What do you think?
Rate this book
Hashtag Histories
#Apollo8: The Longest Journey
What if there had been social media during the Apollo 8 mission to the Moon in 1968?
This mission would be the longest and most perilous journey ever attempted by man, and this account will put you believably back inside those six tense and dramatic days in 1968. It is the story of the first manned mission to the Moon told in the form of today’s social media, allowing us to witness the unfolding drama of the mission as if we were following it in real time and as if the participants and observers were sharing their thoughts and actions with us directly.
In December 1968, so much remained unknown.
Would the first manned launch of the massive Saturn V rocket lift off and successfully and deliver three astronauts into Earth orbit? Would humans be able to survive passing through the Van Allen belts of radiation between the Earth and the Moon? What would happen when the astronauts passed around the far side of the Moon out of contact with Earth? Would the single engine needed to boost the spacecraft out of lunar orbit and on a course back to Earth fire as hoped? Would the first nighttime recovery of a spacecraft from the Pacific Ocean be successful?
If the Apollo 8 mission was to be successful, the astronauts on board would become the first humans to travel so incredibly far and so incredibly fast. They would be the first to leave the Earth’s sphere of influence and the first to see the whole planet Earth from space. They would be the first to orbit the Moon, first to set eyes on the far side of the Moon and the first humans to witness the spectacular Earthrise over the lunar landscape.
The narrative of this account is based on actual astronaut recollections, NASA transcripts of the fascinating continual communications with the astronauts, broadcasts of the main TV networks covering the mission and the thoughts of many expert and laypeople observers. There is an extensive list of major sources at the end of the book.
This mission would be the longest and most perilous journey ever attempted by man, and this account will put you believably back inside those six tense and dramatic days in 1968. It is the story of the first manned mission to the Moon told in the form of today’s social media, allowing us to witness the unfolding drama of the mission as if we were following it in real time and as if the participants and observers were sharing their thoughts and actions with us directly.
In December 1968, so much remained unknown.
Would the first manned launch of the massive Saturn V rocket lift off and successfully and deliver three astronauts into Earth orbit? Would humans be able to survive passing through the Van Allen belts of radiation between the Earth and the Moon? What would happen when the astronauts passed around the far side of the Moon out of contact with Earth? Would the single engine needed to boost the spacecraft out of lunar orbit and on a course back to Earth fire as hoped? Would the first nighttime recovery of a spacecraft from the Pacific Ocean be successful?
If the Apollo 8 mission was to be successful, the astronauts on board would become the first humans to travel so incredibly far and so incredibly fast. They would be the first to leave the Earth’s sphere of influence and the first to see the whole planet Earth from space. They would be the first to orbit the Moon, first to set eyes on the far side of the Moon and the first humans to witness the spectacular Earthrise over the lunar landscape.
The narrative of this account is based on actual astronaut recollections, NASA transcripts of the fascinating continual communications with the astronauts, broadcasts of the main TV networks covering the mission and the thoughts of many expert and laypeople observers. There is an extensive list of major sources at the end of the book.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 2, 2015
68 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Philip Gibson
66 books7 followersI am a retired teacher of English, having taught and lived in (in order): England, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan and Laos.
I came to Laos 22 years ago, married a Lao lady and now live with my wife and two teenage boys on our small farm on the forested banks of the Nam Ngum River (tributary of the Mekong) about 25 miles from the capital city of Vientiane.
I came to Laos 22 years ago, married a Lao lady and now live with my wife and two teenage boys on our small farm on the forested banks of the Nam Ngum River (tributary of the Mekong) about 25 miles from the capital city of Vientiane.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 26, 2015
When I was asked by the author Philip Gibson to review this book I had no idea about its unconventional format. I've since learned that #Apollo8 is merely one of a series of e-books called Hashtag Histories. Mr. Gibson also has used this novel format to delve into the fall of Berlin during World War II, the bombing of Tokyo and the Cuban missile crisis. All of the books are based on the assumption that social media existed at the time and individual participants would have "tweeted" various accounts of what was happening. The research is solid and I have to admit I did enjoy reading the comments by Walter Cronkite and the astronauts of Apollo 8 at it headed to the moon. Nevertheless, I found myself skimming rather than reading as I went through the book. This may be more my fault than the author's problem. In today's electronic world, I've developed a bad habit of skimming communication whether it be Facebook, Twitter or e-mails. Such a bad habit does not do the author or his work justice. So if you can resist this temptation to skim and remain focused on the material, I would recommend this book. Otherwise, stick to more traditional histories.
December 2, 2017
This was an incredible adventure!!! Written in a style that varied from news media moguls like Walter Cronkite...to the people in charge at Mission Control in Houston TX...from the astronauts themselves and some of the public opinions of some outside of the US to the "Flat Earth Society" and even complaints by some atheists because the astronauts chose to read from the book of Genesis while in space.
Funny that the atheists who complained of what they perceive as an imaginary Supreme Being did not complain about the astronauts confirming Santa Claus! It was a very adventurous book and just as compelling to read as I'm sure it was to live through!
