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Imagine yourself in a decaying space station far away from the atmosphere you never realized you needed so badly, not knowing if the next malfunction would kill you or merely keep you busy. Dr. Jerry M. Linenger experienced just this and describes his harrowing but ennobling five months aboard Mir in Off the Planet, a memoir that evokes the excitement of living every day as a life-threatening adventure. Linenger's very personal writing style draws the reader into the story quickly, breezing through his childhood, Annapolis training, medical school, and selection as an astronaut, then moving quickly to the Mir assignment and its aftermath.

Linenger isn't shy about sharing his opinions. Chapter titles like "Broken Trust" and "An Attempted Coverup" show his feelings about the bizarre relationship between the crew and mission control that may have kept him and his Russian comrades in constant danger. He also heaps praise on his fellow crew members and family for their strength and perseverance throughout the mission--between communication difficulties, the cloud of doubt surrounding the station's systems, and problems like fires and toxic fumes, it's a wonder anyone survived with their sanity intact. The full-color pictures accompanying the text add further insight into life aboard Mir. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (42)

A very human astronaut's tale
I was wrong. I picked up Jerry Linenger's long-overdue book expecting it to be a somewhat bland account of an astronaut's existence aboard Mir. Instead I found it to be eminently readable, and a truly facinating tale, with enough intensely dramatic content to keep me reading beyond each chapter heading. Other reviewers have mentioned his account of the fire aboard Mir - a very harrowing description indeed, but I was fascinated by some of the smaller vignettes, such as his terror at standing on the end of a robotic arm, thrust out and away from the shuttle, feeling like he was in perpetual freefall off a cliff. I've read many books by and about a lot of space explorers, and it was nice to find a solid, human account of life as a recent NASA astronaut. All too often these days the astronauts just seem to be the same person going up on the same shuttle doing the same things, and little is known about them beyond their names. Thank you Jerry for humanising the shuttle-Mir program. But above all else I wish to congratulate him for a superb book written without the ubiquitous ghost-writer. The words are his own, and I feel he's crafted this book superbly. I certainly enjoyed it a great deal, and wish it every success.

A Great Glimpse of Life in Space
This book is easy to read and has lots of good pictures, so when I first thumbed through the pages I thought it was going to be another PR job for NASA. Much to my delight, when I actually "dug in" I discovered an original, candid and insightful discussion of US-Russian collaboration and of the author's experiences on Mir. Sure, Linenger comes off as a "right stuff" astronaut: after all, you can't earn a series of degrees and succeed as a military officer, as a physician, and a spacefarer unless you have outstanding qualifications and high self confidence. Despite the author's occasionally overbearing "can do" mentality, Linenger offers a balanced view of life aboard an aging Space Station. It is full of useful but usually tasteful detail on how people survive psychologically and relate to one another under prolonged isolation and confinement. The stories are interesting, and in the telling Linenger gives us insights into everything from interpersonal to international relations. I finished this book reminded that living and working in space is a complex, multifaceted endeavor that defies simple analysis. Dr. Linenger's book not only entertains, it increases our understanding of people in exotic and stressful environments. I have read at least two other major books about life on Mir, and still found this one engaging and informative.

The truth about life on Mir
Jerry Linenger wrote "Off the Planet" to describe his out-of-this-world (literally) experiences on the Mir spacestation, as an American astronaut working with the Russians. This autobiographical book goes into Jerry's adventures with Mir's copious mechanical problems, his reflections on life on earth, and the politics of the cooperative space program between Russia and the United States. I received this book after Jerry spoke at a conference I attended. I do not usually read books in this genre, but to my surprise, it was an entertaining read and I ended up purchasing another copy for my father.

The format of the book is not exactly chronological. Each chapter could be a standalone essay, focusing on a different event or issue on Mir. The early chapters introduce Jerry, and show the progression of his career up to his training for Mir. The last few chapters go into Jerry's newfound perspective on existence, and the difficult adaptation back to earth life.

Jerry's writing style is as direct and unceremonious as his speeches. He explains complicated scientific issues with ease, and even this liberal arts major could understand what he was talking about. He talks about lofty topics, like Russian-US relations. Then he'll move on to discuss how astronauts use the bathroom, or the difficulties of eating pretzels in space.

There have been quite a few criticisms of this book. Some have said that Jerry is egotistical. If he hadn't admitted this fault in the book, I wouldn't have noticed it. It seems appropriate for an accomplished astronaut to be proud of his work. Others claim that there is another side to the story, but there is always another side to the story. I know that I am reading about Mr. Linenger's perspective of the events on Mir, and I can put it into context with other published works.

I already agree with the sentiments with which Jerry Linenger sums up his book. He tells us that we should live each day as if it is our last, to enjoy all the natural bounties that the earth gives us, and to value our precious time on the planet. Each breath of oxygen and moment in the sunlight should be cherished. I completely agree. One way that this book has changed me is that it has made me more aware of the space program. When I hear about unmanned landings on Mars or even events on Mir, I perk up and listen more closely than I had in the past.

A Good Book About One Astronaut's Life Onboard Mir
Jerry Linenger is a former NASA astronaut who spent just over 132 days in space, most of it aboard the Russian space station Mir. During his stay, Dr. Linenger accomplished many first for an American astronaut. He became the first American to conduct a space walk from a foreign space station and in a non-American made spacesuit. During this five hour EVA, he and his Russian crewmate tested the newly designed Orlan-M Russian-built spacesuit. He and his crewmembers also performed a flyaround of the Mir in the Soyuz spacecraft, undocking from one docking port of the station and redocking at a different location.

While living aboard the MIR space station, Jerry Linenger and his two Russian crewmembers faced numerous difficulties, such as the most severe fire ever aboard an orbiting spacecraft, clearly the best written and most interesting section of the book, the failures of onboard systems (oxygen generator, carbon dioxide scrubbing, cooling line loop leaks, communication antenna tracking ability, urine collection and processing facility), a near collision with a resupply cargo ship during a manual docking system test, loss of station electrical power, and loss of attitude control resulting in a slow, uncontrolled tumble through space. In spite of these challenges and the added demands on their time due to the repair work, they still accomplished all mission goals: the space walk, the flyaround, and the completion off all the planned U.S. science experiments. All of these harrowing adventures and many others, plus the grind of his daily life aboard Mir, are recounted in this book.

I would have to agree with the numerous other reviewers that feel the Jerry Linenger has a big ego, but as someone who has had a lot of contact with astronauts over the years, his ego is only somewhat greater than the norm. The first example of this personality trait, is the title. The title states that he spend five months on Mir, but his stay on Mir, was just a little more than 4 months (132 days total mission time minus the travel time to and from Mir, about five days). There are lots of references to "I did ..." and he seems to forget that all of the hardware onboard any space vehicle has been designed for easy astronaut use to assure success. I know because that's what I do for a living.

