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Two Sides of the Moon: Our Story of the Cold War Space Race
"An extraordinary book."
---Arthur C. Clarke
Space was one of the most fiercely fought battlegrounds of the Cold War, the Moon its ultimate beachhead.
In this dual autobiography, Apollo 15 commander David Scott and cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first man to ever walk in space, recount their exceptional lives and careers spent on the cutting edge of science and space exploration―and their participation in the greatest technological race ever―to land a man on the Moon.
With each mission fraught with perilous tasks, and each space program touched by tragedy, these parallel tales of adventure and heroism read like a modern-day thriller. Cutting fast between their differing recollections, this book reveals, in a very personal way, the drama of one of the most ambitious contests ever embarked on by man, set against the conflict that once held the world in the clash between Communism and Western democracy.
Through the men's memoirs, their courage, passion for exploration, and determination to push themselves to the limit, emerge not only through their triumphs but also through their perseverance in times of extraordinary difficulty and danger.
" Two Sides of the Moon is unique among space histories. If you are looking for a balanced, interesting, and personal account of the American and Soviet space programs during the 1960s and 1970s this is it."
--- Astronomy magazine
---Arthur C. Clarke
Space was one of the most fiercely fought battlegrounds of the Cold War, the Moon its ultimate beachhead.
In this dual autobiography, Apollo 15 commander David Scott and cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first man to ever walk in space, recount their exceptional lives and careers spent on the cutting edge of science and space exploration―and their participation in the greatest technological race ever―to land a man on the Moon.
With each mission fraught with perilous tasks, and each space program touched by tragedy, these parallel tales of adventure and heroism read like a modern-day thriller. Cutting fast between their differing recollections, this book reveals, in a very personal way, the drama of one of the most ambitious contests ever embarked on by man, set against the conflict that once held the world in the clash between Communism and Western democracy.
Through the men's memoirs, their courage, passion for exploration, and determination to push themselves to the limit, emerge not only through their triumphs but also through their perseverance in times of extraordinary difficulty and danger.
" Two Sides of the Moon is unique among space histories. If you are looking for a balanced, interesting, and personal account of the American and Soviet space programs during the 1960s and 1970s this is it."
--- Astronomy magazine
448 pages, Paperback
First published May 4, 2004
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March 1, 2022
The story of the Cold War Space Race as told through the memories of two of its rival participants. Alexei Leonov was the first person to undertake a spacewalk as part of the Voskhod-2 mission in 1965, and later commanded Soyuz-19, the Soviet part of the Apollo-Soyuz mission. David Scott was commander of Apollo-15 and the seventh man to walk on the moon. Prior to that he had been part of the Gemini-8 and Apollo-9 missions. The early part of the book also describes each man’s time as a fighter pilot with their respective air forces.
The book was published in 2006. Alexei Leonov died in October 2019. David Scott is still alive at the time of writing.
It's hard to describe now just how much the Space Race gripped the public imagination at the time, even though I only remember the later stages of it. Both authors describe how it was really about each side demonstrating not just their technological but their ideological superiority. There were tragedies on both sides and frequent near misses, and the reader can’t help thinking that the intense competitiveness of the Race led to some shortcuts being taken. Leonov nearly died during his spacewalk and again when Voskhod-2 had serious problems during re-entry. Scott explains that the Gemini-8 mission also came within seconds of disaster. Both authors write very movingly of the friends they lost.
The book swaps between the two accounts and is very entertainingly written. Naturally some of the best parts are in the descriptions of the missions themselves, especially of Voskhod-2 and of Scott’s time on the Moon. There are also plenty of insights into the workings of the space programmes, such as only these insiders could provide. Even though they were on different sides, the astronauts and cosmonauts respected each other as fellow-members of an elite, and Leonov and Scott became friends when they worked together on the planning of Apollo-Soyuz.
Leonov was also a bit of an artist who made a number of drawings in space, that he later turned into paintings. You can find many of them on the web.
This is a very easy read but also an informative one, and would I think be enjoyed by anyone who has an interest in the history of human spaceflight.
The book was published in 2006. Alexei Leonov died in October 2019. David Scott is still alive at the time of writing.
