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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
This is an interesting book: part travelogue, part collective biography of the nine remaining men who set foot on the moon and what happened to them after that life-changing experience, and part philosophical discourse on what Apollo and the moon landings have come to mean to us in the forty years since Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon. I loved it, from start to finish; I couldn't put it down, and when I did I felt thoroughly infected by the author's passion and 'childlike wonder'.
It's that wonder, I think, that keeps us fixating on the moon, on the Apollo space program, and on the men who risked their lives to reach the moon. Because when you look at the numbers, at the billions of dollars that the program cost, all the men and the manpower and the resources, and what did we achieve? A man stood on another world, but in concrete terms, what has it meant? And the answer is, truthfully, very little. Could that money and brainpower have been better spent solving problems here on Earth? Probably. Was Apollo worth it, in those terms?
No, probably not, but that's not why we went. Or perhaps it was, perhaps it was meant to be about technological advances and great leaps forward, and in that sense perhaps Apollo was a failure and that's why we haven't been back since. But it's not why we should go back. Going to the moon, Smith argues, isn't about the moon, it's about us. It's about giving us the perspective to see our own world in its proper context, an opportunity to see how precious and small it is and we all are. Going to the moon doesn't only help us to learn about another world, it helps us to learn about this world and our place in it. To quote Mallory, we should go because it's there. We should go because it's next, because we as humans have always been about moving on, moving up, crossing rivers and climbing mountains and overcoming the next challenge and the next and the next...
It's incredible to me that my mobile phone has more technology in it than the program that put a man on the moon, and you can't help but think, Why did we stop? Why didn't we push on? Why has it all stagnated? If we could put a man on the moon forty years ago why aren't we further along? Where has that desire gone? If everyone could read this book, perhaps that spark might be rekindled, because one day Apollo might prove to be the beginning of a journey that will save our lives, and who would be counting the cost then?
It's that wonder, I think, that keeps us fixating on the moon, on the Apollo space program, and on the men who risked their lives to reach the moon. Because when you look at the numbers, at the billions of dollars that the program cost, all the men and the manpower and the resources, and what did we achieve? A man stood on another world, but in concrete terms, what has it meant? And the answer is, truthfully, very little. Could that money and brainpower have been better spent solving problems here on Earth? Probably. Was Apollo worth it, in those terms?
No, probably not, but that's not why we went. Or perhaps it was, perhaps it was meant to be about technological advances and great leaps forward, and in that sense perhaps Apollo was a failure and that's why we haven't been back since. But it's not why we should go back. Going to the moon, Smith argues, isn't about the moon, it's about us. It's about giving us the perspective to see our own world in its proper context, an opportunity to see how precious and small it is and we all are. Going to the moon doesn't only help us to learn about another world, it helps us to learn about this world and our place in it. To quote Mallory, we should go because it's there. We should go because it's next, because we as humans have always been about moving on, moving up, crossing rivers and climbing mountains and overcoming the next challenge and the next and the next...
It's incredible to me that my mobile phone has more technology in it than the program that put a man on the moon, and you can't help but think, Why did we stop? Why didn't we push on? Why has it all stagnated? If we could put a man on the moon forty years ago why aren't we further along? Where has that desire gone? If everyone could read this book, perhaps that spark might be rekindled, because one day Apollo might prove to be the beginning of a journey that will save our lives, and who would be counting the cost then?
This is an incredible achievement. It documents the astronauts lives, that made the moon landings possible, but interweaved with that is the story of the author's childhood impressions of watching back on earth. Completely captures the era, and tells the story in a humorous, and compelling way. It is absolutely magical and I would like to re-read it.
“When I review my travels among the astronauts, my mind's eye goes first to the Houston shopping mall where Alan Bean sat for hours after returning from space, just eating ice cream and watching the people swirl around him, enraptured by the simple yet miraculous fact that they were there and alive in that moment, and so was he.”