All things considered, this book is definitely one of the better astronaut biographies and covers a period of human space flight that is not frequently examined, the Space Shuttle era. Furthermore, Dr. Linenger deserves kudos for writing the book himself.

a great book about living in space
this book shows the truth about living in space. the author describes all the hardships that he and the crew went through ... Read more

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M. Scott Carpenter was America's fourth man in space, his 1962 three-orbit mission in a tiny Mercury capsule closely paralleling that of John Glenn's previous mission. But that's where the similarities end: a malfunctioning navigational system caused Carpenter to splash down, dangerously, some 250 miles off-target, and Glenn's fame would somehow forever eclipse that of all seven of his fellow original astronauts combined. This memoir, penned in conjunction with Carpenter's daughter Kris, oddly distances itself from Carpenter's life through use of a third-person narrative (only the astronaut's calm account of his perilous mission is delivered directly in his voice), a device that ultimately echoes the more personal distances Carpenter endured in his own fateful, if troubled, journey toward the stars.

While Carpenter may have been able to trace his lineage back to the Plymouth colony of the 1630s, his immediate family seemed shattered. His research-chemist father was successful but absent, his mother often a bedridden invalid. Carpenter's journey to the Mercury program after a Rocky Mountain childhood and a stint on lumbering Naval patrol planes is one of the more unlikely of the original astronaut class, and he offers up his own perspectives on what has become a compelling body of American folklore (thanks largely to Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff and the memoirs of other participants). While the account of NASA's infancy seems quaint, its officialdom often comes off as nothing short of cutthroat, perhaps inspiring the pioneering spaceman to the book's final adventures exploring a distinctly different frontier--the bottom of the ocean--as part of the Navy's endurance-minded SeaLab program. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Too Concerned with Kraft's Book
Carpenter spends a large portion of this book refuting what Chris Kraft wrote in his book, "Flight", too large in my opinion. I did find his story interesting and I think he could of told his story without making specific rebuttals to Kraft. On the positive side, this book is a nice addition to my NASA library since it focuses so much on the Mercury missions, compared to the many books written on the Apollo program.

A Good Deal Of Space!
Want to know what it would have been like to be in on the ground floor of the space program? Well here's your chance. Take a look into one astronaut's life from birth to orbital grace.
You really have to give this book a chance as it does cover quite a bit of Carpenter's life, but it has to for you to understand the man.
This read will also give you a great backdoor view of the incredible ego of one Mr. Kraft and how one mans prejudice and childish whim could possibly change the course of a great test pilot. God Speed Scott Carpenter, wherever you are!

We Finally Hear Carpenter's Story
Scott Carpenter has the worst reputation of the Mercury Seven.Chris Kraft's book "Flight" dedicates a complete chapter to attacking Carpenter.Using numerous footnotes, the book references many NASA reports which cite a mechanical failure which nearly doomed his mission.

The book seems to be a family history written by Carpenter's daughter, Kris Stoever.Thus, the reader must adjust to reading about Carpenter in the third person.Carpenter does take over in the chapters about his flight, writing in the first person.Adding to the difficulty reading the book, the writers assume that the reader can keep track of the year different events happened.However, the story is not chronilogical, so one must guess at the year when signifigant events (child birth, transfer to a new Navy base) occur.Too bad this book did not do a better job of completing the timeline for the reader.Particularly surprising his how Carpenter's last three marriages are summarized in a 6-line paragraph on the second to last page.

I recommend reading this book if you want to hear Carpenter's view of his flight.But be prepared to for a bumpy ride, as the book is not pulled together into the consistent story one would expect.

A revealing look at the Flight versus Pilot battles
While I skimmed through the personal family history, I immensely enjoyed the chapters picking up with Scott Carpenter's nomination for the Mercury 7. The later years in the space program tell of heroic teaming of the Apollo flight directors (Kranz in particular) and the pilot-astronauts to solve potentially fatal mission problems. But in the early years the two groups were not in accord. Carpenter reminds of the decision by Kraft not to include Glenn in the communication loop on his heat shield problem. After proving that the American space program could successfully put a man into orbit and bring him back safely, the NASA science staff made the decision to cram the next mission with studies, observations and experiments. You must read how Carpenter handled these demands in an environment of over 100 degrees for 4 and a half hours. Keep in mind that Wally Schirra demanded not only on the next flight to get back to basics, but he and Flight went round and round on the first Apollo mission (a true test flight) when Flight wanted to begin adding to his workload AFTER the mission was underway. Schirra demurred to the wrath of Flight and Kraft swore that Schirra would never fly in space again. Where have we heard that before? This is excellent reading and a revealing counter perspective to Kraft's ("flight is god") point of view.

Spaced out details
This is one of the most poorly written books I have read in quite some time.The way it hop, skips, jumps from one part of their lives to the next and back again is confusing.Not one of the children is introduced at their birth by their name and date of birth.In fact in one paragraph, Rene is said to be 4 months pregnant and two paragraphs later it states "Rene and the baby arrived."What baby?Boy or girl?It never says. Later you read that six-month old Timmy died in his sleep.First time you ever hear the kid's name and was he the new baby or the first born?Very confusing.Too bad they didn't have a good editor because I got so annoyed that I gave up.But then again, when growing up in the US in the 60's I had absolutely no interest in the space program (still don't) so maybe that was part of it. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Oral History of Project Apollo
This book emerged out of the activities at NASA in 1999 to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. As the chief historian of NASA at the time I saw the anniversary looming before us like a freight train bearing down on a deer crossing. I knew it would consume the history function, but I also wanted to use the anniversary to gain support for substantive history projects. This was one of several publications that were completed using resources made available because of the anniversary, and I am quite pleased with the result. The book was originally published through the Government Printing Office as NASA Special Publication-4223 in 1999, and received the Pendleton Prize for best documentary work from the Society for History in the Federal Government. We later negotiated its reprinting in paperback from the University Press of Florida.

Glen E. Swanson, then the historian at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, included in this work fourteen interviews that sweep the broad expanse of the history of Apollo. It includes some of the most well-known people in the history of spaceflight, such as Wernher von Braun and Moon-walkers Charlie Duke and Harrison Schmidt, as well as some folks who have escaped the spotlight, such as Geneva Barnes who helped the Apollo 11 crew on their worldwide goodwill tour after their mission. It also includes some unsung, but nonetheless significant figures. My favorite example is Robert Gilruth, director of the Manned Spacecraft Center (renamed the Johnson Space Center in 1973) and without question the godfather to the astronauts. All of the interviews published here, by both well-known and lesser-known figures are excellently edited and made available in a very accessible text.

Glen Swanson had literally hundreds of interviews from which to choose, for NASA has been sponsoring oral histories of its personnel for decades. "Life" magazine writer Robert Sherrod, who had intended to write a book on Apollo, moreover, conducted some of those included. He never completed the book, but he donated all of his research material to the NASA History Office and it is a treasure trove useful to anyone interested in Apollo. His copies of documents and oral histories have a prized place in the NASA collection. And anyone may use them at any time. In addition, the Johnson Space Center has sponsored an oral history program for many years and has a wealth of materials from which Swanson drew the best. Other collections of oral histories also reside at Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, where it went when I left NASA in 2002. These collections made it possible for this book to be published. There is also grist for similar oral history treatments of other NASA programs contained in these rich collections. For anyone who might have an interest in the NASA oral history program I wrote the following article on the subject that you may want to review, "'We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming': NASA, Oral History, and the Contemporary Past," Oral History Review 30 (Summer/Fall 2003): 111-28.

