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Apollo 11: The Inside Story
Informed by extensive interviews with astronauts such as Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Gene Cernan, David Scott, John Young, Alan Shepard, Charlie Duke, Al Bean, Gordon Cooper, Al Worden, Walt Cunningham, Tom Stafford, Dick Gordon, John Glenn, Pete Conrad, Edgar Mitchel, James Irwin, Stu Roosa, Ron Evans, Deke Slayton, Wally Schirra, as well as key politicians and NASA personnel
Fifty years ago in July 1969, Apollo 11 became the first manned mission to land on the moon, and Neil Armstrong the first man to step onto its surface. President Nixon called it the greatest week since creation.
In the most authoritative book ever written about Apollo, David Whitehouse reveals the true drama behind the mission, telling the story in the words of those who took part - based around exclusive interviews with the key players.
This enthralling book takes us from the early rocket pioneers to the shock America received from the Soviets' launch of the first satellite, Sputnik; from the race to put the first person into space, through President Kennedy's enthusiasm and later doubts, to the astronauts' intense competition to leave the first footprint.
Here is the story as told by the crew of Apollo 11 and the many other astronauts who paved the way or went to the moon themselves after Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins. Astronauts, engineers, politicians, NASA officials, Soviet rivals - all tell their own story of a great moment of human achievement.
The full list of interviewees includes NASA employees such as James Fletcher, Roco Petrone, Brainerd Homes, Bob Gilruth, George Mueller, James Webb, John Houbolt, Robert Seamans, Max Faget, Director of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory William Pickering, and Sergei Khrushchev, son of Soviet Premier.
Fifty years ago in July 1969, Apollo 11 became the first manned mission to land on the moon, and Neil Armstrong the first man to step onto its surface. President Nixon called it the greatest week since creation.
In the most authoritative book ever written about Apollo, David Whitehouse reveals the true drama behind the mission, telling the story in the words of those who took part - based around exclusive interviews with the key players.
This enthralling book takes us from the early rocket pioneers to the shock America received from the Soviets' launch of the first satellite, Sputnik; from the race to put the first person into space, through President Kennedy's enthusiasm and later doubts, to the astronauts' intense competition to leave the first footprint.
Here is the story as told by the crew of Apollo 11 and the many other astronauts who paved the way or went to the moon themselves after Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins. Astronauts, engineers, politicians, NASA officials, Soviet rivals - all tell their own story of a great moment of human achievement.
The full list of interviewees includes NASA employees such as James Fletcher, Roco Petrone, Brainerd Homes, Bob Gilruth, George Mueller, James Webb, John Houbolt, Robert Seamans, Max Faget, Director of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory William Pickering, and Sergei Khrushchev, son of Soviet Premier.
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First published March 7, 2019
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David Whitehouse
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
July 26, 2019
Firstly, the title is misleading. The book covers the history of the Space Race from the 1950s to the end of the Apollo programme in 1972. It does this by examining both the Russian and American sides of the story.
It starts with its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between the two nations that occurred following World War II. The technological advantage required to rapidly achieve spaceflight milestones was seen as necessary for national security, and mixed with the symbolism and ideology of the time. The Space Race led to pioneering efforts to launch artificial satellites, uncrewed space probes of the Moon, Venus, and Mars, and human spaceflight in low Earth orbit and to the Moon.
The competition began in earnest on August 2, 1955 when the Soviet Union responded to the US announcement four days earlier of intent to launch artificial satellites for the International Geophysical Year, by declaring they would also launch a satellite "in the near future". The Soviet Union achieved the first successful launch with the October 4, 1957 orbiting of Sputnik 1, and sent the first human to space with the orbital flight of Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961. The USSR also sent the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, into space on June 16, 1963, with numerous other firsts taking place over the next few years with regards to flight duration, spacewalks, and related activities. According to Russian sources, these achievements lead to the conclusion that the USSR had an advantage in space technology.
According to US sources, the "race" peaked with the July 20, 1969, US landing of the first humans on the Moon with Apollo 11. Most US sources will point to the Apollo 11 lunar landing as a singular achievement far outweighing any combination of Soviet achievements. In any case the USSR attempted several crewed lunar missions, but eventually canceled them and concentrated on Earth orbital space stations, while the US landed several more times on the Moon.
In summary, the problem with a book about the Apollo programme is that it's hard to find something that hasn't been said before. With his engaging prose David Whitehouse manages to make the story feel fresh. Recommended.
It starts with its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between the two nations that occurred following World War II. The technological advantage required to rapidly achieve spaceflight milestones was seen as necessary for national security, and mixed with the symbolism and ideology of the time. The Space Race led to pioneering efforts to launch artificial satellites, uncrewed space probes of the Moon, Venus, and Mars, and human spaceflight in low Earth orbit and to the Moon.
The competition began in earnest on August 2, 1955 when the Soviet Union responded to the US announcement four days earlier of intent to launch artificial satellites for the International Geophysical Year, by declaring they would also launch a satellite "in the near future". The Soviet Union achieved the first successful launch with the October 4, 1957 orbiting of Sputnik 1, and sent the first human to space with the orbital flight of Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961. The USSR also sent the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, into space on June 16, 1963, with numerous other firsts taking place over the next few years with regards to flight duration, spacewalks, and related activities. According to Russian sources, these achievements lead to the conclusion that the USSR had an advantage in space technology.
According to US sources, the "race" peaked with the July 20, 1969, US landing of the first humans on the Moon with Apollo 11. Most US sources will point to the Apollo 11 lunar landing as a singular achievement far outweighing any combination of Soviet achievements. In any case the USSR attempted several crewed lunar missions, but eventually canceled them and concentrated on Earth orbital space stations, while the US landed several more times on the Moon.
In summary, the problem with a book about the Apollo programme is that it's hard to find something that hasn't been said before. With his engaging prose David Whitehouse manages to make the story feel fresh. Recommended.
June 20, 2019
The problem with doing a book about the Apollo programme is that it's hard to find something that hasn't been said before - but with the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing just weeks away, the publication of this elegant book is extremely timely, and science-reporting veteran David Whitehouse manages to make the story feel fresh, even if you're one of the just 20 per cent of the world population who were alive on the remarkable day in 1969.
Although he has worked a lot with New Scientist, Whitehouse was for many years a TV journalist, and that comes through in his impressively engaging prose as he takes us back to the origins of the US/USSR space race that would lead to the moon landing. He passes through the wartime aspects relatively quickly, but once the two superpowers are flexing their space technology muscles, Whitehouse achieves a near perfect balance between the far less-heard USSR side of the story and the US. This is probably the best bit of the whole book.
Despite the fact we know exactly what will happen, from the low of the Apollo 1 disaster, through Apollo 11 itself to Apollo 13 and the final missions, Whitehouse keeps the drama going. I had to stop reading just before the first moon landing, and was quite irritated. There are only two slight problems with the later part of the book. Firstly, we've been introduced to a whole lot of people from both sides - whether it's the astronauts, the engineers or the mission control people, and it can become a bit of a blur as to who is who. (It's no surprise, bearing in mind hardly anyone can name the numbers 3 and 4 astronauts to land on the Moon.) And secondly, Whitehouse includes quite lengthy chunks of interview with astronauts and ground controllers. I know why he does it, especially as quite a lot of these are interviews he did himself. But, to be honest, these people can be quite dull. (Dull, on the whole, is what you want from an astronaut.)
This doesn't mean, though, that Whitehouse doesn't capture the whole period and transition from science fiction dream to reality wonderfully. An obvious comparison is Deborah Cadbury's 2005 book Space Race, which gives more details on the precursors to Apollo, but doesn't achieve the same level of engagement, or depth on Apollo. For a reader like me, who is part of the 20 per cent (I still remember building a Gemini capsule plastic kit), there's wonderful nostalgia and great insights into aspects that weren't obvious to the public (for example, how often things went wrong). For someone who wasn't around, the book gives a chance to see what we're missing out on now we aren't travelling outside our own space back yard - and perhaps a hint of what may be possible again in the future.
Although he has worked a lot with New Scientist, Whitehouse was for many years a TV journalist, and that comes through in his impressively engaging prose as he takes us back to the origins of the US/USSR space race that would lead to the moon landing. He passes through the wartime aspects relatively quickly, but once the two superpowers are flexing their space technology muscles, Whitehouse achieves a near perfect balance between the far less-heard USSR side of the story and the US. This is probably the best bit of the whole book.
Despite the fact we know exactly what will happen, from the low of the Apollo 1 disaster, through Apollo 11 itself to Apollo 13 and the final missions, Whitehouse keeps the drama going. I had to stop reading just before the first moon landing, and was quite irritated. There are only two slight problems with the later part of the book. Firstly, we've been introduced to a whole lot of people from both sides - whether it's the astronauts, the engineers or the mission control people, and it can become a bit of a blur as to who is who. (It's no surprise, bearing in mind hardly anyone can name the numbers 3 and 4 astronauts to land on the Moon.) And secondly, Whitehouse includes quite lengthy chunks of interview with astronauts and ground controllers. I know why he does it, especially as quite a lot of these are interviews he did himself. But, to be honest, these people can be quite dull. (Dull, on the whole, is what you want from an astronaut.)
This doesn't mean, though, that Whitehouse doesn't capture the whole period and transition from science fiction dream to reality wonderfully. An obvious comparison is Deborah Cadbury's 2005 book Space Race, which gives more details on the precursors to Apollo, but doesn't achieve the same level of engagement, or depth on Apollo. For a reader like me, who is part of the 20 per cent (I still remember building a Gemini capsule plastic kit), there's wonderful nostalgia and great insights into aspects that weren't obvious to the public (for example, how often things went wrong). For someone who wasn't around, the book gives a chance to see what we're missing out on now we aren't travelling outside our own space back yard - and perhaps a hint of what may be possible again in the future.
January 29, 2021
This could have done with a few less technical facts about rockets, and a few more personal accounts (like, there were some, but even those were mostly about rocket gear). Maybe I'm just too much of a romantic to appreciate this factual perspective, who knows...
August 16, 2019
3.5 stars. It is good, but it is all over the place.
July 14, 2019
Unfortunately this great book is mis-titled. It claims to be the story of Apollo 11, but rather than focusing on the Apollo 11 mission (which it does for probably less than 15% of the book) it instead does a very good overview of the whole of the Space Race. Most books on the Apollo program, or even a specific mission, will go through the Space Race- at least from the launch of Yuri Gagarin and President Kennedy's moon shot speech at Rice University, if not the whole program from Sputnik or even the V2. This book seems to too only the scene setting, without really taking time to focus too long on any one mission. There is a lack of depth to the story because it covers so much breadth. Unlike most histories of the Space Race, though, this book highlights not just the US and major Soviet accomplishments, but goes further and features most (if not all) Soviet missions and covers not only manned, but unmanned missions. The role and importance of unmanned missions in paving the way for the Moon landings should not be, but often is, overlooked. Having read as much about the Space Race as I have, I could tell numerous times where the book simplified (if not oversimplified) events. Still, I think this will be my go-to book to recommend to anyone unfamiliar with this history that wants to learn more (and not only that, but the author does a good job of citing sources and recommending further reading, especially in the astronaut autobiography category, too).
January 19, 2025
Apollo 11 The Inside Story is surprisingly a real page turner, even if, like me, you’ve been a fan of the space program since the sixties and have consumed dozens of books, articles and movies on the subject.
What sets this book apart from the others is the author’s personal interviews and his simultaneous narrative of both the American and Soviet space efforts.
Since the US program was very familiar to me, a lot of it just served to refresh my memory here and there, but it was told in a very engaging style that didn’t make it boring. There were even a few antidotes I hadn’t heard of before.
The Soviet side of the story was explored and explained very nicely and much of it I found very illuminating, even when you obviously know that the Russians started falling way behind just a few years into the Space Race.
All in all it was a fun read even when you think you know most of the story and would probably be even better if you didn’t.
What sets this book apart from the others is the author’s personal interviews and his simultaneous narrative of both the American and Soviet space efforts.
Since the US program was very familiar to me, a lot of it just served to refresh my memory here and there, but it was told in a very engaging style that didn’t make it boring. There were even a few antidotes I hadn’t heard of before.
The Soviet side of the story was explored and explained very nicely and much of it I found very illuminating, even when you obviously know that the Russians started falling way behind just a few years into the Space Race.
All in all it was a fun read even when you think you know most of the story and would probably be even better if you didn’t.
November 14, 2019
En meget god og lesverdig beretning om romkappløpet. Jeg har mange interessefelt, men romfart kan ikke sies å være et av dem. Whitehouses bok var i så måte den perfekte introduksjon til temaet.
Whitehouse plasserer månelandingen i en større kontekst. Boka handler ikke bare om amerikanerne og deres Apollo-program, men begynner allerede med tyskernes V1 og V2-raketter. Sovjetunionens romprogram og dets bragder får like mye oppmerksomhet som amerikanernes.
Det er komplisert å frakte mennesker og andre objekter ut i verdensrommet – man skal kunne sin naturvitenskap. En bok om romutforskning kan nok lett bli vel teknisk for meningmannen.
Men hos Whitehouse er ikke dette et problem. Menneskene er stadig i fokus i hans beretning. I tillegg til livshistoriene til astronauter som Buzz Aldrin og Neil Armstrong blir vi kjent med menn som den tyske rakettforskeren Wernher von Braun og faren til det sovjetiske romfartsprogrammet, Sergej Koroljov.
Whitehouse plasserer månelandingen i en større kontekst. Boka handler ikke bare om amerikanerne og deres Apollo-program, men begynner allerede med tyskernes V1 og V2-raketter. Sovjetunionens romprogram og dets bragder får like mye oppmerksomhet som amerikanernes.
Det er komplisert å frakte mennesker og andre objekter ut i verdensrommet – man skal kunne sin naturvitenskap. En bok om romutforskning kan nok lett bli vel teknisk for meningmannen.
Men hos Whitehouse er ikke dette et problem. Menneskene er stadig i fokus i hans beretning. I tillegg til livshistoriene til astronauter som Buzz Aldrin og Neil Armstrong blir vi kjent med menn som den tyske rakettforskeren Wernher von Braun og faren til det sovjetiske romfartsprogrammet, Sergej Koroljov.
May 9, 2021
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Author David Whitehouse has collected the tales of all the key players and put together a story of tension, rivalry, drama, and tragedies. From pioneers, to satellites, to rovers. The path to success, to the moon, is splattered with sweat, tears, and blood.
My Opinion: There’s quite a bit of tech stuff, but nothing’s too big or too serious. Worst is the dark side of the human beings. With rivalry unfolding there were true tragedies. And then once the goal got achieved, heroes got forgotten, in a sense, their troubles – no longer interesting. Kind of makes you wonder why we try so hard.
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Author David Whitehouse has collected the tales of all the key players and put together a story of tension, rivalry, drama, and tragedies. From pioneers, to satellites, to rovers. The path to success, to the moon, is splattered with sweat, tears, and blood.
My Opinion: There’s quite a bit of tech stuff, but nothing’s too big or too serious. Worst is the dark side of the human beings. With rivalry unfolding there were true tragedies. And then once the goal got achieved, heroes got forgotten, in a sense, their troubles – no longer interesting. Kind of makes you wonder why we try so hard.
May 7, 2024
I grew up during the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo era and the fascination I felt whilst witnessing these incredible achievements endures to this day. This book is a very good short summary of the American and Russian space programmes for those interested in finding out more about these extraordinary times. It neatly contrasts the different approaches of the two programmes. The Americans adopted an incremental and carefully structured approach in pursuit of a clearly defined objective. The Russian programme was dogged by the political pressure to produce a series of ‘firsts’ which while offering short term kudos proved highly detrimental to achieving a coordinated and successful programme. America’s superior organisational skills and vastly superior technology made them inevitable winners of the space race. This is a good introduction to a fascinating subject. Recommended.
July 1, 2022
(2.5) titling this "apollo 11" is really misleading when it's really about the space race as a whole... but a super-condensed version. it's rushed and poorly edited, relying mostly on inserting passages of interviews, which, yes, are insightful and fun, but don't offer the details i was really hoping for. as an overview of the program, it's sufficient, but for a deep-dive into the titular topic or what came before and after, it's definitely not the book to read.
July 9, 2019
I really breezed through this guy and didn't give it the time it deserved. It is re-readable so ill give it another visit when i am less busy.
October 29, 2019
A must read. A great book with a lot of information regarding the race to the Moon. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
December 19, 2025
Maybe like 3.8. Not so much about Apollo 11, but really a timeline of most of the space race. Starts with Yuri Gagarin and follows through the end of Apollo, including information on what was happening between the Russian and American programs at the same time. I think would have been difficult to follow if not already familiar with the NASA programs. But overall good and interesting.
September 10, 2021
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.
Neil Armstrong
"Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot remain in the cradle forever."
Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky
From the start of what would become the Space Race the moon was always on the list of dream achievements for those seeking to explore the final frontier. For the United States the competition started badly. Soviet Rocket pioneer Sergei Korolev shrewdly interested the Soviet leadership in scoring Cold War points through Space adventures. These adventures, were expensive and potentially deadly for those sent roaring up into the skies, but the political point scoring during the Cold War was too much to resist.
Frustration built in the American public against the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), which was founded to coordinate and shake up all of the US’s space efforts after the shock from the Soviets launching Sputnik. The Soviets seemed to excel in the space spectaculars, but gradually NASA started to develop a forward plan.
The Apollo mission as a concept started early on, quickly deciding on the command ship and lunar module docking methods, while more active projects rationally tried to put the pieces in place. The Mercury Project ran it’s course, sending the first US manned flights into low orbit. This was followed by Project Gemini when two astronaut space crafts were rocketed up into orbit to practise changing orbits, docking and other essential manoeuvres needed for Apollo.
It is easy to forget that the Apollo project started in tragedy with the deaths of all 3 crew in a horrific cockpit fire. However, in many ways NASA’s response to this terrible loss of life exemplifies why NASA made it to the moon and the Soviets didn’t. NASA used that accident as an incentive to completely re-engineer the rocket and different modules to make sure such an accident theoretically couldn’t happen again, including getting rid of the necessity of having the 100% oxygen atmosphere in the cabin areas. Methodically the Apollo team learned from each launch, sending flights to at first orbit and photograph the moon. Eventually it was decided that Apollo 11 would be the first manned mission to land on the moon. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins (not my political hero though that would have been epic), were the crew of that mission. They were very different people personally. Neil Armstrong was the more aloof and thoughtful engineer who people found difficult to read. Buzz Aldrin was the frustrated and competitive Air Force pilot. Early controversy stemmed from Buzz Aldrin apparently rebelling against the decision made to have Neil step on the moon before him. Years later their former colleagues are still divided over whether this was simply air force banter or something more personal. However, the personalities seemed to fit together well enough to complete the mission. Seconds before landing Neil made the executive decision to delay landing because the initial landing site seemed unsafe. His cool and calm calculation likely saved his and Buzz’s life.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, although given what it covered it was badly named. More accurately this book should have been entitled “the space race including the entire Apollo programme”. Although admittedly Apollo 11 made more sense in the context of the whole space race, and how landing in the moon changed as an overall goal during the twists and turns of the space race. The Soviets lost because their space programme was not only guided by political directives, it was completely controlled by them to the detriment of long term plans. NASA was undoubtedly under strong political guidance by the US Government, it was JFK after all who set the goal of launching a manned crew to the moon before the end of the 1960s. But NASA was given the operational room it needed to carry out forerunner programmes to their logical conclusions, to build the vital stepping stones toward the mission to the moon. What I found especially moving about this book was the end which reflected on the psychological toll Apollo 11 had on it’s crew. All of the crew to varying levels had problems with adjusting to their level of fame, and the realisation that they not only had experienced something few would but also that they would never get there again. Marriages were broken up. Depression descended and the old astronauts had to struggle to find their way through the world they would remain on for the rest of their lives.
