MovieChat Forums > From the Earth to the Moon (1998) Discussion > Good Books

Good Books

posted 15 years ago by jah1958
22 replies | jump to latest

I am not sure if this has ever been brought up before here but if you liked the miniseries here is a list of really good books dealing with the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo era.

1) A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin
2) Chariots for Apollo: Untold Story Behind the Race to the Moon by Joshua Stoff and Charles R. Pellegrino
3) Moon Lander: How We Developed the Apollo Lunar Module by Thomas J. Kelly
4) Angle Of Attack by Harrison Storms
5) First Man by Neil Armstrong
6) Failure is Not An Option by Gene Kranz
7) Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys by Michael Collins
8) Lost Moon by Jim Lovell
9) Men From Earth by Buzz Aldrin

A look at the other side
1) Sputnik and the Soviet Space Challenge
2) The Soviet Space Race with Apollo.

These are ones I have personally read. I am sure there are others. Feel free to add to the list.

[–] kac11 15 years ago

I really liked these two books, both by the same authors. The books give a good perspective of the Russian space program too.

1) In the Shadow of the Moon: A Challenging Journey to Tranquility, 1965-1969 by Francis French, Colin Burgess

2) Into That Silent Sea: Trailblazers of the Space Era, 1961-1965 by Francis French, Colin Burgess

My favourite is still "Carrying the Fire".

[–] flyingswan 15 years ago

They have a third book that should be coming out in June:
Footprints in the Dust: The Epic Voyages of Apollo, 1969-1975

[–] lseybold-2 15 years ago

Voices From The Moon by Andrew Chaikin is also a great book.

__________________________
"I am a collage of unaccounted for brush strokes, and I am all random!"

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] t_smitts 15 years ago

Here's a great one of both:

Two Sides of the Moon by Dave Scott and Alexei Leonov

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] budman57 15 years ago

I can't believe you left out the definitive book about the Apollo program, Apollo by Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox. It was recently updated and re-released.

[–] jah1958 15 years ago

You're right I have read it but forgot to put it on the list. Definitely a great book and well worth reading.

[–] gheilers 14 years ago

"All American Boys" by Apollo 7's LM Pilot Walter Cunningham is an intriguing read - by a man who was not one of the "astronaut stars" but nevertheless involved from the Gemini years up through Skylab.

[–] Wrath621 14 years ago

Moon Shot - The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon by Alan Shepard & Deke Slayton
The Last Man on the Moon - by Eugene Cernan
Magnificent Desolation - by Buzz Aldrin

Death comes to us all; Press me again and you will find yours.

[–] ellisdtripp 14 years ago

"The Unbroken Chain" by Guenter Wendt (with Russel Still)
"Deke!: U.S. Manned Space from Mercury to the Shuttle" by Deke Slayton and Michael Cassutt

[–] boutetr 13 years ago

There's a book recently published that I just became aware of: "Falling to Earth: An Apollo 15 Astronaut's Journey to the Moon" by Al Worden & Francis French. Lots of great reviews and already ordered.

[–] NCC011701 13 years ago

Well I was going to recommend the Deke Slayton biography and Moon Shot! but it looks like someone else has beat me to the punch about it. A few of those yall mentioned I haven't read yet. I always meant to pick up Gene Kranz's book but never had the money for it. Shockingly enough, even the library in my town doesn't have it. Another one for the list of Stuff I need to get.

[–] tgs333 13 years ago

There's a book recently published that I just became aware of: "Falling to Earth: An Apollo 15 Astronaut's Journey to the Moon" by Al Worden & Francis French. Lots of great reviews and already ordered.

Al Worden's Falling to Earth is a great book! He really spells it out. It was like I was there in the Capsule with him the whole time.

I also really liked Mary Roach's: Packing for Mars. Look it up online, it was a joy to read. Especially the entire chapter about going "number 2" in space.

I am currently reading Michael Collin's: Carrying the Fire. I am really enjoying this book

"I'm a vehemently anti-nuclear, paranoid mess, harbouring a strange obsession with radioactive sheep."

[–] boutetr 13 years ago

I read "Carrying the Fire" about a month before getting "Falling to Earth" so 2 great books in a row from the CMP's point of view.