Swanson provided a biographical sketch before each interview included in this book, with details about its origins, dates, interviewers, and where one might consult the original document. I tried to provide some historical context on the Apollo program in an introduction. We then compiled an annotated bibliography on the program to aid in further reading. Always, we sought to bring to life the history of what was arguably humanity's great voyage of discovery.

I believe Swanson succeeded admirably in his task. I also believe that anyone interested in the history of spaceflight or in oral history as a methodology will find this an engaging and helpful book.

I agree with John Keller
John has written the first review of this book. It says alot of what I was thinking while reading this myself. Many of these people have passed away or are getting up there in years. (No offense to those still "young" Apollo participants who may read this!) I wanted to hear more from some of them: Bob Gilruth, Max Faget.
As John had pointed out, the bibliography is an excellent resource for additional books. I have aquired and have read most of them. Many of the people interviewed for this book have never been mentioned. That's what makes this a good read. (The NASA publications are particularly good for technical stuff.)
A very worthwhile read as it does tell, in limited detail, the parts that these folks played.
I only hope that many others get an opportunity to contribute their historys as well.

A Collection of Interviews from the Apollo Moon Mission Era
This book, originally publishing in 1999 as NASA Special Publication, SP-4223, contains fourteen interviews from various people who describe their activities at NASA during the Apollo era. These interviews cover the entire spectrum of people involved in this project, from flight controllers, the top management, two astronauts and even a secretary. More than half the people interviewed for this book have never published anything which recounts their times at NASA, so this book maybe the only source to find such information. This book made me realize that many of the people involved in the Apollo project have passed away and soon the only link to this amazing adventure will be these types of historical records. While I'm not a big fan of books that simply publish interviews, I found this book to be very easy to read and high enjoyable. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to see a more behind the scenes look at the moon landing effort or who wants to see a more personal side to NASA.

The interviews contained in the book are as follows, James Webb (NASA Administrator), Thomas O. Paine (NASA Administrator), Wernher von Braun (Rocket Genius and Marshall Space Flight Center Director), Bob Gilruth (Manned Spaceflight Center Director), George E. Mueller (Associate Administrator of Manned Spaceflight), Gene Kranz (Flight Director), Arthur Rogers (Director of Stennis Space Center), James Guin (Rocket Engine Test Engineer), Glynn Lunney (Flight Director), Geneva Barnes (Secretary in Public Affairs Office), Charlie Duke (Astronaut), Harrison Schmitt (Astronaut), George M. Low (Manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office), and Max Faget (Spacecraft Designer/Engineer).

One added bonus is that the book contains an annotated bibliography of the Apollo Project which lists approximately 35 books, some of which are quite technical and others which are simply astronaut biographies. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1959, the doctor who supervised NASA's astronaut selection concluded that women might fare better in space than men. His testing of 25 top female pilots for reactions to isolation, centrifuge, and weightlessness proved him right, and 13 exceptional candidates were identified. Despite countless personal and professional sacrifices, these women joined NASA's clandestine new program – which, after two intensive years, was suddenly, and mysteriously, canceled. Promised the Moon chronicles the dramatic story of the rise and fall of these pioneering female astronauts, patriots betrayed by men like John Glenn, who opposed women astronauts, and by someone from their own ranks. The first writer to track down the surviving Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees, Stephanie Nolen vividly brings this fascinating and timely tale to life. Historical photographs are included in this riveting account. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An Interesting Story but a Misrepresentation of NASA
I am perplexed by the misrepresentation that is presented about this book by the publisher in its advertising copy. There was never a NASA program, clandestine or otherwise, to bring women into the astronaut corps in the late 1950s and early 1960s. We can debate whether or not NASA leaders should have been open to appointing women astronauts, but the reality was that such an expansion of the astronaut corps never even crossed their minds at the time. Additionally, Stephanie Nolen was not the first to "track down" and interview the women who undertook physical tests identical to those of the Mercury Seven astronauts. Margaret A. Weitekamp's work on the subject predates Nolen's research. It was first presented in a dissertation at Cornell University, and is forthcoming as "The Right Stuff: The Wrong Sex: The Lovelace Women in Space Program" from Johns Hopkins University Press in 2004. It will be the authoritative work on this subject.

In addition, the story of the "Mercury 13," as some call these women, is pretty well known in the spaceflight history community. In 1960, Dr. W. Randolph 'Randy' Lovelace II invited Geraldyn 'Jerrie' Cobb to undergo the physical fitness testing regimen that he had helped to develop to select the original U.S. astronauts, the Mercury Seven. Jerrie Cobb became the first American woman to do so, and she proved every bit as successful in the tests as had John Glenn and the other Mercury astronauts. Thereafter, Lovelace and Jerrie Cobb began to recruit more women to take the tests, totally without NASA involvement. Jacqueline Cochran, the famous American aviatrix and an old friend of Lovelace, joined their recruiting effort and volunteered to pay the testing expenses.

By the end of the summer of 1961, twenty-five women had undergone the examinations at the Lovelace Clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The women came to New Mexico alone or in pairs for four days of tests. All of the women were skilled airplane pilots with commercial ratings. Most of them were recruited through the Ninety-Nines, a women pilot's organization.

Of those tested, thirteen women did exceptionally well and became known as the "First Lady Astronaut Trainees" or "Mercury 13." A few then agreed to undertake additional tests, and some believed that the further testing represented the first step allowing them to become astronauts, although there was never any intent of this on the part of NASA officials. Indeed, Mercury project managers were unaware of these tests.

When NASA officials learned about Lovelace's attempts for further tests from the Navy, which Lovelace had asked to undertake these tests at Pensacola, they told Navy flight surgeons that this was not a NASA project. The Navy then canceled the tests. Jerrie Cobb and Janey Hart (married to U.S. Senator Philip Hart of Michigan) then began a campaign in Washington, D.C. to have the testing program resumed. On the July 17-18, 1962, Representative Victor Anfuso chaired hearings of a special Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics about this subject. Jerrie Cobb and Janey Hart testified for the women. John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, and George Low testified for NASA that setting up a special program to train women astronauts would hamper the effort to reach the Moon by the end of the decade. This ended the hearing and no women entered the NASA astronaut corps.

When Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in 1963, Clare Booth Luce published an article about the women in "Life" magazine criticizing NASA for not achieving this first. It included contemporary photos of all thirteen women. Of course, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983, and in 1995 Eileen Collins became the first woman to pilot the Space Shuttle. At Collins' invitation, eight of these women attended her launch.

In hindsight, one may criticize NASA leaders for not expanding the astronaut corps to women but there is no documentation whatsoever to suggest that there was even a consideration of doing so at the time. Perhaps John Glenn said it best when he remarked in recent years that the agency was reflective of its times. It is important to note, I think, that the first astronauts selected after the completion of Project Apollo--the class of 1978--did include women and other minorities, and therefore reflected the social changes experienced in the nation as a result of the women's movement.

