The Apollo Program: The Story of Every Mission

by Seeker, Maren Hunsberger (Narrator), Matt Morales (Narrator)

In a race against time, the Apollo Program challenged our scientific capabilities and redefined the boundaries of humanity. To celebrate NASA’s 60 years of exploration, Seeker went back in time to relive each Apollo mission. Listen along as Seeker dives into the whole story from its WWII origins to its present day possibilities available for the first time in audio.

Genres:
Science & Technology
Aeronautics & Astronautics
History of Computers & Technology
Astronomy
STEM

Runtime: 1 hour 16 minutes

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction, History

Audiobook

First published March 16, 2021

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was SO beyond excited when I received this audiobook from Seeker. I have always been fascinated by space exploration, and I try to consume any and all media I can find on the topic. I recently watched a Documentary series on Netflix about the Apollo missions, so it was great to follow that up with this audiobook.

"The Apollo Program" is an incredible audiobook succinctly describing the Cold War, Space Race, and subsequent Apollo missions (and attempts). I appreciated that it was a quick summary essentially of the history of space exploration in the USA, and it felt like I was listening to a podcast. It was extremely engaging, with multiple narrators, sound bytes from media, and recordings from missions. I definitely recommend this audiobook for anyone with an interest in space exploration.

Thank you Seeker for providing me with this ARC. I have my fingers crossed that more audiobooks like this will be available for review in the future.

[Amie's Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. Full of interesting facts I had never heard of before. For example; I had no idea that when Apollo 12 was launched, it was hit by lightening - not once, but twice.

This Audiobook is a fantastic and informative listening experience.

At only one hour and fifteen minutes in length, this short-form audiobook is the perfect accompaniment to your daily commute.

I believe that listeners will be very interested in the details of the Apollo program. I consider myself to have a decent amount of knowledge about the United States Space Program, but I realized after listening to this audiobook that there were large gaps in my awareness of this topic. I only knew about the most publicized of the Apollo missions and had not heard anything about many of them before.

You do not need to have any background knowledge on the subject to listen to this Audiobook. And you do not need to be a scientist or engineer to understand this book. All information is presented in such a way that anyone listening can understand it.

I rate this audiobook as 4 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and I will definitely be listening to more audiobooks by Seeker and by OrangeSky Audio.

*** Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this Audiobook. ***

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic little informative audio on all things Apollo. It’s succinct and packed with tonnes of great knowledge nuggets - you learn a lot in a short time! It was so interesting and it was a wonderful insight into our going to the moon.

I loved the inclusion of media reports and news casts and actual audio from the missions which really added a sense of history to it. It wasn’t a dry reading of Apollo history, but greatly narrated with plenty of backing sounds and sound recordings which adds to the overall listening experiences.

From the space race, the road to the stars, to the first man on the moon and the subsequent missions - It covered the successes and the failures of all the Apollo missions to date.

Overall, a fab comprehensive overview of the human endeavour to leave our planet and begin our exploration beyond earth. Really easy to listen to and a great quick audio for an afternoon and can easily be finished in one sitting. I did and the time flew by!

I was lucky enough to read this with thanks to the author and publishers via NetGalley in return for my thoughts and review.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short summary (appros 1 hr, 15 min audio) of the Apollo program. I spent the entire audio wishing that I had heard this in elementary or (even high) school. I think it would have encouraged me to be an astronaut or engineer.

I wanted to know more about Ham, the first chimp in space thanks to Project Mercury in 1961. So with a quick google search and wikipedia found that in 1963 Ham was transferred to the National Zoo in Washington DC where he lived for 17 years.

at 41.3% complete ... to prepare for the unknown ... "this is where NaSA found its first astronauts" ... questioning the word "this". Seems like this audio might be matched with a video; which would be so cool!

I was 4 years old in 1960 where "The eagle has landed" and the quote "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." This gave me shivers, such a huge mark in the history books!

Another reference to "this" (at 72.7%) ... "including this one (rock) named Big Bertha".

In the last chapter, NASA announced the National Space Exploration campaign ... (at around 96.6% complete) "complex missions that will launch as early as 2020". Seems that there should be an update to regarding the National Space Exploration campaign, since it is now 2021.

All in all, definitely worth while. I hope schools snap this up and provide it for students. I loved the snippets of history that were added to the audio. Sounds and quotes from astronauts, President Kennedy and missions really added to authenticity. Really crammed a lot of information into 75 minutes.

Thank you NetGalley, the publishers (OrangeSky Audio) and authors for the opportunity to review this audio in exchange for an honest review. Well done!

[Nengshi Haokip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always been fascinated with space and this audiobook has given me an insight into the first space missions specifically The Apollo Missions. It was extremely informative and gave brief accounts of The Apollo Missions, how the space race began, The Apollo 1, the failures of initial missions, and the eventual success and landing on the moon, and the final mission, The Apollo 17, and why the program ended.