I love this kind of immersive journalism where the focus isn't just on pure statistics and recounting of events…but on the feelings and personalities involved.
I remember watching Apollo 13 and never realizing what the inside joke the astronauts were making about Guenter Wendt was and never bothered looking it up (call me lazy) until I read this book. Or the fact that Ed Mitchell had contributed to the Quantum Holography theory when just months ago I watched a Kurgezast video on the very same thing. It's the little things like that that kept me hooked. Just how complex and these moonwalkers were and just how little we know about them, especially the current generation, despite their arguably monumental contribution to the history of humankind and that besides being hailed as heroes they were also very very human.
And not to mention the various anecdotes and stories about people involved in the missions, the resilient wives of the moonwalkers, the spectators, the celebrity, the scandals, the inspiration, the conspiracy theorists, and the importance and decadence of the missions themselves were truly enlightening.
I love this kind of immersive journalism where the focus isn't just on pure statistics and recounting of events…but on the feelings and personalities involved.
I remember watching Apollo 13 and never realizing what the inside joke the astronauts were making about Guenter Wendt was and never bothered looking it up (call me lazy) until I read this book. Or the fact that Ed Mitchell had contributed to the Quantum Holography theory when just months ago I watched a Kurgezast video on the very same thing. It's the little things like that that kept me hooked. Just how complex and these moonwalkers were and just how little we know about them, especially the current generation, despite their arguably monumental contribution to the history of humankind and that besides being hailed as heroes they were also very very human.
And not to mention the various anecdotes and stories about people involved in the missions, the resilient wives of the moonwalkers, the spectators, the celebrity, the scandals, the inspiration, the conspiracy theorists, and the importance and decadence of the missions themselves were truly enlightening.
funny
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
This is excellent. Not only are the conversations with the Apollo astronauts (and some family, technical staff and even Apollo nuts), really interesting, but it's relayed with a passion and personality that makes it even more enjoyable. Almost a coming-of-age tale too, or a re-coming-of-age, or something like that. Would thoroughly recommend to anyone interested in Apollo, the space age, even people who just enjoy a good read.
I don’t often read nonfiction, and when I do, it’s normally related to space. I’ve only read a few astronaut memoirs, and while this one is not my favorite (that would be An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield, and I’m linking it here because everyone should read this regardless of whether or not you have an interest in space), it was excellent. Smith takes on the daunting task of interviewing the surviving nine men who went to the moon, though he takes on a different approach than most. Rather than asking what it felt like to walk on the moon, his interest lies in the question we’re always wondering–what next?
This was not only well written, but engaging. I find that, often times, nonfiction can be a bit dry, and while there were some parts in here (Ed Mitchell) that I was nodding off during, there were others (John Young) that I couldn’t put down. Smith is not only having a conversation with these astronauts, but with himself, and sometimes with the reader. You feel like you’re part of the journey. I really appreciated how much time he spent with each astronaut, as well, and how he described them, both his initial meetings and the sort of pre-meetings he obtained through colleagues’ and friends’ descriptions. I was a bit bummed that the bathroom in space topic came up because I’m sick to death of reading about it, but it was short enough (not a whole chapter–I’m looking at you, Mike Mullane) that I only rolled my eyes once. The hunt for Neil Armstrong was nicely woven throughout the story, too, and I really like how it happened when it finally did. This is certainly a book for those interested in astronauts and the space program, but overall, a very lovely read.
This was not only well written, but engaging. I find that, often times, nonfiction can be a bit dry, and while there were some parts in here (Ed Mitchell) that I was nodding off during, there were others (John Young) that I couldn’t put down. Smith is not only having a conversation with these astronauts, but with himself, and sometimes with the reader. You feel like you’re part of the journey. I really appreciated how much time he spent with each astronaut, as well, and how he described them, both his initial meetings and the sort of pre-meetings he obtained through colleagues’ and friends’ descriptions. I was a bit bummed that the bathroom in space topic came up because I’m sick to death of reading about it, but it was short enough (not a whole chapter–I’m looking at you, Mike Mullane) that I only rolled my eyes once. The hunt for Neil Armstrong was nicely woven throughout the story, too, and I really like how it happened when it finally did. This is certainly a book for those interested in astronauts and the space program, but overall, a very lovely read.