Horribly written by a novice space historian
This is one of the many space history books written by someone whos only exposure to the field was in researching for this one book. The book drives one point repeatedly: at the time women were expected to stay at home with the babies and not fly in space. Anyone with knowledge of this era in American history knows this, and this is one of the only bits of actual information provided.
The author does not include dates or references where appropriate. All references are collected in alphabetical order at the end of the book--no foot or endnoting. The lack of dates is at points so great that it is easy to get lost in the timeline of the story, as most of the events of the book take place in a three year span that Nolen jumps around in.
Perhaps the most distressing thing about the book is the tone she takes when talking about NASA and the Mercury 7. At points she inserts off the cuff remarks about NASA leadership or members of the senate that called a hearing into the cancellation of the women's astronaut testing. Nolen takes the anti-NASA side saying that NASA refused to let the testing of the women continue and that they are at fault, when her own book indicates clearly that NASA never wanted the testing done in the first place and had no plans for female astronauts in the 1960's. Many at NASA were insulted, rightfully so, when a group of 13 women said they wanted to be astronauts when NASA had tested hundreds of men and only accepted seven!
Of all the space history books I have read (and I have read well over 30) this one is the worst. I highly advise not spending time on this book.

The new standard for telling this story.
Full disclosure: I am the daughter of Gene Nora Stumbough Jessen who was one of the FLATs (Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees) and so I am more than casually interested in this story. Plus I've met the author, so I'm going to be even less professional, and call her Stephanie!

Every student of the US-Soviet Space Race should have this book. The FLATs have had their story of thirteen women who passed the 1960's astronaut tests (famously described and pictured in "The Right Stuff") told in several media, but Stephanie's is the most thorough job. Her book is liberally sprinkled through with transcripts, letters, interviews, and other primary sources. She presents all sides of the issues, and is exceptionally fair to those who can no longer speak for themselves, especially Jacqueline Cochrane.

Stephanie does an excellent job drawing the reader into the late '50's and early '60's, painting what seems to be an accurate picture of that era. She lets the primary sources speak for themselves and generally comments just enough to keep the narrative going. For example: in my lifetime I have only known John Glenn as a somewhat liberal Democrat senator from Ohio, and part of the Keating Five. Stephanie ably describes how especially he was seen to be nearly a god during the Space Race. We've seen that before in books and movies, but Stephanie's book tells the story from these exceptional women pilots' perspective.

In a nutshell: this is a darn interesting story, and Stephanie writes well and had a good editor. An easy, fascinating read. ... Read more

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American astronauts may have lived the dream of seeing space, but they never would have made it without Guenter Wendt. In The Unbroken Chain, this unsung hero tells his story, and he's got the right stuff. Wendt, who immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1949, got a job as a mechanical engineer for McDonnell Aircraft that launched his space career. He eventually became the man who supervised preparations for every mission from the Mercury program through the early shuttle flights. He was the last person the astronauts would see before they closed the hatch, and he became something of a legend at NASA. The Unbroken Chain features Wendt's accounts of his career highlights, good and bad, as well as behind-the scenes revelations about missions and personalities. Three sections of great photos accompany the text, and best of all, the accompanying CD-ROM features a tour of Cape Canaveral hosted by Wendt himself. A must-have for space buffs, and a great accompaniment to the NASA Mission Reports series, also from Apogee Books. --Therese Littleton ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Snakes at Pad 5
I found Guenter's book a refreshing break after having read Christopher Kraft's book (Flight: My Life In Mission Control). Guenter is the antithesis to Chris: both had hard jobs to do, both were hard nosed in order to make those missions happen, but Guenter's written outlook is a good deal more positive than Chris's (there's very little light-hearted feelings in Mr. Kraft's book). Mr. Wendt lets you know that danger abounded at every leaking LOX line and rickety elevators but makes you smile through it. I found his life with America's space program well written into the book and the infused humor beckons you to reread the book again. Of all the stories that Guenter tells us about, the one that got my attention the most was how Gordo Cooper never got the prime for a lunar mission. I saw HBO's "From The Earth To The Moon" and episode #9 "MILES AND MILES" (Alan B. Shepard Jr.) and I didn't understand the bit about Cooper badmouthing Shepard before the Apollo 14 launch. Guenter's book shedded the background information needed to gain some perspective here! Mr. Wendt's book helped me understand a little bit better the many ins and outs of life in the American space program on launch and spacecraft operations from CCAFS / KSC. For me, a well spent investment in American space flight history, especially with the bonus CD-ROM of Guenter at Cape Canaveral AFS. Leave the snakes alone and go fishing with Guenter!

Great stories from a NASA legend
An absolute joy to read. The stories are wonderful. Guenter recalls all the best stories from his career, including his being part of the team to raise the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. The book is very well written, and the CD that is included with the book makes you feel as though Guenter is actually sitting there sharing his stories with you in person. The book also includes some wonderful photos from Guenter's career. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the space program.

Life on the Launch Pad
Memoirs are in vogue for the pioneers of the space age. In the last few years memoirs have appeared by astronauts Gene Cernan, John Glenn, Gordon Cooper, Wally Schirra, Alan Bean, Deke Slayton, Alan Shepard, Gene Cernan, Jim Lovell, Apollo flight directors Gene Kranz and Chris Kraft, Marshall Space Flight Center engineer Homer Hickam, Jr., and Lunar Module designer Tom Kelly. This is another memoir from the heroic era of human space flight, but one from a unique vantagepoint. Guenter Wendt was the legendary "pad leader" for all of the human space launches from the first Mercury mission in 1961 through the last Apollo flights.

German born, with a rich accent that remains to the present, as a McDonnell and later North American Rockwell employee Guenter Wendt held responsibility for capsule test, checkout, and launch operations at America's spaceport at Cape Canaveral, Florida. In that capacity he crossed paths with every astronaut and many of NASA's senior officials in a career that ended with his retirement in 1989. This memoir, co-written with Russell Still, is filled with dozens of such stories about those interactions-some classic, many never revealed before, a few embarrassing, even more humorous-about the astronauts, technicians, engineers and other officials Wendt interacted with for three decades.

Wendt describes in this book a relentless pursuit of excellence, safety, and security both for his team and the mission under his care. Astronauts respectfully called him "Pad Fuhrer," a term not always used with affection. Wendt's emphasis on successfully completing the mission, ensuring the safety of the astronauts, and creatively sidestepping bureaucracy earned the admiration of many. His determined approach to the work, and the way in which he took personal responsibility for what happened on his launch pad became legendary along Florida' Space Coast. Many astronauts recall how Wendt strapped them into their capsules, shook their hands, offered words of support, and closed the hatch, the last person seen before their trip into space. In those moments, they were thankful for his abrasive attention to detail and his forceful leadership on the launch pad.

Wendt's memoir is replete with good-natured stories, and some that are not so good-natured, many of which are the stuff of legend. It should come as no surprise to anyone that many astronauts had a wild, devil-may-care side to their personalities. From Gus Grissom's sexual peccadilloes to Alan Shepard's practical jokes to John Glenn's stuffed shirt persona that wasn't, Wendt adds several wild new chapters to the antics of the astronauts.

Ausgezeichnet, Guenter Wendt, und Danka Herr McDonnell
As an engineer who grew up on the back gate of NASA-JSC, I really enjoyed reading Guenter's Story. I enjoyed the easy to read format, the larger print, and the funny stories that Guenter tied in, especially the one on the CB radio out in the Mojave desert where the operator on the receiving end asked Guenter, "what's your handle?" Guenther replied, "Col. Klink." The operator said, "you've got that accent down pat. You sound just like him!"

