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    Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
    Unavailable
    Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
    Unavailable
    Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
    Audiobook12 hours

    Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon

    Written by Robert Kurson

    Narrated by Robert Kurson and Ray Porter

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The riveting inside story of three heroic astronauts who took on the challenge of mankind's historic first mission to the Moon, from the New York Times bestselling author of Shadow Divers.

    By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the Moon by President Kennedy's end-of-decade deadline, and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch, sending the first men in history to the Moon—in just four months. And it would all happen at Christmas.

    In a year of historic violence and discord—the Tet Offensive, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy, the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago—the Apollo 8 mission would be the boldest, riskiest test of America's greatness under pressure. In this gripping insider account, Robert Kurson puts the focus on the three astronauts and their families: the commander, Frank Borman, a conflicted man on his final mission; idealistic Jim Lovell, who'd dreamed since boyhood of riding a rocket to the Moon; and Bill Anders, a young nuclear engineer and hotshot fighter pilot making his first space flight.

    Drawn from hundreds of hours of one-on-one interviews with the astronauts, their loved ones, NASA personnel, and myriad experts, and filled with vivid and unforgettable detail, Rocket Men is the definitive account of one of America's finest hours. In this real-life thriller, Kurson reveals the epic dangers involved, and the singular bravery it took, for mankind to leave Earth for the first time—and arrive at a new world.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateApr 3, 2018
    ISBN9780525527015
    Unavailable
    Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
    Author

    Robert Kurson

    Robert Kurson is the author of the runaway bestseller Shadow Divers as well as Crashing Through. After a law degree from Harvard Law School, he began his writing career at the Chicago Sun-Times as a data entry clerk, a position which led to a full-time features writing job. In 2000, Esquire published 'My Favorite Teacher', his first magazine story, which became a finalist for a National Magazine Award. Based in Chicago, he is currently a contributing editor to Esquire.

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    Reviews for Rocket Men

    4.5/5

    126 ratings21 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A good accounting of the era, the culture, and the Apollo 8 mission.
    • 5/5
      Very interesting and well researched story of the Apollo 8 mission to the moon. This book is part of the Novel Ideas reading program of Deschutes County, Bend, Oregon. Hundreds of folks are reading and discussing this book as part of the Library's annual program during the month of April 2019. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in space flight and the history of the USA in 1968 and 1969.
    • 5/5
      Excellent read. I can't get enough of this part of our country's history and this is a perfect blend of facts, events and emotions. Good pace, exciting story.
    • 4/5
      The Space Race of the long 1960s (late ‘50s through the early ‘70s) reached its climax with the Apollo 11 Moom landing in July 1969. This is rightly seen as the greatest achievement in scene and technology of all time. However, over the last few years, as the memory and recognition of that great event has faded, another space mission has taken its place alongside Apollo 11.In December 1968 the Apollo 8 mission sent three men to orbit the Moon. This was an adventure of firsts: the first use of the Saturn V rocket; the fastest that men had ever travelled; the furthest that men had ever gone in space; the first time that men had left the grip of Earth’s gravity; and so on. Apart from the technical achievements, this was the mission that kick started the whole environmental movement. By taking the famous Earthrise photograph showing the blue/white/brown Earth as a small ball hanging in space, some much needed perspective was placed on the human place in the universe.I thought I knew a fair amount about the Apollo 8 mission, but there was new information, new perspectives and new meaning revealed on almost every page of this book. Written in a pacy, accessible style Kurson has opened up this historical event in a way not seen before. His access to the key participants has ensured a you-are-there essence to the whole enterprise.Not just for space nerds, this book shows how a society can affect and be affected by an expedition and how brave men react under extreme pressure.
    • 4/5
      Great story of three very brave individuals and the NASA team that made a leap of faith.
    • 3/5
      The story of Apollo 8, the first manned trip to and around the Moon. For example, Bill Anders took his famous Earthrise photo in orbit around the Moon. There's very little new information here, but it is a good story. Kurson's angle seems to have been to interview each of the astronauts and their families, so we hear about their thoughts, and family and marital problems. That's fine. There are extended biographical sketches of each astronaut. The book gives a good sense of the atmosphere for the astronauts and their families. Kurson also includes short summaries of current events. Even though this is obviously just filler, to bulk the book up, I appreciated the context. The astronaut hero worship is still tiresome. For example, Kurson says that no one else would have been willing to make the trip (because it was so dangerous!). I think millions of people would have happily volunteered. "Borman taught elite young Air Force pilots to fly for America and defend her greatness." Rah, America! Based on this book, one might wonder if anybody else worked for NASA, or if the astronauts designed and built the rockets themselves.
    • 5/5
      Review of Advance Reader’s EditionIn 1968, America, filled with dissent and violent discord, seemed on the verge of tearing itself apart. And the mission set by John Kennedy, to send men to the moon and return them safely to earth, was in jeopardy as the Soviets’ space program appeared to be on track to pull ahead in the fierce space race that existed between the two countries. In a rare and unprecedented move, NASA decided to scrap its usual training plan and send three astronauts, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders, to the moon in just four short months. Threatening disaster at every turn, NASA’s scientists, engineers, and astronauts embraced this bold and brave move. Here, then, is the exciting story of man’s first trip to another world . . . a dream fulfilled and an unexpected Christmas Eve gift from three brave men to the world they called home. “Rocket Men” reads like an exciting thriller, filled with unexpected twists and turns. This is a story so well-told that readers will feel as if they are in the midst of this amazing journey. The saga of the men of Apollo 8 is an unputdownable narrative of courage, hope, resilience, patriotism, and love.Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Everybody knows about Apollo 11 or Apollo 13, but the mission that set the stage for those missions is Apollo 8. Kurson sheds a great light on everybody behind and on the mission, but doesn’t get bogged down in the details.Free review copy.
    • 4/5
      The story of the 1968 Apollo 8 mission (of which I had no memory) from conception to fruition, interspersed with the historic violence and discord in this country and the hope the mission gave to for the future of the U.S. Apollo 8 is the mission that preceded men landing on the moon, where the 3 astronauts orbited 10 times around the moon over Christmas in 1968. It was fascinating to understand the importance of it, many felt it was the more important of the two.The book was written for a layman like me and I learned an aspect of history of which I knew nothing. I enjoyed the way that the author gave us bios of Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders from their formulation as young boys to their marriages and up to the present day.
    • 4/5
      Two books about Apollo 8 came out recently. The first by Jeffrey Kluger the author of Lost Moon, the basis of the Tom Hanks movie Apollo 13 and IMO one of the finest works on space I've ever read. The other by Robert Kurson the author of Shadow Divers, also one of the most captivating adventure stories I've ever read. What a choice! I went with Kurson.The book's format is what you would expect. Lots of background on the lives of the three crew members followed by a blow by blow account of the mission. In this case it was about 60% background and %40 mission which seems out of balance. Kurson contrasts the chaos of 1968 with the success of the mission; and to highlight the wives and families of the crew. It is targeting a younger audience: the vocabulary is limited, emphasis on superlatives and gee wiz, short chapters with hanging suspense. Pirate Hunters shared the same. It's a good book but not classic, an easy read to learn why Apollo 8 was so important and the lives of three astronauts.
    • 5/5
      An outstanding overview of the Apollo 8 mission. This mission not only was great for science but happened in a tumultuous time (1968) in this was a unifying force. I admire not on the astronauts but the amazing scientists, the staff of NASA and families of these men. A very readable story with not too much technical jargon.