On a final note, noting the earlier excitement for space travel I find it quite sad that much of that enthusiasm seems to be absent in recent years. Some of this is due to environmental considerations. Some of it has to do with Musk, Bezos and Branson. Some is due to such genuine lack of interest. I find this especially sad and quite concerning.
I am environmentalist and a space travel advocate, and I honestly believe there isn’t a contradiction in this. Yes, we have only one planet, that we know of, but we need to consider future generations. We may already have gone past the point of no return with Climate Change. So to deny future generations the remote possibility of starting again somewhere else means we potentially steal from future generations twice over. We steal their inheritance from the past and their hopes for the future. Closer to home, international cooperation in space becomes ever more imperative as the West and China in particular have an uneasy relationship.
Space and it’s opportunities and dangers are ultimately the concern of all mankind.
Neil Armstrong
"Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot remain in the cradle forever."
Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky
From the start of what would become the Space Race the moon was always on the list of dream achievements for those seeking to explore the final frontier. For the United States the competition started badly. Soviet Rocket pioneer Sergei Korolev shrewdly interested the Soviet leadership in scoring Cold War points through Space adventures. These adventures, were expensive and potentially deadly for those sent roaring up into the skies, but the political point scoring during the Cold War was too much to resist.
Frustration built in the American public against the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), which was founded to coordinate and shake up all of the US’s space efforts after the shock from the Soviets launching Sputnik. The Soviets seemed to excel in the space spectaculars, but gradually NASA started to develop a forward plan.
The Apollo mission as a concept started early on, quickly deciding on the command ship and lunar module docking methods, while more active projects rationally tried to put the pieces in place. The Mercury Project ran it’s course, sending the first US manned flights into low orbit. This was followed by Project Gemini when two astronaut space crafts were rocketed up into orbit to practise changing orbits, docking and other essential manoeuvres needed for Apollo.
It is easy to forget that the Apollo project started in tragedy with the deaths of all 3 crew in a horrific cockpit fire. However, in many ways NASA’s response to this terrible loss of life exemplifies why NASA made it to the moon and the Soviets didn’t. NASA used that accident as an incentive to completely re-engineer the rocket and different modules to make sure such an accident theoretically couldn’t happen again, including getting rid of the necessity of having the 100% oxygen atmosphere in the cabin areas. Methodically the Apollo team learned from each launch, sending flights to at first orbit and photograph the moon. Eventually it was decided that Apollo 11 would be the first manned mission to land on the moon. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins (not my political hero though that would have been epic), were the crew of that mission. They were very different people personally. Neil Armstrong was the more aloof and thoughtful engineer who people found difficult to read. Buzz Aldrin was the frustrated and competitive Air Force pilot. Early controversy stemmed from Buzz Aldrin apparently rebelling against the decision made to have Neil step on the moon before him. Years later their former colleagues are still divided over whether this was simply air force banter or something more personal. However, the personalities seemed to fit together well enough to complete the mission. Seconds before landing Neil made the executive decision to delay landing because the initial landing site seemed unsafe. His cool and calm calculation likely saved his and Buzz’s life.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, although given what it covered it was badly named. More accurately this book should have been entitled “the space race including the entire Apollo programme”. Although admittedly Apollo 11 made more sense in the context of the whole space race, and how landing in the moon changed as an overall goal during the twists and turns of the space race. The Soviets lost because their space programme was not only guided by political directives, it was completely controlled by them to the detriment of long term plans. NASA was undoubtedly under strong political guidance by the US Government, it was JFK after all who set the goal of launching a manned crew to the moon before the end of the 1960s. But NASA was given the operational room it needed to carry out forerunner programmes to their logical conclusions, to build the vital stepping stones toward the mission to the moon. What I found especially moving about this book was the end which reflected on the psychological toll Apollo 11 had on it’s crew. All of the crew to varying levels had problems with adjusting to their level of fame, and the realisation that they not only had experienced something few would but also that they would never get there again. Marriages were broken up. Depression descended and the old astronauts had to struggle to find their way through the world they would remain on for the rest of their lives.
On a final note, noting the earlier excitement for space travel I find it quite sad that much of that enthusiasm seems to be absent in recent years. Some of this is due to environmental considerations. Some of it has to do with Musk, Bezos and Branson. Some is due to such genuine lack of interest. I find this especially sad and quite concerning.
I am environmentalist and a space travel advocate, and I honestly believe there isn’t a contradiction in this. Yes, we have only one planet, that we know of, but we need to consider future generations. We may already have gone past the point of no return with Climate Change. So to deny future generations the remote possibility of starting again somewhere else means we potentially steal from future generations twice over. We steal their inheritance from the past and their hopes for the future. Closer to home, international cooperation in space becomes ever more imperative as the West and China in particular have an uneasy relationship.
Space and it’s opportunities and dangers are ultimately the concern of all mankind.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2024
The Apollo Programme and the race to the Moon is one of mankind’s greatest endeavours. The Apollo 11 moon landing was instantly iconic. It turned the three astronauts on the mission; Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, into heroes. And it says something to the achievement that we have not been back in the half century since the Apollo programme ended. David Whitehouse’s Apollo 11 The Inside Story is a history of the programme and the context of the space race between the USA and USSR at the height of the cold war in which it was achieved.
This is a great overview of the space programme to get to the Moon. However, I have to admit I had a misconception about this book. I was expecting and hoping for the inside story of Apollo 11. Much more focused on that one mission than this book is. It does clearly state Apollo 11 on the cover, and the blurb also focuses on it. In practice Apollo 11 is a pretty small part of the book (about 40 pages) so it is difficult to see it as a detailed account. It includes the whole Apollo programme, but also the earlier Gemini and Mercury missions. And before that the development of rockets from WWII on. And finally throw in the Russian space programme as well and what looked like it might be a story tightly focused on one mission has become a much wider history. This is not a big hefty book so it inevitably is rather lacking in detail.
It is the space race so I guess it is somehow appropriate that we race through everything. This is a very fast paced narrative. Easy to read. Exciting and filled with tension as the race develops (in so far as you can have in a history book where every reader will know the outcome before they pick up the book anyway). Either sacrificed on the altar of pace, or possibly through slip ups, there are lots of details mentioned but not explained. Some examples; on p123 we are told Tereshkova flew in space longer than all six mercury flights combined, and Bykovsky for the longest ever in a single man spaceship. In neither case are we told how long that was. On p157 we suddenly get multiple mentions of the Agena without any mention of what that actually is. And along similar lines there are quite a few acron/initialisms that are never spelled out, sometimes several together; TLI, SPS, S-IVB within a few paragraphs, none explained, though TLE is later given as Trans-Earth Injection so we can work out the first.
About the only thing that does detract from the pace is that the book has a lot of quotes. I guess this is the basis for ‘the inside story’ subtitle. Whitehouse has used all the interviews he carried out with astronauts and others involved in the space programmes liberally. And he lets them do the talking, with some block quotes being more than a page. For the most part this is good, giving an intimacy and idea of how they really felt but it does sometimes feel like he is just providing a bare bones narrative to string together the quotes!
Everything is presented chronologically so we jump from the US programme to the Russian and back in the space of a couple of paragraphs. This does very well at keeping it upmost in the mind of the reader how obsessed each programme was with beating the other. We see how intertwined they are and the comparative progress. But switching back and forth can sometimes be a bit confusing.
So don't go for this if you are looking for an in depth book on that historic mission. But for a gripping read on the whole programme/space race then this is a great book.
This is a great overview of the space programme to get to the Moon. However, I have to admit I had a misconception about this book. I was expecting and hoping for the inside story of Apollo 11. Much more focused on that one mission than this book is. It does clearly state Apollo 11 on the cover, and the blurb also focuses on it. In practice Apollo 11 is a pretty small part of the book (about 40 pages) so it is difficult to see it as a detailed account. It includes the whole Apollo programme, but also the earlier Gemini and Mercury missions. And before that the development of rockets from WWII on. And finally throw in the Russian space programme as well and what looked like it might be a story tightly focused on one mission has become a much wider history. This is not a big hefty book so it inevitably is rather lacking in detail.
It is the space race so I guess it is somehow appropriate that we race through everything. This is a very fast paced narrative. Easy to read. Exciting and filled with tension as the race develops (in so far as you can have in a history book where every reader will know the outcome before they pick up the book anyway). Either sacrificed on the altar of pace, or possibly through slip ups, there are lots of details mentioned but not explained. Some examples; on p123 we are told Tereshkova flew in space longer than all six mercury flights combined, and Bykovsky for the longest ever in a single man spaceship. In neither case are we told how long that was. On p157 we suddenly get multiple mentions of the Agena without any mention of what that actually is. And along similar lines there are quite a few acron/initialisms that are never spelled out, sometimes several together; TLI, SPS, S-IVB within a few paragraphs, none explained, though TLE is later given as Trans-Earth Injection so we can work out the first.
About the only thing that does detract from the pace is that the book has a lot of quotes. I guess this is the basis for ‘the inside story’ subtitle. Whitehouse has used all the interviews he carried out with astronauts and others involved in the space programmes liberally. And he lets them do the talking, with some block quotes being more than a page. For the most part this is good, giving an intimacy and idea of how they really felt but it does sometimes feel like he is just providing a bare bones narrative to string together the quotes!
Everything is presented chronologically so we jump from the US programme to the Russian and back in the space of a couple of paragraphs. This does very well at keeping it upmost in the mind of the reader how obsessed each programme was with beating the other. We see how intertwined they are and the comparative progress. But switching back and forth can sometimes be a bit confusing.
So don't go for this if you are looking for an in depth book on that historic mission. But for a gripping read on the whole programme/space race then this is a great book.
August 15, 2020
Like the author, on the night of the first moon landing, I had to talk my parents into letting me stay awake to watch Neil Armstrong make those historic first steps on the moon. As I read Whitehouse’s description of his family watching that first moon landing, I immediately thought of my own experience with our family also huddled around a black and white TV watching these indelible images.
But that is where the similarity ends. Whitehouse went on to a career in Astronomy and began to meet astronauts, and he eventually became involved in the media, with a career that led him to the BBC. His gifts for thorough research and excellent writing make Apollo 11: The Inside Story one of the best books about the race to the moon that I have read - I have many, but two that come to mind are Gene Kranz’s book and Chris Kraft’s book. By far, Whitehouse’s book is more detailed, concise, all the while an accessible, easy to read the history of the space race. It does not read like a history book at all - it is very engaging and hard to put down.
One aspect of The Inside Story that I liked the most was the race to the moon - the competition with the Russians from the beginning, the poor decisions they made along the way, and the race to landing an unmanned craft on the moon only days apart from the Apollo 11. I have to confess my ignorance that for all I read about that period I was totally unaware of these details that Whitehouse included in this volume.
Whitehouse is also to be commended for being able to move between the personal aspects of the astronauts lives and the big picture history of the space race between the Soviet block and the USA. One can read The Inside Story and get a great picture of the astronauts as individuals, the flight controllers, the manufacturers, government policy, and the international intrigue playing out on a daily basis. I have been a “student” of the space race for many years, but I learned an extraordinary amount - in such an enjoyable way - from reading Whitehouse’s book.
I know this is an uncorrected proof copy, but there are a few minor issues. First, “Perdue” University is really “Purdue” University. There are a number of places where spaces are missing, I found “midJanuary” and “longduration” among others. I am sure these errors have been corrected in the final version.
The one thing that bothered me about The Inside Story was the constant intermixing of the imperial and metric systems of measurement. It did not make any sense to me and I seriously doubt that either NASA or the Russians intermixed the two, so I cannot understand why the author did. At times he talked about meters or kilometers, and without thinking shifting to feet and miles. I doubt this is true to science and engineering, so I will always be left wondering why the author mixed the two systems of measurements.
But do not let this bother you. Apollo 11: The Inside Story is an excellent history of the space race of the 1960s and so much more than just Apollo 11 or the history of NASA. I particularly enjoyed the juxtaposition of the NASA programs with the Soviet programs and the glimpses into the Soviet space program were all new to me. This is a wonderful book and I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in the history of that era.