Seriously, the one thing that strikes me about several books out about the early days of the space race are the long hours, dedication, and committment that many engineers, scientists, technicians, and astronauts put in to reach the nation's goal of getting to the moon before 1970. Guenter described in detail the operations of the former McDonnell Corporation, and more companies today NEED to be organized the way James McDonnell (Mr. Mac) was back in the old days where things got DONE. The old McDonnell Corporation ran efficiently, and with very little (if any) beaurocratic "B.S." Mr. Mac would appoint someone in McDonnell to have full authority over one area and make decisions independently (this was Guenter Wendt), and he gave that single person control over the budget (the petty cash fund was sometimes used for sandwiches and coffee when Guenter and his crew were working late nights). Mr. Mac put QUITE A BIT OF TRUST IN HIS EMPLOYEES!! Mr. Mac would send them to school (Guenter took engineering classes in St. Louis), and Mr. Mac would even invite the astronauts over to his home for dinner (Guenter did the same thing - astronauts would go out on his boat or sleep on his couch). Mr. Mac was a man who treated his employees with respect and trust. He helped them learn and invested in them.

It was great to read a different story from a man involved in the early days of space flight. Guenter Wendt was a good leader, he would jump through hoops to get things done (such as the flag at the back entrance of the cape), and I loved the story about the painting that went on at Edwards AFB. There are other stories about problem solving, and getting around the beaurocratic "BS".

The epilogue gives insights for the public on getting back into space more aggressively. Congress-take these into consideration. Smaller projects from private investments, such as the X-Prize projects, is a good start. Let's go back now. I'm game for designing a nuclear powered rocket, a smaller shuttle, or a single stage to orbit launch vehicle.

Thanks for your insights, Mr. Guenter Wendt. More engineers and administrators are needed like you and James McDonnell (Mr. Mac) more than ever today.

Interesting book, but too many errors
I worked as an engineer on the Gemini and Apollo projects, with McDonnell in St. Louis and at the Cape, working for Boeing on Apollos 8 through 13. Guenter's stories brought back many similar memories.

I can personally attest to Guenter's reputation at the Cape as the "Pad Führer"; nobody wanted to cross him! He was truly a legend in his own time.

Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the book was hampered by many technical and historical errors. However, most readers will not be aware of these and will enjoy it. ... Read more

Book Description

The fascinating-and untold-tale of space-faring women, from Valentina Tereshkova to Kalpana Chawla.

When we first blasted our way into space a generation ago, we did so with men from each of the superpowers. Women were excluded from one of the most exciting adventures of the century-and not because they weren't up to the challenge. In 1962, three accomplished female pilots took their case before the U.S. Congress, but they were dismissed as unpatriotic. We were in a Cold War-a space race-and NASA had already chosen the Mercury Seven to represent America. In Almost Heaven, acclaimed writer Bettyann Kevles gives voice to the women of the space age-women who had the "right stuff," but had to struggle to prove it. Through intensive interviews and meticulous research, Kevles illuminates what makes these women tick. What were their unique concerns as female astronauts? Were they truly accepted into the astronaut corps, or were they merely "tokens"? She also poses a question that will affect generations to come: Is NASA preparing women as well as men for travel beyond Earth's orbit, or is the research still biased toward men?

The stories of these forty women, told here for the first time in rich and colorful detail, explore the convergence of culture and science-and suggest the battle is far from over. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A MEAN-SPIRITED SLUR ON AN AMERICAN INSPIRATION
While this book is a great read, with some very interesting viewpoints on some little-known NASA and Russian insider politics, it is full of mistakes which mean it quickly becomes impossible to know which parts of Kevles's research to trust. The factual errors begin on the first paragraph of the prologue - the very first paragraph in the book - where Kevles states the Apollo 11 moon landing took place on July 18th. It did, of course, take place on July 20th, something that ANY space author should be able to get right. This is the kind of basic, easily-checked and unforgivable error that some who held a chair position at the National Air and Space Museum should be ashamed to have in their book. Other similar, basic mistakes abound. Kevles says the first shuttle launch took place in 1982, when it was in fact in 1981. For Challenger's final flight, she lists Ron McNair as sitting upstairs in the shuttle, when he was in fact on the lower flight deck. For the Columbia disaster, she says that McCool was a mission specialist - he was in fact the pilot. She misspells Apollo 1 astronaut Roger Chaffee's name as 'Chafee,' and Jerrie Cobb as 'Jerri.' She says Roberta Bondar was 'one of two' Canadian astronauts selected in 1983, when she was in fact one in six. The remains of shuttle Challenger were not recovered in water only up to 73 feet down, as Kevles states - in fact, recovery took place in waters up to 1,300 feet deep. She says Resnick and McAuliffe "perished in space' when, in fact, the Challenger disaster took place only 15 kms. up, easily visible from the ground and lower than many aircraft flights. Kevles says that Helen Sharman was the first woman to visit any space station, despite her coverage of Savitskaya's mission to a space station earlier in the book. She says that Andre-Deshays was 'the fourth and final woman to visit Mir' - when, in fact, SEVEN women visited Mir after her (Lucid remained after her, and Ivins, Kondakova, Eileen Collins, Bonnie Dunbar, Wendy Lawrence and Janet Kavandi all visited the station long after Andre-Deshays on shuttle flights to Mir.) She also says Andre-Deshays was 'the only west European women to have flown in space' - forgetting Helen Sharman. She even gets NASA's name wrong, calling it the 'National Aeronautic and Space Administration,' instead of 'Aeronautics.'

The lowest point of the book, in my opinion, comes when Kevles says that Teacher In Space Christa "McAuliffe had never been considered the best teacher in Concord, or even an especially popular one." There is NO evidence given to support this outrageous statement in the book, and in fact it runs counter to EVERY statement made by those who did work with McAuliffe. She was not considered the best science teacher of NASA's finalists, but was considered an outstanding teacher by her students and school district, with innovative classes that everyone loved. Kevles' mean-spirited and untruthful statement here is an unnecessary slap in the face of this deceased teacher, and her living relatives and friends (I can only hope they do not see the book).

Puzzling.
I am surprised just how much is wrong in this book. I am even more puzzled by the unquestioning support given to it by luminaries such as John Klineberg and Mary Ellen Strote. While a writer on health and fitness topics should not be expected to have a thorough knowledge of space history and know how many errors this book contains, I would have thought that Klineberg, former director of Loral and the Goddard Space Flight Center, would have read it a little closer and spotted the many errors. It's puzzling to see how many glowing reviews this book is receiving despite its deep flaws.

great story with a few glaring gaffes
Let me start by adding that I just received my copy of this amazing story a couple of weeks ago, and was awed by it. Quite a wonderful read about a most amazingly hidden aspect of the space program.

Okay, several have previously stated that there are no major technical errors in the book. On page 46, when describing Skylab, she notes that the pace station was 17 cubic feet, divided into two separate levels. Since the trunk of my Jetta is 13 cubic feet, I decided to check this out with NASA. Skylab had a habitable volume of 12,700 cubic feet. That is a major error that can not go unnoticed.

If this book is republished, I hope this type of minor error gets corrected. If not, poor editing will continue to diminish an otherwise important topic and marvelously crafted tome.

A good book? Almost.
This is an interesting book with a lot to say on the subject of women astronauts. On the whole, the events and the people involved in them are very well summarized, far better than many other books in fact. There are some wonderful little vignettes into how the 1978 women astronauts were integrated into the Texas social scene, which were very well observed. Pat Cowings, often overlooked as the first woman to undertake serious astronaut training directed by NASA (though she was never selected as an astronaut), gets her correct place in history at last. It also puts the FLAT medical tests in their correct place as a minor footnote in space history. It lists the womens' movement accomplishments and the changes they brought as interesting background, not allowing the politics to overtake the human story. The misreading of S. Christa McAuliffe's respected place in Concord's educational community hits a minor jarring note, but overall Holtzmann Kevles is a very accomplished writer, gets the facts straight and tells an interesting story very well.

Having said that, I really do wish that "friends of the author" would not make postings on these pages and pretend that the book is error-free. Wishing the mistakes weren't there does not make them disappear. The copy I picked up (from a book store, not a pre release copy) has all the errors that other reviewers have been kind enough to post here for the edification of the prospective purchaser (and, let's hope, the author and publisher). A simple read would find them. Just as examples, the misinformation on Lebedev is on page 87, the misdating of the first shuttle launch on page 94, the error about the last woman to Mir on page 163, spelling NASA's name wrong on page 252, Cobb's name wrong on page 253, Chaffee's name wrong on page 221, and the howling error of the wrong date of the Apollo 11 moon landing in the book's very first paragraph. I noticed another mistake also, on page 141 - Helen Sharman, like all other cosmonauts, was fitted into her space suit before her bus ride to the launch pad, not afterwards as Holtzmann Kevles believes.

I hope that the author's friends have the courage to tell her what needs correcting, and not continue to defend the indefensible. Fiction writing is allowed to play with events, and even history is open to interpretation. Holtzmann Kevles' theme, her message, is worthy and dead on. However getting basic names and dates correct (and they are mostly subjective errors of fact, not simple "typos" here ) in a history book is, I believe, essential. Save your money for a corrected second edition, assuming the publisher does the right thing.

Great Book Getting Weird Reviews
This is a great book, meticulously researched and well written. I don't know why some customers seem to have a vendetta against it, but I found no significant errors of fact, mostly just some typos.

"Almost Heaven" does a great job of putting the history of women in the space program in contexts of both the Cold War space race and the United States' women's movement. The contrast between the fictional Barbarella and the REAL female astronauts was very funny. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a comprehensive history of women in space. It's not just the FLATS, not just individual astronauts, not just Americans. I'd love to meet the author one day and ask her what she learned that didn't fit into the book. ... Read more

Book Description

How Apollo commander Stafford defused the Cold War in space by leading the way to Soviet/US cooperation.

What an amazing career—Tom Stafford attained the highest speed ever reached by a test pilot (28,547 mph), carried a cosmonaut's coffin with Soviet Secretary Leonid Brezhnev, led the team that designed the sequence of missions leading to the original lunar landing, and drafted the original specifications for the B-2 stealth bomber on a piece of hotel stationery. But his crowning achievement was surely his role as America's unofficial space ambassador to the Soviet Union during the darkest days of the Cold War.

In this lively memoir written with Michael Cassutt, Stafford begins by recounting his early successes as a test pilot, Gemini and Apollo astronaut, and USAF general. As President Nixon's stand-in at the 1971 Soviet funeral for three cosmonauts, he opened the door to the possibility of cooperation in space between Russians and Americans. Stafford's Apollo-Soyuz team was the first group of Americans to work at the cosmonaut training center, and also the first to visit Baikonur, the top-secret Soviet launch center, in 1974. His 17 July 1975 "handshake in space" with Soviet commander Alexei Leonov (who became a lifelong friend) proved to the world that the two opposing countries could indeed work successfully together.

Stafford has continued in this leadership role right up to the present, participating in designing and evaluating the Space Shuttle, Mir, and the International Space Station. He is truly an American hero who personifies the broadest spirit of exploration and cooperation. 30 b/w photographs. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Congress - Read Carefully, Take Notes, & Listen to Stafford
I have read several of the astronaut books, and this one was quite a bit different. I liked the insights Stafford gave on the current space program. Congress, please take note and listen to America's most experienced astronaut.

In some of my other reviews, I mention that I grew up on the back gate of NASA JSC most of my life, and I am also an engineer. Our senior design project in 1994 at Texas A&M involved designing a Single Stage to Orbit launch vehicle. Why did only Lockheed-Martin receive funding for this, and why did Congress cancel the X-33 in 2001? I'm waiting for a team to take the X-Prize before the January 1, 2005 deadline (see www.x-prize.com) , and open up some moments for the privatization of space. Let's go back now.

What I liked the best out of this book was how the Soviet space program was paralleled with the U.S. Space Program, and how Alexei Leonov and Tom Stafford became lifelong friends. It is interesting how the security has changed, where placing a phone call can now be done by a cell phone.

Stafford has much of his Air Force career covered here too, and bits and pieces of Annapolis. I really enjoyed the chapters on him being a test pilot, and an instructor, especially as General Stafford mentions about being stationed in Germany (flying in dense fog regularly makes for a more experienced pilot), and flying out of Ellsworth in South Dakota. I did like how he applied to Harvard Business School, was accepted, and found out 3 days later that NASA selected him for Group 2. There were several details and insights into the Gemini and Apollo days in here, and I read this book fairly quickly. My brother gave it to me for Christmas, and I am grateful that he did.

The last third of the book was about his career after leaving the space program. Commanding the Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB - General Stafford boosted morale so much there (a good story about painting barracks) that the enlistment rate increased 80% at Edwards with Stafford at the helm (good people skills), and a little about running a consulting company.

I can tell that General Stafford is a good Administrative person, and I did like his insights on what happened to the Shuttle program (started off simple, got complicated, breakdowns in communication, too many chiefs, not enough Indians), and why haven't we been back to the moon. I would love to build a nuclear powered rocket or a smaller launch vehicle to get to the Space Station. When are we going back to space?

An Astronaut Apart
This is a very fine book that is sure to benefit all readers interested in America's adventure in space. Tom Stafford is one of America's most significant astronauts, although he is less well known than some of the others. While Stafford's four spaceflights--Gemini VI, Gemini IX, Apollo 10, and Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP)--made critical contributions to the development of American space capability in the pioneering era of the 1960s and 1970s, his efforts since the 1970s as the unofficial ambassador to the Soviet Union for space and his key roles in defining space policy in the United States have been even more critical to the evolution of human space flight. One senior NASA official has said, and I agree with the assessment, that Stafford's efforts have shaped every important policy issue affecting human spaceflight for the last quarter century. In these arenas of Stafford's career this book makes important contributions to understanding. Stafford, furthermore, has a credible and exceptionally capable space writer to assist him in putting this book together. Michael Cassutt is the author of many other books, including one with Deke Slayton. Both Stafford and Cassutt deserve credit for presenting a complex person and complex era clearly and concisely.