Funny that the atheists who complained of what they perceive as an imaginary Supreme Being did not complain about the astronauts confirming Santa Claus! It was a very adventurous book and just as compelling to read as I'm sure it was to live through!
August 3, 2015
I’ve been a fan of Philip Gibson’s Hashtag History series since reading the first. He’s hit another homerun, in my view, with #Houston68 – Apollo 8: The Longest Journey. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.
In #Houston68 Gibson takes us inside the Apollo 8 mission during those six tense days in December 1968 when NASA conducted the first manned Lunar mission through the medium of social media, to wit, Twitter. Through a series of ‘live’ tweets, beginning on May 25, 1961 when John F. Kennedy said, “We undertake these endeavors, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
All of those involved in the program, from astronauts to flight engineers and mission control on the inside, to Walter Cronkite and other notables on the outside, are shown through actual historical quotes, only as if they were reacting in real time to events. In addition, Gibson puts this mission into the historical perspective of the Cold War by weaving in the Pueblo Incident—the case of the U.S. spy ship crew taken captive by the North Koreans and held for an extended period, who were finally released during this period.
If, like many students, you were bored during high school history classes—and, trust me, you didn’t miss much—you can make up what you missed during those class time naps by reading the Hashtag History series.
In #Houston68 Gibson takes us inside the Apollo 8 mission during those six tense days in December 1968 when NASA conducted the first manned Lunar mission through the medium of social media, to wit, Twitter. Through a series of ‘live’ tweets, beginning on May 25, 1961 when John F. Kennedy said, “We undertake these endeavors, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
All of those involved in the program, from astronauts to flight engineers and mission control on the inside, to Walter Cronkite and other notables on the outside, are shown through actual historical quotes, only as if they were reacting in real time to events. In addition, Gibson puts this mission into the historical perspective of the Cold War by weaving in the Pueblo Incident—the case of the U.S. spy ship crew taken captive by the North Koreans and held for an extended period, who were finally released during this period.
If, like many students, you were bored during high school history classes—and, trust me, you didn’t miss much—you can make up what you missed during those class time naps by reading the Hashtag History series.
October 17, 2015
Minute By Minute Account
This volume in the Hashtag History series gives a minute by minute account of the Apollo 8 mission told in the form of Tweets written by the people who were involved with the mission and the journalists who covered the mission.
This volume in the Hashtag History series gives a minute by minute account of the Apollo 8 mission told in the form of Tweets written by the people who were involved with the mission and the journalists who covered the mission.
January 9, 2017
I picked up a free copy of this book from instaFreebie.
I really enjoyed reading this! It's a great concept to help bring history alive - and it really works. Despite knowing how things end, the excitement is there and the format holds your interest - the great photos help too!
I really enjoyed reading this! It's a great concept to help bring history alive - and it really works. Despite knowing how things end, the excitement is there and the format holds your interest - the great photos help too!
August 27, 2017
Incredible photography bring this book to life, an account of the Apollo 8 mission, written in the form of social media tweets. Very interesting, very readable, and very enjoyable.
April 6, 2017
I have mixed feelings about this book.
On one hand, I found the telling of Apollo 8's journey absolutely epic. But on the other hand, I think the writing style is a little deceiving. The author claims that the story is told "via modern social media," but just because you created @ usernames doesn't qualify as "social media" in my opinion. It's just:
@randomname: *states a fact*
@anothername: *states another fact*
@yetanothername: oh no!! Will they make it??
Social media is called "social" media for a reason. There was hardly any interaction between the "accounts." Which I know isn't the focus of the book, obviously, but it would've made your series criteria relevant.
I will admit, the seemingly endless list of facts did get a little tiresome after awhile and there were parts where I kind-of zoned out (oops?), BUT I did learn a TON about Apollo 8, and even some of the Apollo missions before that. Holy shit. Of course, I wasn't alive in the '60s so I can never be sure if everything in this book is 100% fact, but it was definitely a lot more than I ever learned in any history class. The photos and mini-bios were a nice touch too!
On one hand, I found the telling of Apollo 8's journey absolutely epic. But on the other hand, I think the writing style is a little deceiving. The author claims that the story is told "via modern social media," but just because you created @ usernames doesn't qualify as "social media" in my opinion. It's just:
@randomname: *states a fact*
@anothername: *states another fact*
@yetanothername: oh no!! Will they make it??
Social media is called "social" media for a reason. There was hardly any interaction between the "accounts." Which I know isn't the focus of the book, obviously, but it would've made your series criteria relevant.
I will admit, the seemingly endless list of facts did get a little tiresome after awhile and there were parts where I kind-of zoned out (oops?), BUT I did learn a TON about Apollo 8, and even some of the Apollo missions before that. Holy shit. Of course, I wasn't alive in the '60s so I can never be sure if everything in this book is 100% fact, but it was definitely a lot more than I ever learned in any history class. The photos and mini-bios were a nice touch too!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews