To Rule the Night: The Discovery Voyage of Astronaut Jim Irwin

by James B. Irwin, William A. Emerson Jr.

A thrilling account of one of the greatest adventures of all time..man's journey to the moon. More significantly, it is also the inspiring story of one man's journey to faith in the God of the Universe. Astronaut Jim Irwin has a unique and challenging story to tell, and I predict this book will be an inspiration to thousands. (Dr. Rev. Billy Graham)

Genres: Biography, Space, Nonfiction, History, Autobiography

251 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

In 1971, during the U.S. Apollo 15 space mission, James Irwin became the eighth person to walk on the moon. Irwin experienced the lunar mission as a religious awakening and later founded an evangelical Christian religious organization.

He retired from NASA in 1972 and founded the High Flight Foundation, an interdenominational religious organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

In the early 1980s, Irwin mounted annual expeditions to Mount Ararat in Turkey in search of Noah's Ark. In 1982, he made it to the mountaintop but fell and was injured. The next year, he flew a plane over the summit to look for remains of the ark, but he never found any. Irwin had a history of heart problems and died of a heart attack on August 8, 1991.

Reviews

[Read1000books · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of only twelve men to walk on the Moon, Col. Irwin's details of the Apollo 17 trip (including catching floating water droplets with a paper towel enroute),lunar surface explorations (they almost had history's first lunar traffic accident in the Rover), and what led him to become a committed Christian will keep you on the edge of your seat.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this book as I was sorting through the many boxes from when I moved. Glad I did as it was a fun read. Very easy to read and as an aviation enthusiast the terms that Irwin used in the book are very simple for even none aviators.

The book opens with the moon mission and after 3 chapters move into the traditional life story to the present arch. This book very much feels to have been written mostly by Irwin. It doesn't blow me away with the writing style but the descriptions of the events during the moon trip and the candor of telling his life story while not pulling punches on his short comings is refreshing.

Oh and I would be remiss if I didn't mention to the others the major theme of faith in the book. Glad this was a part of the book and that Irwin feels as strong as he does about it but tends to run through out the book and isn't just one chapter. Not sure if that is a positive or negative.

Not sure if I would re-read it this book but glad I stumbled across it.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to read Jim Irwin's memoir, published just two years after his trip to the Moon on Apollo 15. This book has the advantage of being written when the journey was still fresh on his mind. Readers can gain a sense of the accomplishments of the mission: the first three-day stay on the Moon, the first use of the Lunar Rover, and the first sampling of the lunar mountains. Readers can also gain a sense of the lessons learned, such as the difficulty for he and Dave Scott in retrieving a lunar sample from deep within the surface and the inability of Irwin to access his water bag during his EVAs (which he suspects was a factor in his loss of potassium during the flight).

Readers can also gain a sense of the obstacles that Irwin encountered during his life on his way to the astronaut corps, which I had not known about until reading this book. For instance, he almost decided to drop out of flight training early out of his belief that flying was not for him. After one flight with another pilot in 1961, he sustained a concussion and had to be hospitalized. Yet he persevered through his Air Force years, impressing with his advanced degree at the University of Michigan and experience in the YF-12A aircraft that could travel at a remarkable Mach 3, before being selected to the astronaut class of 1966. He dealt with marital problems with each of his two wives and what he shares about this here does not reflect very well on him. Yet he ends the book on the positive note that he has accepted God as his "Mission Director." He believes that God has a plan for his life, that every event is in accordance with this, and that he will live with this understanding for the rest of his days.

This is not the most reflective astronaut memoir I have read, especially compared to those written by Mike Collins and Gene Cernan. But readers will definitely learn about Jim Irwin's values and about one of the most productive Apollo moon missions.

[Amanda Stoeckmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

“God is alive, not only on earth but also on the moon.”

This is astronaut Jim Irwin’s memoir. It begins in 1971 with his account of traveling to the moon and back. Then it starts over with his memories of his early life, joining the Navy, then the Air Force where he discovered his great love of flying planes (fast!), and eventually being chosen for Apollo 15, mixed with his stories of dating, marrying, and the struggles of work/life balance as a test pilot and astronaut.

The book’s main message is how feeling God’s presence more strongly in space gave Jim a new mission: telling the world about Jesus. He preached the gospel throughout the world until 1973, when a heart attack forced him to rest. That’s when he wrote this book.

To Rule the Night gives me Tom Cruise vibes — like Jim Irwin was a quiet rebel, a lone wolf type of guy who broke rules merely because they slowed him down.

He writes too fast paced in some areas, names too many people, describes too many insignificant events. This writing style made it difficult for me to be emotionally invested, and I couldn’t help but feel that the sentences of beautiful poetic quality were not written by Jim himself — I’m awfully sorry if I’m wrong about that! Lastly, I felt that the book was leading up to a significant section about his missionary work, only to discover that there not many pages on that subject, which was quite a disappointment.

In closing, it’s interesting to read about a man who walked on the moon and how that experience drew him closer to our Creator. The book made me curious to learn about the rest of Jim Irwin’s life, which is why I learned that he led searches on Mt. Ararat for Noah’s Ark. What an interesting life!

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

My book is autographed by the author, astronaut James Irwin. I loved this book, I followed all the Apollo moon landings in the 1970s when I was a teenager.

[Judy Scheibach · Rating 2 out of 5]

After all these years, a first-hand account of a man's exploration of the moon still stirs the imagination. Unfortunately, this book is so poorly written, he comes off as kind of a screw-up and egotistical jerk. I can't believe he even had help writing this book. I suggest stopping after the first three chapters.

[Lee Thackston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, the book was okay an informative but it really opened my eyes as to the type of person Irwin was. In short, I found him pompous, sexist, and a bit entitled. This is beyond the typical elitist type-A personality that is normal for astronauts - it's an entirely different level.

[Hasitha Gampa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting novel written by William A. Emerson, Jr. and the astronaut James B. Irwin. About space voyage of Jim Irwin.

[Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less religious than I was anticipating. Fascinating account of his career as an astronaut as well as life before and after.

[Jeff Learned · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a space buff, so it was great fun to read of the Apollo 12 mission first hand.