This book may also become a benchmark in the historiography of human spaceflight because of its insights into the American/Soviet relationship in space. There have been since the 1950s no two spaceflight programs that have been more closely tied than those of the United States and the Soviet Union/Russia, sometimes as rivals and at other instances as cooperative efforts. Stafford has played a key role in both the rivalry and the cooperation. This autobiography discusses the push and pull of these two programs and demonstrates that even as competition reigned in the 1970s a thawing was taking place that led eventually to the cooperative construction of the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of the twentieth century. Because of Stafford's close association with Soviet leaders and cosmonauts beginning in 1971, as well as during the ASTP program, in the early 1990s he was privy to many of the negotiations and served as a means of back channel communication between Russian and U.S. leaders that led to bringing Russia into the ISS program. That story cannot be adequately told without Stafford's account of what took place in the negotiations.

This book provides a valuable first-person account of significant aspects of human spaceflight since the 1970s. It has appeal not only to specialists as a record of a principal actor in the arena, but also to spaceflight enthusiasts who want intimate accounts by astronauts.

Pretty good
Where this book provides more info from others of its ilk:

- some decent "beginning" tales. I was hopeful that this would continue in such detail to give a full picture of the man. More on this later.
- Some excellent Gemini tales, particularly about himself, Grissom, and Schirra.
- Lots of post Apollo stuff, and interesting ASTP, ISS, and shuttle info. I personally was unaware of stafford's importance in the 90s in organizing various committeees to discuss NASA futures, and ISS, and think it's a shame that he declined the oppportunity to become NASA Admin.
- some more detail about alexei leonov, the great russian cosmonaut (and soviet space program in general) is sprinkled throughout the book, as he and Tom are very good buddies. There's an attempt to present their careers in parallel perspective - sometimes successfully, sometimes not. One nice piece is the Bondarenko bit - this has been reported by Oberg and others, but placed neatly in context here. Nice.

Where this book is no better

- most of the apollo era. Not much new here, little new insight.

Where this book fails to fully satisfy

- No deep insights or understandings or Mr Stafford himself. I'd wager he's a friendly-on-the-surface (certainly seems to get along with almost everyone) but hard-to-get-to-know-beyond type of fellow. Which is fine is all you want is space wonk stuff and policy info, which this book genrally delivers - but frustrating if you really want to understand the man, his families, and his friends. The bits about Faye and the astronaut wives felt tacked on - as if the authors had read Gene Cernan's book and decided "well we gotta follow suit here"...but did so half-heartedly.
- you have to put up with the usual par-for-the-course slightly egotistical way of looking at things. This is by no minds Mr Stafford's sole demesne - all the astronaut's possess this, perhaps rightfully so. I guess that only strongwilled strongego fellers could prosper in the space program. Esp. if they became 3 star generals later. But it does sometimes get to one while reading along (eg when he makes the offhand remark about how NASA folks were impressed by how long his client list was)
- a little too unwilling to pass judgement (and hence even hint at his feelings) on fellow astronauts. An example is where he recounts the issues with Apollo 7 crew and OTHER people's opinions without really expressing his own. Oddly, the major exception is Gus Grissom, whom Tom seems to like but also points out a few misjudgements on his part.
- a little too stiff in general. Even if he didn't tell us, I could tell he was "general-speaking". More and more I wish Pete Conrad had lived to write his memoirs. Those would have been foul-mouthed and crazy. Ah well.

In short I think it needed say 75 more pages sprinkled all about that delved more deeply into the man. Whether this is the fault of Mike Cassutt (who also co-wrote Deke!, which I thought went a bit deeper but also descended even more evilly into "list making"), or Tom's own reticence, or my own critical eye. I dunno.

Still a decent book. I'd probably place it towards the top-middle of the pack. I found Slayon, Cernan, Kranz or Kraft (you really only need one), more informative.

Worthwhile for enthusiasts
Tom Stafford is one of the more interesting and accomplished of the early Astronauts. He had a pair of groundbreaking Gemini missions and then a test pilot's dream of a mission, Apollo 10. He capped off his space career with Apollo's swan song, Apollo/Soyuz. This is a very interesting read for those who know a bit about the early space program and some of its people. Some parts would likely confuse people who were new to the topic and unfamiliar with some of the basic facts.

One complaint is that the editing is very poor and it was clearly not thoroughly proofread. Grammatical errors abound and there are a few sentences that defy the English language. It's a shame. Aside from what the publisher neglected to do, Stafford put together an interesting and very readable book.

By the way, don't miss Chris Kraft's book, "Flight." One of THE best books on the early days of NASA.

Inside Look at the Life of an American Hero
Many books have been written about the glory days of NASA. Now we have the chance to learn about the life of one of the early pioneers of space exploration. Tom Stafford takes the reader on a journey of his amazing life from small town Oklahoma to 50,000 feet above the moon and shaking hands with Russian Cosmonauts in space. Anybody interested in Stafford's giant role in the glory years of Gemini and Apollo will love this book. Stafford vividly recalls both the joys of test pilot and astronaut life as well as the tragedies such as the T-38 flight into St. Louis where astronauts See and Bassett lost their lives. Stafford explains how profound the Apollo-Soyuz project was in his life. He began his military and astronaut career as an avowed enemy of the Soviet Union and eventually became the commander of the flight that initiated American and Russian cooperation in space. This book is a real winner and will delight those with a basic or advanced interest in the orgins of manned space exploration. The only drawback of the book is that one realizes that the NASA of 2002 is only a shell of what it was in the sixties and early seventies. Well done on a great book that adds immensely to the literature of manned space flight. ... Read more

Book Description

This book tells anstronaut Irwin's incredible journey onto the great lunar wonder. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Nice Moon Landing Book for the 10-12 Year Old Crowd
Jim Irwin was the Lunar Module Pilot on the Apollo 15 mission to the moon and became the eight man to walk on the moon. Prior to this book, he had written two others books (To Rule the Night and More than Earthlings) about his adventures in space; however unlike this book, these books were geared for the adult audience.

In this book, the author, writing in the first person, describes his life from slightly before the time he applied to be an astronaut, his selection as an astronaut, his training and his eventual trip to and from the moon. There was a fair amount of material dedicated to the training needed to be an astronaut and moon walker, more than I've seen in the usual astronaut biographies. The book also includes many photographs in both color and black and white, to help the reader understand Jim Irwin's life and times at NASA. ... Read more

Book Description

Astronaut Edgar Mitchell experienced a profound sense of "universal connectedness" as he returned to earth after having walked on the moon. Since then he has devoted his life to understanding the meaning of that experience, investigating its basis in science and in spirituality. His brilliant inquiry is a breakthrough linking science and religion. Mitchell's own voice on this memoir adds a special dimension to a remarkable personal and professional search, answering our fundamental questions about the universal connectedness of all life. 3 cassettes. ... Read more

Book Description

"Columbia is lost; there are no survivors"
-President George W. Bush, February 1, 2003.

In 1995, President Bill Clinton announced that a future NASA space shuttle flight would carry an Israeli astronaut. In January 2003, that promise was fulfilled when Colonel Ilan Ramon, a decorated and heroic Israeli Air Force pilot, was part of the crew of space shuttle Columbia, flight STS-107. Two weeks after it was launched, within minutes of its scheduled landing, the ship disintegrated, killing all seven astronauts aboard.