I'm currently reading Harrison Schmitt's "Return to the Moon" about the possibility of supplying Earth with Helium 3 for future fusion power reactors. Interesting book but seeing as it was written before Obama cancelled the Constellation, it's pretty sad thinking that I may never see our return to the moon let alone what Harrison see's as a viable option to supply Earth with a new energy source.

I'll have to check out your recommendation. I haven't read anything of hers but some great amazon reviews are definitely tempting me.

[–] tgs333 13 years ago

You would like Packing for Mars. She really gets up close and peronsal with NASA.

I'm not sure what I'll read next. Might read up on John Young.

I was sadden when Constellation got axed. But, I have high hopes for the Space Launch System and the Orion MPCV. I know opions will vary on what to do after the Shuttle, but I'd rather see a 500 day manned mission to orbit Mars rather than go back to the moon. Deep space visits to Asteriods are also planned. So I think the future is bright. How do you feel about the Dragon's voyage to the ISS? The anixety is killing me, I hope it is a sucess.

I'm a vehemently anti-nuclear, paranoid mess, harbouring a strange obsession with radioactive sheep."

[–] boutetr 13 years ago

Sorry, been pretty crazy at work so didn't get a chance to respond till now. Must admit I was unaware of SpaceX and the Dragon project. Sorry to hear they cancelled yesterdays launch but sounds like they might be ready for another attempt on Tuesday May 22. The re-usability design looks intriguing but I'm not sure how realistic it is. Hopefully, they will prove me wrong.

I'm not sure if you have seen this yet but looks like Jim Hansen is teaming up with John Young for his biography. Due out this September.

http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Young-Life-Adventure-Space/dp/0813042097 /ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337554163&sr=1-1

[–] tgs333 13 years ago

Funny, I added John Young's book to my wishlist on amazon last week. Can't wait to read it. He has a great sense of humor and I look forward to his comical tales of space travel.

SpaceX is doing some amazing things. I like the idea that NASA is working with a commerical company to provide access to ISS. They outfited a Dragon capsule recently with crew accomdations. They hope to put astronauts in space in 2015. I was up early to watch the launch. While sad there was a cutoff at liftoff, happy that their safety mesasures kicked in at the right time.

Here is their website: www.spacex.com
And another good webste: www.spaceflightnow.com

"I'm a vehemently anti-nuclear, paranoid mess, harbouring a strange obsession with radioactive sheep."

[–] boutetr 13 years ago

I see it's going to be a couple more days until the actual docking attempt. Hope all goes well.

Not sure if you have seen this but Neil Armstrong has done a new interview down under:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/technology/sci-tech/cpa-australias-giant-l eap-neil-armstrong-agrees-to-interview-with-accountant/story-fn5iztw3- 1226343845785

[–] Quornhog 13 years ago

I reckon ny two favourites are Collins' "Carrying the Fire" and Chaikin's "A Man on the Moon".

The one I have read most recently is "How Apollo Flew to the Moon" by W. David Woods. (It's currently in its 2nd edition.) The author examines each stage of an Apollo flight - from liftoff to splashdown - describes the technical issues and illustrates them by relating the experiences of the various crews.

It's worth reading simply because it avoids the conventional linear (Apollo 1 thru Apollo 17) narrative.

"There's no point in being grown-up if you can't be childish sometimes!"

[–] tgs333 12 years ago

I just finished reading: Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane.
Fantastic book. Mike Mullane was one of the 35 new astronauts selected for the Shuttle program. He flew three shuttle missions. I have to put this one up there as one of my favs. What he described of what he felt was the 2:30 minutes the Challanger crew experinced before crashing in the ocean left me stunned and brought a tear to my eye. I had to put the book down at that moment and walk away from it. I highly recommend this book.

Overall very insightful and humorous. A tell all book.

"I'm a vehemently anti-nuclear, paranoid mess, harbouring a strange obsession with radioactive sheep."

[–] boutetr 10 years ago

I read that a few months ago. Another great book and that chapter you mention is outstanding.

Also a real eye opener was the launch abort of STS-41-D at T-6. Wow! Pretty harrowing to hear it from his point of view. I couldn't believe reading about how their family's were on their own to find overnight accommodations along with god knows how many of the public sticking around to see the delayed launch. Thankfully, they changed the system but pretty ridiculous.