    • 5/5
      Unbelievably brilliant book! Riveting story telling. Just read it. You won’t regret it
    • 5/5
      I’ve been a fan of astronomy and space exploration for many years. However, this book showed me a history of the space race along with the world at the time that I’d never known before, and names of people I’ve never met, but will never forget. A must read for anyone!
    • 5/5
      The family history...beautiful book, a must listen, very good
    • 5/5
      Absolutely superb story of the most important mission in the US space program.
    • 4/5
      What a story! In the epilogue, former astronaut Mike Collins is quoted as saying that Apollo 8 was about leaving and the more celebrated Apollo 11 (Armstrong on the moon) was about arriving. In this book, Kurson captures the incredible daring and drama of truly leaving Earth for the first time. It's largely based on interviews with Borman, Lovell, and Anders (all still living), each of them a pretty remarkable human in his own right. There's a detailed narrative of the mission -- my heart was almost pounding during the launch and risky in-flight maneuvers! -- but also awareness of all that 1968 meant for the U.S., and plenty of attention to the heroic endurance of the astronauts' wives. There's nothing particularly groundbreaking about the prose or presentation, but I didn't feel Kurson was going for that. Overall, a worthwhile read for new or casual space geeks--maybe for seasoned ones, too.

      Thanks to NetGalley for the free e-galley.
    • 5/5
      This is an amazing story, made even more amazing by Ray Porter's excellent narration.

      I can't help but feel that, much like 1968 when this tale took place, we need this kind of patriotic, inspiring story to get us through this tough time.

      (And then I see something like this proposed Trump July 4th parade, and I think to myself, this is NOT what we need right now.)

      Sorry to get political. These men were patriots, they were brave and they were Americans. It was a pleasure to learn more about them.

      *Thanks to my public library for the free download. Libraries RULE!*
    • 5/5
      Space, planets, NASA are not usually subjects to which I gravitate .So why then did I not want this book to end, finished it ready eyes and gave it all the stars? Well for one, I'm firmly convinced this author cannot write a bad book, can make any subject interesting. It's also because though this is about Apollo 8, it is also about real men, their wives, families and our country in the tumultuous year of 1968.Kurson includes the three astronauts backgrounds, their training, their flight, but also what they were thinking, eating, even how they had to go to the bathroom. Why NASA chose Christmas for this first flight to the moon? Their wives and their backgrounds, fears for their husbands. All the terrible events of that year and how divided our country was by the Vietnam war, and racial issues. Kurson let's the reader in on little tidbits of interest, making for a more personal read. His writing, this story, taking and immersing the reader back into this time, these men and others at NASA who were in control central. At books end Kurson himself takes over, explaining how he became interested in this story, his research, his interviews with these three men who at the time of his writing were all still alive. This was the only crew of astronauts who all stayed married to their original spouses. Teary eyed? You'll have to read it yourself to find out why. It's, imo, fantastic as was the narration by Ray Porter.
    • 5/5
      An excellent telling of a story often times left in the shadow of Apollo 11.
    • 5/5
      A life changing story that has encouraged me to strive for my dreams.
    • 5/5
      Fascinating account of a very important mission I knew virtually nothing about. Robert Kurson has done a masterful job of setting the scene and telling the story of the era, the mission, the astronauts and their families.

      Highly recommend!