This book chronicles the selection, training, flight, and death of Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut, over a seven-year period. Ramon was the child of a Holocaust survivor and of parents who came to Israel to build new lives. He personified the best of Israel: a family man, a committed Israeli, a proud Jew, a war hero, and, as well, a quiet, modest person.

Journey of Hope captures the drama, humor, and humanity of the life and death of Colonel Ilan Ramon.

Journey of Hope includes NASA photographs, images of Holocaust artifacts that Ramon carried with him into space, the famous Hebrew poem read at his funeral, and the complete transcript of President George Bush’s comments at the official memorial ceremony for the Columbia Seven. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

thank you
I just wanted to thank you that you wrote this book

I am the book's author
I want everyone to know that this book was a labor of love. I want to help make people aware of the life and the legacy of Ilan Ramon, a hero and inspiring figure for all of us. ... Read more

Book Description

Irreverent, provocative, and filled with fascinating anecdotes, this autobiography by one of America's first astronauts offers a revealing inside look at the early days of space flight and the men who captured the heart of the nation. Wally Schirra was the only one of the original seven NASA astronauts to command a spacecraft in all three pioneering space program-Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Born to a World War I-ace father and a barnstorming, wing-walking mother, he inherited a love of flying and spirit of adventure that served him well. In this chronicle of an important era in aviation history, Schirra takes us into space on his 1962 Mercury flight that orbited Earth six times and aboard Gemini for the first rendezvous of two manned craft in space. Never reluctant to discuss the problems along with the stunning successes of those exciting, formative years, Schirra openly describes the pressures, tensions, and dangers associated with launch.

Schirra does not confine himself to his days as an astronaut but talks candidly about his entire career as a navy pilot, beginning in 1947 with bi-planes, transitioning to jets for combat missions over Korea, and ending with rockets into space. He also offers his views on the space program today and its options for the future. You don't have to be a space buff or a pilot to enjoy his remarkable story. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

An excellent biography from one of space's true pioneers
Wally Schirra does an excellent job in giving his first hand account of the NASA program, missions, and astronauts. His opinions really open you up to some insightful thoughts about the space program and those who were involved in it. The book is a quick read and feels as if Wally is talking right to you as he bounces forward and backward in history through his numerous stories. And a plus, the book came autographed from Wally himself!

Schirra's Space
One of America's first astronauts and the only one of the original seven to fly in all three pioneering space programs - Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo - Wally Schirra inherited a love of flying and spirit of adventure from his World War I-ace father and barnstorming, wing-walking mother. In this revealing autobiography, Schirra takes an inside look at the early days of spaceflight and the men who captured the heart of the nation."--

A cocky, opinionated, American Hero
Wally Shirra doesn't lack for confidence. Then again how would a person, without the self confidence of a test pilot, strap himself to a rocket? A great insider's view of the program. However for all his confidence Shirra goes out of his way to not cast a single stone at the many people he crossed paths with through out his career. A class act. No new real information is uncovered through this book. Just a fun read.

Schirra's Space Revisited
I long have been a huge fan of Wally Schirra. I have always adored his keen sense of humor and wit. Furthermore, his impeccable aviator and astronaut careers always made me feel awe struck. Therefore, I greatly looked forward to reading Mr. Schirra's account of his career. My main interest was to get a real insiders look into the space program - which I believe the book did successfully on some major points. Mr. Schirra's wit pleasantly shined throughout the book - this made the reading more pallatable. Regretfully, the reason for my three star rating is the fact that the book would ramble. Without a moments notice, it would jump ahead in time and backward in time. I found this fact to be very irritating as I tried to stay focused and gain as much information as I could from my reading. I thought that maybe I was being too critical, but this sore spot was evident throughout the book. By the time that I had finished the book, I felt exaspirated from the time warps. Do not get me wrong, Mr. Wally Schirra is still a brilliant man in my eyes - I just found that the book was not a good representation of the the true great man that he is. All in all, for the average reader, I feel that this book has many good bits of information - as long as you are willing to sift through the minutia of time jumps.

A PILOT & A PIRATE
It seems bewildering to me that so few books written by or about the great space pioneers display anything resembling spirit. Wally Schirra's, on the contrary, is a triumph. For starters, he delivers (with the help of Richard Billings) the pace and flair of a thriller, and tops it off with a humanness you can touch. Above all there is brilliant wit and the blend of admirable self-possession and panache that got those heroes out beyond the frontiers in the first place. Schirra is solid role model stuff. He did it (Mercury's Sigma 7, then Gemini and Apollo) - inspired by the daring individualists like Lindbergh who went before him - and implores all independent-thinking readers to take the torch. Our future hopes, the hopes for humanity, he contends, rest not with politicans but with the drive of free spirits. A pilot and a pirate, God bless his socks! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

An Uplifting Story of Life
Unlike most books about Christa McAuliffe this one discuses Christa's life before the selection as teacher in space as well as after the selection process and it is written by the person who knew her like no one else, her mother. We learn of Christa's childhood and her spirt and joy that stayed with her during the course of her whole life. Nothing could take this away from her and with it she enriched and touched the lives of every student she had. Corrigan's book using letters and family history paints a touching portrait of Christa no one else could. Everyone should read this book and it will uplift you farther than you ever thought possible and give you a whole new out look on teachers and what the power they have to uplift. No matter what your backround is you will benefit from having read this book.

A Journal For Christa
This is a very special book for young people, especially university students who are pursuing a career in teaching to read. Even though I can tell from Mrs. Corrigan's writing that she is not a University EnglishMajor, her thoughts are sincere. This book isn't just about a beautifulperson who lost her life in the Challenger disaster, its also about thecourage of a mother who has endured the most tragic thing a mother can gothrough. Mrs. Corrigan's courage in the face of her incurable grief anddesire to reach young people inspite of her pain is admirable. This bookwho is infact about two wonderful people and when you read it, you willbecome a better person..

A Journal For Christa
I found this book to be a very touching memoir of Christa McAuliffe. The book consisted of several episodes of Christa's life. What makes this Christa biography so different from others is that they come from hermom-the person who knew her best.Grace Corrigan doesn't just make us forfall in love with Christa in this book. Because from this book I realizedwhat a wonderful person Mrs. Corrigan is herself.

A Touching Memoir
This book is honest and touching. Rarely do we receive the privelege of being allowed into the heart of a mother who has lost a son or daughter. So much is learned from Corrigan's novel. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Author's Response to Book Query
Message from author Colin Burgess: in regard to the query from the reviewer in South Australia, information on the circumstances of the death of Pat White was deliberately excluded from "Fallen Astronauts" in deference to the specific wishes of the family of astronaut Ed White, who asked that it not be included as a condition of assisting the authors with other vital family information. The omission is regretted, but its absence is also a mark of the respect we paid to all the families of these wonderful men. In answer to another query from the same reviewer, the book in question is "Countdown," by Frank Borman.

Great Variation on Well Covered Area
A very impressive book, especially given that it was authored partly from Australia and over 30 years after these astronauts had died. The authors have done a (generally) excellent job with their research. It was especially interesting to learn what became of the widows once they left the "astronaut family". If there is one fault with the book, it is the inconsistency with which those stories about the widows were told. It would have been nice to have complete stories about