Growing Up With Spaceflight: Apollo Part One

by Wes Oleszewski

"Growing Up With Spaceflight- Project Apollo Part One" Second Edition - contains the true story of what it was like for an average kid to literally grow up with the American space program. The premise being that some people were close to the space program, hands-on, working daily with the hardware and the technology that made history... the rest of us had to watch it on TV. The book is the first release in a six-volume series and follows the author from age nine and the tragic Apollo 1 fire that killed three NASA astronauts to age 12 and the drama of Apollo 13's near disaster. Along the way readers who also grew up in that era will read the accounts and say, "Hey! That was me too! I did that with the Apollo models, I watched that on TV, I remember that day." Additionally, readers who were not yet born will be able to get an up-close and personal look through the keyhole of the door of time and experience what it was really like to grow up in that exciting era.

Author Wes Oleszewski is known for his detailed historical narratives published in his 16 previous books that look at shipwrecks, now he turns that focus onto the golden era of America's space program. Those readers who seek technical details about NASA's manned space vehicles and rockets will not be disappointed.

The author has, as always, dug deeper than previous writers into NASA's documentation and pulled out fascinating and highly obscure details of the events. Working with two editors who are, in their own right, experts in the history of spaceflight, the author managed to surprise even them with a few previously over-looked facts. Yet, although technically correct and fact-filled, the "Growing Up With Spaceflight" series is not a dry engineering account. Rather it is fun and witty read that will take the reader on a pleasure trip to a time gone-by. The author has gone to great lengths to add illustrations that are both informative and unique. As in all of his works, Wes Oleszewski has produced a book that is free of gratuitous sex and violence and he remains clear of the personal lives of the people who made the space program happen. This is a book of pleasure reading that avoids tabloid tidbits. Readers will enjoy this book and they will learn a thing or two as they do. By the time that they finish, they will be looking for Part 2. All six volumes of the "Growing Up With Spaceflight" series are completed and available on Amazon.

338 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2015

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read that gave me a nice ride on the way back machine

A great history lesson done in a narrative style. It was very entertaining and brought back many memories. Thanks Wes.

[Paul Kinzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining recollection of a 12 year old space nerd growing up during Apollo.