Thanks to the author, Icon Books and Edelweiss+ for the opportunity to review this advanced reader copy. I have voluntarily left this review.
But that is where the similarity ends. Whitehouse went on to a career in Astronomy and began to meet astronauts, and he eventually became involved in the media, with a career that led him to the BBC. His gifts for thorough research and excellent writing make Apollo 11: The Inside Story one of the best books about the race to the moon that I have read - I have many, but two that come to mind are Gene Kranz’s book and Chris Kraft’s book. By far, Whitehouse’s book is more detailed, concise, all the while an accessible, easy to read the history of the space race. It does not read like a history book at all - it is very engaging and hard to put down.
One aspect of The Inside Story that I liked the most was the race to the moon - the competition with the Russians from the beginning, the poor decisions they made along the way, and the race to landing an unmanned craft on the moon only days apart from the Apollo 11. I have to confess my ignorance that for all I read about that period I was totally unaware of these details that Whitehouse included in this volume.
Whitehouse is also to be commended for being able to move between the personal aspects of the astronauts lives and the big picture history of the space race between the Soviet block and the USA. One can read The Inside Story and get a great picture of the astronauts as individuals, the flight controllers, the manufacturers, government policy, and the international intrigue playing out on a daily basis. I have been a “student” of the space race for many years, but I learned an extraordinary amount - in such an enjoyable way - from reading Whitehouse’s book.
I know this is an uncorrected proof copy, but there are a few minor issues. First, “Perdue” University is really “Purdue” University. There are a number of places where spaces are missing, I found “midJanuary” and “longduration” among others. I am sure these errors have been corrected in the final version.
The one thing that bothered me about The Inside Story was the constant intermixing of the imperial and metric systems of measurement. It did not make any sense to me and I seriously doubt that either NASA or the Russians intermixed the two, so I cannot understand why the author did. At times he talked about meters or kilometers, and without thinking shifting to feet and miles. I doubt this is true to science and engineering, so I will always be left wondering why the author mixed the two systems of measurements.
But do not let this bother you. Apollo 11: The Inside Story is an excellent history of the space race of the 1960s and so much more than just Apollo 11 or the history of NASA. I particularly enjoyed the juxtaposition of the NASA programs with the Soviet programs and the glimpses into the Soviet space program were all new to me. This is a wonderful book and I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in the history of that era.
Thanks to the author, Icon Books and Edelweiss+ for the opportunity to review this advanced reader copy. I have voluntarily left this review.
June 10, 2020
This book gives a very good objective and overall view of the lead up to the launch of Apollo 11 and the space race. It was a really detailed account which I learnt a lot from. A lot of people have commented in their reviews that the title is misleading, but I expected it to be able more than Apollo 11, perhaps not as much as the aftermath that was explored though. Despite this, I didn't seem to enjoy this book as much as I have previously enjoyed other non-fiction books.
That is to say, I didn't hate it. It was interesting to find out the politics behind the space race and how it played a part in facilitating the Americans getting to the moon. I did really like the interviews it included with the astronauts. I never really saw their perspective before, so I thought that was nice to give a complete picture and give it a more human context as well.
I can't really say why I didn't like this book as much in all honesty. I think I maybe wasn't in the right mood and I was a bit burnt out from reading a lot before reading this book. Maybe I should re-read it in the future or try to explore the content more and it may improve the rating for me.
I should say I did like the way it ended. It gave hope that we can still go out and adventure to the moon again and potentially to other planets, like Mars. I liked the fact it gave a focus of the fact that Apollo 11 was only a start to more exploring. It made me want human exploration of space to continue to see what other planets are like and how humans can be there.
Otherwise, there really isn't a lot to say about this book. I thought it was very average, it wasn't horrendous and it was worth it, but at the same time it wasn't amazingly astonishing. So that is why I have given it a 3 star rating. This shouldn't be off-putting though, because I think anyone that wants to learn more about the space race or the start of NASA, should definitely pick up this book!
That is to say, I didn't hate it. It was interesting to find out the politics behind the space race and how it played a part in facilitating the Americans getting to the moon. I did really like the interviews it included with the astronauts. I never really saw their perspective before, so I thought that was nice to give a complete picture and give it a more human context as well.
I can't really say why I didn't like this book as much in all honesty. I think I maybe wasn't in the right mood and I was a bit burnt out from reading a lot before reading this book. Maybe I should re-read it in the future or try to explore the content more and it may improve the rating for me.
I should say I did like the way it ended. It gave hope that we can still go out and adventure to the moon again and potentially to other planets, like Mars. I liked the fact it gave a focus of the fact that Apollo 11 was only a start to more exploring. It made me want human exploration of space to continue to see what other planets are like and how humans can be there.
Otherwise, there really isn't a lot to say about this book. I thought it was very average, it wasn't horrendous and it was worth it, but at the same time it wasn't amazingly astonishing. So that is why I have given it a 3 star rating. This shouldn't be off-putting though, because I think anyone that wants to learn more about the space race or the start of NASA, should definitely pick up this book!
July 22, 2019
Today, July 21, 2019, is the 50th anniversary of when two men - Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin- left the safety of an Earthly vessel and place their footsteps on the Moon.
Forever marking our own natural satellite as a place that Man has travel to and explore.
In honor of this day, I finished reading this book. Like so many other books, it looks at the early days of the Space Race - Van Braun and the V2 rockets of WWII; Operation Paperclip and the mad dash to get as many scientist and rocket materials in the days following the end of the war; the struggle between two Super Powers to be The First - First In Space, First Satellite, First Living Organism, First Man, First Woman, First to Walk in Space, First to the Moon and First to Land and Walk on the Moon.
While one led the way, the other's dedication and desire to honor a fallen hero drove them to be the First for the last group...
And just when it looks like the game was over - Apollo 12, the Successful Failure of Apollo 13, Apollo 14, 15, 16, and the last visit, Apollo 17. The last two chapters explore the later Apollo Missions and the lives of the Astronauts after they made these voyages.
Forever marking our own natural satellite as a place that Man has travel to and explore.
In honor of this day, I finished reading this book. Like so many other books, it looks at the early days of the Space Race - Van Braun and the V2 rockets of WWII; Operation Paperclip and the mad dash to get as many scientist and rocket materials in the days following the end of the war; the struggle between two Super Powers to be The First - First In Space, First Satellite, First Living Organism, First Man, First Woman, First to Walk in Space, First to the Moon and First to Land and Walk on the Moon.
While one led the way, the other's dedication and desire to honor a fallen hero drove them to be the First for the last group...
And just when it looks like the game was over - Apollo 12, the Successful Failure of Apollo 13, Apollo 14, 15, 16, and the last visit, Apollo 17. The last two chapters explore the later Apollo Missions and the lives of the Astronauts after they made these voyages.
July 25, 2022
I didn't realize I was reading this book over the anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing until I saw an article that morning about it. Funny how those two things just didn't come together in my head until then. I would say it's a coincidence that I decided to read this book at this time, but thanks to my best friend saying there are no coincidences, I won't.
This book started way before Apollo 11, going back to when the US brought over German scientists after World War II to work for the government, in a program called Operation Paperclip. They wanted the scientists to help them beat the Russians in the Space Race, and set them to start building rockets for the space program. The book goes through all the major milestones and stages of the Space Race, from Sputnik to Yuri Gagarin, and the Mercury and Gemini programs before getting to Apollo. While I enjoyed all the background story and the timeline, I had expected the book to focus more on the Apollo program, and on Apollo 11 itself. While there was good amount of time dedicated to this, it wasn't as much as I thought it would be.
Overall I enjoyed the book; I was just hoping for a little more of the actual inside story.
This book started way before Apollo 11, going back to when the US brought over German scientists after World War II to work for the government, in a program called Operation Paperclip. They wanted the scientists to help them beat the Russians in the Space Race, and set them to start building rockets for the space program. The book goes through all the major milestones and stages of the Space Race, from Sputnik to Yuri Gagarin, and the Mercury and Gemini programs before getting to Apollo. While I enjoyed all the background story and the timeline, I had expected the book to focus more on the Apollo program, and on Apollo 11 itself. While there was good amount of time dedicated to this, it wasn't as much as I thought it would be.
Overall I enjoyed the book; I was just hoping for a little more of the actual inside story.
June 27, 2023
Very disappointed! I had such high hopes for a coherent and fluent exploration of the space race vis-à-vis contemporary contexts and historical events, whilst also embedded with the beautiful, often times terrifying, experiences and technical insights. In a word, this book was basic. It covered the events of every space launch up to the final Apollo mission, hence very repetitive in its listing of names, places and dates. There was no mention of wider contexts - a passing comment that it took place during the cold war, John F Kennedys assassination was but a passing utterance, the Vietnam war, again, mentioned once. Perhaps I had too high expectations, but this was little more than a collation of NASA and Russian records, and it featured many, very long, excerpts directly recycled from certain biographies.
However, of course the subject matter is fascinating and inspiring! And oftentimes the astronauts’ descriptions themselves are thoughtful and beautiful. It still stands, moreover, that I wanted more! Still very very excited for today🤓🤓 quite cool reading about the launch centre which I can see with my own eyes at the same time just on the horizon!
However, of course the subject matter is fascinating and inspiring! And oftentimes the astronauts’ descriptions themselves are thoughtful and beautiful. It still stands, moreover, that I wanted more! Still very very excited for today🤓🤓 quite cool reading about the launch centre which I can see with my own eyes at the same time just on the horizon!
July 9, 2019
One of many recent contributions to the Apollo 11 literature, all in an attempt to cash in on the 50th anniversary of the lunar landings. This work offers a history of the race to the moon between the USSR and the USA. For a while, it was hard to see what all of this had to do with the lunar landing, as this work was trying to encapsulate the entire history of manned flight. The telling of the space race and the race to the moon from the Soviet/Russian side was eye-opening for me, as I learned about the struggles and personalities of the Soviet program. As for the US side, the author does offer some insights about the Apollo 11 crew, but the actual mission does not get a lot of time in the book. This book focuses more on the evolution of the program to get the US from ground zero to Tranquility Base. There are good stories and accounts in here, but I don’t know if this is the best Apollo 11 book out there. A great compliment, especially to get insight on the Russian side, but not the end all/be all book.
September 4, 2019
"In the most authoritative book ever written about Apollo. . ."
What makes something authoritative? Is it first-hand experience? Exhaustive research? Assembling a bunch of quotes instead of writing your own narrative? Unfortunately for this book, it seems to mean the latter.
I find it rather insulting to other works on Apollo to call this one the most authoritative. Of all the books on Apollo that could be in the running for that title, this one is not among them. I've thought quite a bit about why the author felt he could make this claim. I feel that it must be related to the number of quotes he uses. Some of them go on for pages, one right after another. Certainly quotes can enhance your work, but the author relies on them far too much. I know that not all of them are exclusive, either. For example, Gene Kranz's Tough and Competent speech has been printed numerous times. It is certainly not unique to this book.
I was also frustrated, yet again, by a book claiming to be about Apollo 11, when that mission takes up only a small part of the page count. The author takes you back to the early days of the space race, providing you with both the Soviet and American missions up to Apollo 11. I feel like I've been mislead when I have to endure 200 pages of backstory to get to the subject the book claims to be about.
Space enthusiasts should avoid this one. May be good for general interest readers, but there are so many better choices out there.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher (at ALA), in exchange for an honest review.
What makes something authoritative? Is it first-hand experience? Exhaustive research? Assembling a bunch of quotes instead of writing your own narrative? Unfortunately for this book, it seems to mean the latter.
I find it rather insulting to other works on Apollo to call this one the most authoritative. Of all the books on Apollo that could be in the running for that title, this one is not among them. I've thought quite a bit about why the author felt he could make this claim. I feel that it must be related to the number of quotes he uses. Some of them go on for pages, one right after another. Certainly quotes can enhance your work, but the author relies on them far too much. I know that not all of them are exclusive, either. For example, Gene Kranz's Tough and Competent speech has been printed numerous times. It is certainly not unique to this book.
I was also frustrated, yet again, by a book claiming to be about Apollo 11, when that mission takes up only a small part of the page count. The author takes you back to the early days of the space race, providing you with both the Soviet and American missions up to Apollo 11. I feel like I've been mislead when I have to endure 200 pages of backstory to get to the subject the book claims to be about.
Space enthusiasts should avoid this one. May be good for general interest readers, but there are so many better choices out there.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher (at ALA), in exchange for an honest review.
August 30, 2021
As many has said before, the title is misleading. The book is more about the Space Race between the Russians and the Americans in putting men into space and the Moon.
However, I like the book as it provides a very good balance between the Russian and the American efforts. The author is respectful to the contributions of the Russian scientists, unlike many books on the same topic.
The book is relatively short but covers the main events well and since the author is an astrophysicist he has a solid understanding of the physics and engineering behind the effort.