This is an interesting book: part travelogue, part collective biography of the nine remaining men who set foot on the moon and what happened to them after that life-changing experience, and part philosophical discourse on what Apollo and the moon landings have come to mean to us in the forty years since Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon. I loved it, from start to finish; I couldn't put it down, and when I did I felt thoroughly infected by the author's passion and 'childlike wonder'.
It's that wonder, I think, that keeps us fixating on the moon, on the Apollo space program, and on the men who risked their lives to reach the moon. Because when you look at the numbers, at the billions of dollars that the program cost, all the men and the manpower and the resources, and what did we achieve? A man stood on another world, but in concrete terms, what has it meant? And the answer is, truthfully, very little. Could that money and brainpower have been better spent solving problems here on Earth? Probably. Was Apollo worth it, in those terms?
No, probably not, but that's not why we went. Or perhaps it was, perhaps it was meant to be about technological advances and great leaps forward, and in that sense perhaps Apollo was a failure and that's why we haven't been back since. But it's not why we should go back. Going to the moon, Smith argues, isn't about the moon, it's about us. It's about giving us the perspective to see our own world in its proper context, an opportunity to see how precious and small it is and we all are. Going to the moon doesn't only help us to learn about another world, it helps us to learn about this world and our place in it. To quote Mallory, we should go because it's there. We should go because it's next, because we as humans have always been about moving on, moving up, crossing rivers and climbing mountains and overcoming the next challenge and the next and the next...
It's incredible to me that my mobile phone has more technology in it than the program that put a man on the moon, and you can't help but think, Why did we stop? Why didn't we push on? Why has it all stagnated? If we could put a man on the moon forty years ago why aren't we further along? Where has that desire gone? If everyone could read this book, perhaps that spark might be rekindled, because one day Apollo might prove to be the beginning of a journey that will save our lives, and who would be counting the cost then?
It's that wonder, I think, that keeps us fixating on the moon, on the Apollo space program, and on the men who risked their lives to reach the moon. Because when you look at the numbers, at the billions of dollars that the program cost, all the men and the manpower and the resources, and what did we achieve? A man stood on another world, but in concrete terms, what has it meant? And the answer is, truthfully, very little. Could that money and brainpower have been better spent solving problems here on Earth? Probably. Was Apollo worth it, in those terms?
No, probably not, but that's not why we went. Or perhaps it was, perhaps it was meant to be about technological advances and great leaps forward, and in that sense perhaps Apollo was a failure and that's why we haven't been back since. But it's not why we should go back. Going to the moon, Smith argues, isn't about the moon, it's about us. It's about giving us the perspective to see our own world in its proper context, an opportunity to see how precious and small it is and we all are. Going to the moon doesn't only help us to learn about another world, it helps us to learn about this world and our place in it. To quote Mallory, we should go because it's there. We should go because it's next, because we as humans have always been about moving on, moving up, crossing rivers and climbing mountains and overcoming the next challenge and the next and the next...
It's incredible to me that my mobile phone has more technology in it than the program that put a man on the moon, and you can't help but think, Why did we stop? Why didn't we push on? Why has it all stagnated? If we could put a man on the moon forty years ago why aren't we further along? Where has that desire gone? If everyone could read this book, perhaps that spark might be rekindled, because one day Apollo might prove to be the beginning of a journey that will save our lives, and who would be counting the cost then?
This book was interesting, and since I knew nothing about the Apollo missions or the NASA space program, I learned a lot. But there was something more that I wanted that I just didn't get from this book.