It’s a short book and easy to get through, and gave the listeners beautiful short audio experiences of the space missions. I enjoyed listening and learning from it and I can definitely recommend it to anyone with a curiosity of science and space.


Thank you NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my review and honest opinion.

#OrangeSkyAudio #NetGalley #TheApolloProgram #Seeker

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very short audiobook, but it packs a punch. It’s a summarized version of every mission of the Apollo Program, including original sound excerpts that make for fascinating history. In a time when space travel doesn’t seem like science fiction anymore (at least to the Moon), it’s hard to imagine that there was a time when space seemed so far away. The recordings on this program sound at once impossibly remote and very close. I was born too late, and yet listening to it was like being there. I enjoyed the narration by Matt Morales, but specially the parts read by Maren Hunsberger, who sounds like an informed, but friendly, guide.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/OrangeSky Audio!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The was a really fun intro to all of the Apollo missions. From the beginning it almost felt like a tv show or podcast with all the background music and sound clips. When I started to look at other reviews I saw that Seeker is a YouTube channel and then it all made sense. There were a handful of times that they would say look at this image or referred to something you couldn't see that took away from the audio book experience. But overall this was fun and very informative. It's always exciting to hear clips from astronauts in space!
Thank you to netgally and the publishers for a free copy for my unbiased opinion.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up, I was obsessed with NASA and the space program. This was a great refresher of the history of the program. I liked the enhanced audio used to color the narration. I only wish it had been a little longer and included a little more of what was accomplished with each successful mission. Focused on the Apollo program, I also liked the tie-ins to the Mercury and Gemini missions that preceded it. Another nice touch would have been to include more of the resulting enhancements to our lives, (technology, etc.) thanks to the research surrounding the Apollo space program.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really cool audiobook! It’s a great introduction to the history of the Apollo program and each of the missions. I really liked the inclusion of actual audio footage from some of these historic missions.

I, personally, would have loved it if it were a little bit longer, but I think it’s perfect for kids!

While I liked the background sounds and music, sometimes it made it a little difficult to hear the reader.

I look forward to more nonfiction science-based audiobooks from Seekers.com!

[NinaB · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a concise narration of NASA’s fascinating journey to the moon, from the end of World War 2 to the Apollo Program’s final mission. The narrators spoke clearly and made me feel like a friend is telling me the story. After listening to this audiobook, I immediately looked for the videos that it is based on. The videos are definitely better because of the visuals and actual footage of the events, but the audiobook is more easily accessible. I look forward to more works by Seeker. Thank you to netgalley for providing access to the audiobook for my honest review.

[Lyndsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the general overview that this book provided about NASA’s Apollo Program. While a short book, it packs a punch with stories and information about triumphs and setbacks experienced during the various missions. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration, snippets from the command center, and sound effects.

Sincere thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice short factual audiobook that I learned a lot from. I did find the almost constant background music to be distracting which could be because I'm deaf in one ear and have to focus more to hear things in general.

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love science and space! This audiobook was so good!!

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be an extremely informative audiobook, because everything to do with space, space missions, etc., has always fascinated me.

It was interesting to know how the “space race” began (and why), how the Apollo program was created, why and how did some missions succeed and others failed, what we learned from these experiences and, eventually, why the program ended.

It’s a short book and easy to get through, but as an audiobook it has a main flaw: it has several visual references (example, citing a certain photograph or scene/situation, which we can clearly notice it was meant to be looked at, etc.), which we as listeners are not actually getting to see and experience in full.
This audiobook seems to be just the audio transcripts of the Seeker video episodes about the Apollo Program (of which I had seen bits of already) and wasn’t properly adapted to audiobook format, or it wouldn’t contain those visual references the listeners have no access to.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed listening and learning from it and I can definitely recommend it to anyone with a curiosity of science and space.


Thank you kindly to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my review and honest opinion.

#OrangeSkyAudio #NetGalley #TheApolloProgram #Seeker

[Pninch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audiobook is a descriptive story of (surprise, surprise) the Apollo space exploration program.
The book was an easy and very enjoyable listen for me. Informative enough for me to feel like I learned something new, yet full of anecdotes and even suspense at times to be fun!
I loved it.
The narration was clear and pleasing to the ear, but at times there was a little to much suspenseful background noise (such as pings and other "spacey" sounds... I wonder if anyone ever asked real life astronauts if those sounds have anything to do with actual space travel).
highly recommended!

[Zuzana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief summary of the NASA Apollo program. I really enjoyed this audiobook, it was like listening to a really engaging 75 minute long lecture on the space race. The sound bites from missions & speeches as well as the sound effects and excellent narrators made it a fun listen. Recommended especially to younger audience who are interested in the history of space exploration but don't know where to start.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah Tsibulsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE the Apollo program, so this was a no brainer for me. It's a short summary, only an hour and a half long, and I don't think I learned anything new, but I still loved it. I would recommend it if you enjoy our early space history.
Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for the advance copy!