However, there are number of areas I thought could have been improved. One is that the writing style. I felt it could have done with better editing as there were some errors and mistakes. The style is also uneven and switches back and forth between Russia and America. I also felt that a better description could have been provided on the structure of the rockets and other space vehicles as well as the flight path as it is hard to visualize some technical issues without knowing these things.
However, I like the book as it provides a very good balance between the Russian and the American efforts. The author is respectful to the contributions of the Russian scientists, unlike many books on the same topic.
The book is relatively short but covers the main events well and since the author is an astrophysicist he has a solid understanding of the physics and engineering behind the effort.
However, there are number of areas I thought could have been improved. One is that the writing style. I felt it could have done with better editing as there were some errors and mistakes. The style is also uneven and switches back and forth between Russia and America. I also felt that a better description could have been provided on the structure of the rockets and other space vehicles as well as the flight path as it is hard to visualize some technical issues without knowing these things.
July 7, 2019
This book shouldn't be called ’Apollo 11: The Inside Story’, it should rather be called ’Apollo 11: The Broader Pictire’ for I could count the number of pages dedicated to Apollo 11 on 2 hands. This book is more a history of The Space Race from the 30’s to 1972 taking into account early rocket history in Germany through to the competition between the Russians and Americans. Unfortunately, I found the book to be quite badly written. I found that quite a few paragraphs jumped around in the timeline and between places and I got quite lost and confused. How did I end up here I had to keep asking myself. There's also lengthy quotes used from various interviews and books and this came across as quite lazy of the author who didn't seem to want to discuss it himself. So overall I was rather disappointed. I had expected this to be a true, deeper look into the Apollo 11 mission. It never came close.
September 8, 2019
If you want an enjoyably and readable digest of the space story – how the space race happened, how rocket technology evolved, the US-Soviet rivalry from Sputnik to Soyuz, the astronauts’ demanding training, and the resultant triumph of the moon landing – then grab this book.
Whitehouse has spent over 35 years on the case, interviewing the politicians, the engineers, all 12 moon-walkers, and many more. He brings to light newly-unclassified details on the epic fails and near misses along the way, the secret deals and personal slights, and the sacrifices made by the cosmonauts. This is a thoroughly fresh overview, written by a respected journalist for New Scientist and a veteran space insider. Apollo 11: The Inside Story perfectly frames the idea and the achievement within the times, and captures the many people that made it happen, placing the Russian and American teams in equal perspective at last.
Whitehouse has spent over 35 years on the case, interviewing the politicians, the engineers, all 12 moon-walkers, and many more. He brings to light newly-unclassified details on the epic fails and near misses along the way, the secret deals and personal slights, and the sacrifices made by the cosmonauts. This is a thoroughly fresh overview, written by a respected journalist for New Scientist and a veteran space insider. Apollo 11: The Inside Story perfectly frames the idea and the achievement within the times, and captures the many people that made it happen, placing the Russian and American teams in equal perspective at last.
December 11, 2019
I found this a very readable and enjoyable book - yes, it does jump time periods a bit, but it does this for good reason. I noted earlier criticism that the book was not really about Apollo 11, but about the Space Race. To my mind that was the whole point - you can't understand Apollo 11 (the achievement, the risk and the bravery) unless you put it in the context of two powerful countries vying for the prize of 'conquering space' and landing the first man on the moon at the height of the Cold War. It also helps explain how support for the space programme quickly disappeared when the American public saw it as 'job done.'
As someone that grew up during the 60's I found it fascinating - well worth the time.
As someone that grew up during the 60's I found it fascinating - well worth the time.
June 19, 2020
The famed Apollo 11 mission that sent men to the moon has long captivated and interested me. This book tells you everything you need to know about the important people and events that showed the true bravery and spirit of humankind by placing men on the moon.
Initially, I thought this book would be really boring, just a rundown of what went up to the big day and some reflections, but I was wrong. The natural storyline and personal voice showed how captivating this mission and people were. It adds magic to the event of the moon mission and shows you the inside story of how we stepped on the moon. Phenomenal, captivating and interesting, this is a must-read for anyone who is interested to find out more about the moon missions and its backstory.
Initially, I thought this book would be really boring, just a rundown of what went up to the big day and some reflections, but I was wrong. The natural storyline and personal voice showed how captivating this mission and people were. It adds magic to the event of the moon mission and shows you the inside story of how we stepped on the moon. Phenomenal, captivating and interesting, this is a must-read for anyone who is interested to find out more about the moon missions and its backstory.
June 4, 2019
In this engrossing book, the author utilizes exclusive interviews with those intimately involved in the drama of the Apollo 11 lunar mission to look at the mission within the context of the larger drama of the space race. From the days of the early space pioneers through NASA’s Apollo program, the crew, other astronauts, engineers, NASA officials, politicians, and even the Soviets tell the story of humanity’s great achievement.
Included with the narrative are an extensive section of both color and black and white photographs, a bibliography, and a listing of source materials.
Highly recommended.
Included with the narrative are an extensive section of both color and black and white photographs, a bibliography, and a listing of source materials.
Highly recommended.
July 17, 2019
Like other reviewers, I noticed that the book is really more about the Space Race than Apollo 11. I presume this was done to increase sales around the 50th anniversary of 11. However, even for a book of the Space Race, it was uniquely interesting. I loved how it detailed Russian cosmonaut selection, unmanned probes, and eventual manned launches in a manner usually reserved for America programs only. This came at the cost of providing in-depth detail on many American missions, but it was a nice change of pace.
In the flood of books coming out this summer with the 50th anniversary, this is one worth reading!
In the flood of books coming out this summer with the 50th anniversary, this is one worth reading!
October 19, 2019
An excellent read with a misleading title.
This book is about the history of space exploration, starting from the development of more powerful rockets in the wake of WWII, up to and including the Apollo missions. Apollo 11 is covered but not extensively enough to warrant naming the book after it. I was a little disappointed in that.
The space race is described from both the Russian and American sides, which I found very interesting and it gave the book am authentic sense of urgency as both sides struggled to develop the technology to go into space.
A great read, especially if you love space and the history of space travel as much as I do.
This book is about the history of space exploration, starting from the development of more powerful rockets in the wake of WWII, up to and including the Apollo missions. Apollo 11 is covered but not extensively enough to warrant naming the book after it. I was a little disappointed in that.
The space race is described from both the Russian and American sides, which I found very interesting and it gave the book am authentic sense of urgency as both sides struggled to develop the technology to go into space.
A great read, especially if you love space and the history of space travel as much as I do.
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