A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of
the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew
Chaikin
A Recreation Of Wonder
A decade in the making, this book is based on hundreds of hours of in-
depth interviews with each of the twenty-four moon voyagers, as well as
those who contributed their brain power, training and teamwork on Earth.
In his preface Chaikin writes, We touched the face of another world and
became a people without limits. What follows are thrilling accounts of
such remarkable experiences as the rush of a liftoff, the heart-stopping
touchdown on the moon, the final hurdle of re-entry, competition for a seat
on a moon flight, the tragic spacecraft fire, and the search for clues to the
origin of the solar system on the slopes of lunar mountains.
Ive been there. Chaikin took me back.--Gene Cernan, Apollo 17
astronaut

Personal Review: A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the
Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin
Although I was only six years old when Neil Armstrong took his first steps
on the moon, I remember my father calling me into the living room to make
me sit down and watch the first moon walk. I do not remember much other
then being mad that I had to sit down and watch and him telling me one
day I would be glad I saw this. Well, I am glad he made me watch and I
am glad that I read this book almost 40 years later.
The book one of the best I've ever read. It gives the necessary (not
comprehensive) details of every Apollo flight from 8 ( first manned flight
around the moon) to 17 (the sixth and final lunar landing). Its well written
and Mr. Chaikin keeps the readers' interest by intertwining the technical
details with the biographical information of all the major players in the
Apollo mission. It is a book that you will not be able to put down.
This book effected me in two contrary ways. First, it was inspiring to read
of the persistence, courage, wisdom and diligence that went into the Apollo
mission and its predecessors (Gemini and Mercury). Not just the
astronauts but leaders like Kennedy, managers like Deke Slayton,
engineers, mission controllers like Gene Kranz, scientists and a host of
other unnamed men and women. It is amazing to think of what they
accomplished in less than 10 years.
The book also sadden me because planetary exploration ended with
Apollo. Weak politicians like Walter Mondale thought feeding the poor was
more important then man's continued discoveries - as if we could not do
both. Had he been around in the14th century Europe our ships would still
be hugging the coast of Europe and Africa in fear of falling off the edge of
the world. We should be on the moon, we should at least be going to
Mars. It is a reflection of our lack of moral character that we are not.
Chaikin closes with these words which every American should ponder:
"Project Apollo remains the last great act this country has undertaken out
of a sense of optimism, of looking forward to the future...It is the sense of
purpose we felt then that seems as distant now as the moon itself. If NASA
has lost direction, it is only because we have not chosen to give it one.
Instead of letting the moon be the gateway to our future, we have let it
become a brief chapter in our history. The irony is that in turning from
space exploration - whose progress is intimately linked to the future of
mankind - we rob ourselves of the long-term vision we desperately need.
Any society, if it is to flourish instead of merely survive, ust strive to
transcend its own limits. It still as Kennedy said: Exploration, by virtue of
difficulty, causes us to focus on our abilities and make them better."
After reading these words I felt a smidgen of the loss that Schmitt felt when
he heard the words of Nixon while on the Challenger returning from the
last trip to the moon, "This may be the last time in this century that men will
walk on the moon..." It give a great personal and national sense of loss
that we have not gone back.

Again, a great inspiring book.
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