner's book not only well written but fascinating. I couldn't put it down and highly recommend it. I have to admit I'm converted and am now looking for more good books about the space program!

All I knew about Pete Conrad before reading this book was that he was the third man on the moon, so I wasn't prepared for how much he had accomplished or what a riveting personality he had. Because I found him so fascinating, I couldn't put the book down. I passed it on to my husband, who is the true test, and he couldn't put it down either.

A smart and lively read. For a reader who reflects on space flight about as often as it grabs the headlines, this account of the life and motivation of an astronaut made for great entertainment. I enjoyed The RIght Stuff, and this is a great follow-up, but with the added insight of tracking the pre-and post-flight color of one of those originals. Will never quite step into an airplane or stare at the sky in the same way. . . .

Howard Klausner has obvioiusly done a great deal of research and leg work to put the life of Pete Conrad on paper for all of us to marvel about and enjoy. A book which is riveting and hard to put down once started.

Rocketman is a great story of one of the greatest pilots in our history. I marvel at a man who started flying in much the same way and same planes I learned with in the 50's . As any pilot can testify , once flying is in your blood it never leaves. Although I never went beyond a single engine rating, I can appreciate the feeling of space travel. Pete Conrad used his knowledge and skills to the greatest advantage of our country and our world, contributing to the technology that makes our country great , and Howard brings it all to us.

I have had the priviledge to have a insight into NASA from my father-in-law who started working as an engineer for the old NACA at Langley Field in Virginia and was transferred to Moffit Field in Mountain View California in 1940 where he designed the wind tunnel used to test numerous aircraft. He would have loved this book about one of his heros because he followed the program and its space men until his death two years ago at age 97. He was delighted when we got into orbit and more so when we landed on the moon.

Thanks to Howard Klausner, Nancy Conrad, and all others who provided background information for bringing this historical perspective of one man's life , trials and tribulations in the pursuit of flight, both in and out of our atmosphere.

What a ride!

J. Gordon Kennedy

Madera, CA.

Pete Conrad's life is one worth remembering. Like a lot of others in America, he began in a poor family having to work at an early age - but he got a job at the local airport (sweeping the hanger, mowing the yard) and learned to fly. And he learned well. Well enough to be a Navy test pilot flying the latest and greatest Navy planes as they were being developed. And from there he literally went to the moon, the third man to walk on the moon. Reading about his life is quite interesting.

Reading about his dreams is even better. He was not just a flyboy driving the plane around. He was able to understand where space science might take us. After his Navy/NASA career he started four separate companies to privitize going into space. His vision included much of what has happened since, and much that is still to come.

One think I believe you can say about Pete Conrad, he lived life to the fullest he could.

His was a time when things were happening, before NASA became so bureaucratic, a time when the public looked forward to what was happening, where we were going. He had quite a ride.

Since his inception into the NASA astronaut corps in the mid-1960s, Pete Conrad has had some amazing adventures (Gemini/Apollo/Skylab). This book starts from his beginnings and stretches into his post-NASA commercial successes. I loved the way the book used his mid-1990s record breaking flight on a Learjet as the common thread - it gave a sense of continuity throughout, without stating the flight's accomplishment in a sanitized 'matter-of-fact' tone.

The only bad characteristic this book possesses is its research and fact checking. On numerous occasions, the author (or co-author) incorrectly states the LGM-25C Titan II ICBM was an Army missile (it was a US Air Force missile through and through, while also being used as a NASA booster). Also the mid-book photo spread has Mr. Conrad hanging on the side of an Navy F-4 Phantom II jet fighter, while the caption reads "Pete poses with a T-38, a high-altitude supersonic jet trainer."

I nit-pick on these details, because 1) I was a USAF missile officer and the Army "ain't got nothing on us" and 2) Attention-to-detail was a characteristic Mr. Conrad needed to possess in great amounts. I may not have known him personally, but I know his pilot/astronaut/engineer/military officer positions stress "A-T-D" to the utmost degree.

I met Mr. Conrad briefly before he passed away in 1998 - to screw-up his biography with minor errors (easily checked in many print and online publications) is an embarrassment. If these minor areas had obvious mistakes, I wonder how accurate the fact checking into his personal is. Just a thought...