Apollo 7: The NASA Mission Reports (Apogee Books Space Series) (Paperback)

by Robert Godwin (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Another entry in Robert Godwin's detail-packed, armchair astronaut NASA Reports series, the Apollo 7 compilation includes all the tech-heavy goodies that earlier installments featured: the official press kit, pre- and post-mission reports, the technical debriefing, dozens of diagrams and color photos, and even a CD-ROM packed with astronaut interviews, thundering launch footage, and 500 70mm pictures taken by the flight crew.

Godwin's books are so addictive because they're the real deal--essentially unedited, unaltered artifacts from some of NASA's most hair-raising missions. And while Apollo 7 might not have matched Apollo 11 or 13 for sheer drama, the crew of Wally Schirra, Walt Cunningham, and Donn Eisele had a lot on its hands. It was what would be the longest first flight of any craft in aviation history, the first successful manned launch of Wernher von Braun's Saturn IB rocket, and the first successful restart of the service module's hypergolic-propelled motor after a "cold soak" in space.

Because there's no one to hold your hand through the details, the Godwin books can be daunting to casual readers. But that same rawness makes this report (like its predecessors) often very funny, fascinating, and revealing, whether it's complaints about head colds and congestion in the post-mission report, or just Wally Schirra waxing space-cowboy in the debriefing: "...I've had harder landings on a carrier landing. If you ever watch a guy land in a Demon, for example, his head goes bla-lah-lah lah-lah-lah as he rolls out on the flight deck. It's that bad." --Paul Hughes

Review
"Likely to appeal to someone who likes to delve deeply into the workings of NASA..." -- Astronomy Now, August 2001. "An essential read, Apogee should be applauded for producing this material in such an attractive format..." -- Spaceflight, August 2002.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Collector's Guide Publishing Inc (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1896522645
• ISBN-13: 978-1896522647
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #753,098 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 11 in The Apogee Books Space Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Golden Age of Space Exploration - The First Apollo Step, November 20, 2000

By	"selenologist" (Cranford, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

Robb Godwin's exciting presentation of the original documents from the Apollo program takes a quick jump back to catch the Apollo 7 flight. A quick review of the depth of the documentation, when compared to the Apollo 13 and subsequent documentation, shows the real growth and maturation of NASA and their presentation of information to the interested public. What caught my interest the most was the recorded interviews with Wally Schirra and especially Walt Cunningham presented in the CD-ROM that comes with the volume. Most of us only vaguely recognize Walt Cunningham's name whereas everybody remembers Wally Schirra from the TV commentaries on later Apollo flights. Walt Cunningham's experiences are therefore much more interesting to hear. He is, more or less, the "unknown" astronaut and has a more unique and different perspective of the program and history. I fully agree on his views that the Golden Age of Space Flight was the Apollo era. Like all of other volumes in this series they are a must for those who live through the Apollo age and for those who wished they had.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good - as usual, November 21, 2000

By	Thomas Reichenthal - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Once again, Robert Godwin managed to compile a rich source for space buffs - as usual. To read the book is very exciting - as usual. And to explore the enclosed CD is very informative - as usual. I'm looking forward for the next volume of the NASA Mission Reports - as usual.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CM and Crew Support Info Galore!, November 21, 2001

By	Andrew J. Porwitzky (Havre de Grace, MD) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are looking for information on the CSM (heavily the CM) then this is the NASA Mission Report for you! Since this mission was the shakedown flight for the Apollo CSM, a majority of the material is related to that. There is also a good summary of the changes made from the Apollo 1 Block I module to Apollo 7's Block II Command Module. There is also a lot of information about life support, including the "Waste Management System" and such.