It's hard to describe now just how much the Space Race gripped the public imagination at the time, even though I only remember the later stages of it. Both authors describe how it was really about each side demonstrating not just their technological but their ideological superiority. There were tragedies on both sides and frequent near misses, and the reader can’t help thinking that the intense competitiveness of the Race led to some shortcuts being taken. Leonov nearly died during his spacewalk and again when Voskhod-2 had serious problems during re-entry. Scott explains that the Gemini-8 mission also came within seconds of disaster. Both authors write very movingly of the friends they lost.
The book swaps between the two accounts and is very entertainingly written. Naturally some of the best parts are in the descriptions of the missions themselves, especially of Voskhod-2 and of Scott’s time on the Moon. There are also plenty of insights into the workings of the space programmes, such as only these insiders could provide. Even though they were on different sides, the astronauts and cosmonauts respected each other as fellow-members of an elite, and Leonov and Scott became friends when they worked together on the planning of Apollo-Soyuz.
Leonov was also a bit of an artist who made a number of drawings in space, that he later turned into paintings. You can find many of them on the web.
This is a very easy read but also an informative one, and would I think be enjoyed by anyone who has an interest in the history of human spaceflight.
September 10, 2013
In another setting, Alexei Leonov and David Scott could have been the cause of the other's death. Fighter pilots from empires at odds with one another, intermittently on the edge of war with the fate of the planet hanging in the balance, they would have surely entered combat against one another had the Cold War ever become hot. But instead, one manifestation of the tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, the Space Race to the moon, made them first respectful rivals, then friends. Two Sides of the Moon is a joint biography of the pair, telling their experience as active participants in the race for the stars. Both men were highly accomplished: Leonov was the first man to walk in space, and Scott commanded Apollo 15, the first explicitly scientific lunar mission. And yet they regarded the Apollo-Soyuz mission as their greatest achievement, for there they established to all the world their conviction the space race had been the triumph of humanity against the odds and the elements, not one nation or one group of men against another.
Readers will welcome Two Sides of the Moon as a rare look into the Soviet space program, and Leonov is the best man living to deliver an autobiographical account of it, given that everyone more famous than him in the Soviet program is long dead. Each man takes turns telling his side of the story, from their boyhood days until the culmination of the race in Apollo-Soyuz, in which spacecraft from both powers unite, demonstrating the feasibility of international cooperation, to which the International Space Station is a tribute. Although their stories are wholly distinct from the other, they do work in references to their shared experiences and this combined effort: Scott comments upon seeing the Earth from space that they "should have sent an artist": Leonov, appropriately enough, was a painter. Another reference is Leonov revealing an early death in the Soyuz program caused by a spark in a pure-oxygen atmosphere, a disaster that the United States experienced for itself when Gus Gussom, Ed White (first American to spacewalk) and Roger Chaffey were killed in a launchpad fire caused by the a spark same flammable, pressurized atmosphere. Their accounts offer comments and comparisons about the two space programs: despite their sensitive nature, information leaked through intelligence services reliably. By the authors' account, a feeling of cameradie between the astro- and cosmo-nauts established itself early: despite their being opposing military men, the would-be spacefarers from either side of the Iron Curtain were exposing themselves to extraordinary risks, and under extraordinary scrutiny. When one man from one program fell, they all felt it -- by this account. The Soviet program was distinct in being lead in its early years by Sergei Korolev, the "Chief Designer": Leonov presents him as a driving force behind the Soviet's organization and planning, and when he died in 1966, their program began faltering. (It didn't help that by that point, ambitions were truly lunar and new rockets were being introduced into both programs -- NASA had far better success with its moon-bound Saturns than the Soviets did with their rockets.) The American astronauts were wholly unaware of his role in the Soviet program, one of the few complete surprises their joint account reveals. The book moves more swiftly through the post-Apollo 11 years, mentioning the Salyut project briefly before giving more attention to Apollo-Soyuz, in which the two men both took part. The book ends with epilogues in which both men comment on the fates of their programs in recent years, and offer musings on what might lay ahead: David Scott offered the idea that nations might have to introduce orbital military patrols to investigate newly-launched satellites.
Two Sides of the Moon recommends itself to those interested in the space race, chiefly for Leonov's contributions. Although Scott is a fair writer with helpful technical explanations and many interesting missions, there are so many Apollo biographies out there that his is hard-pressed to rise out among them. Leonov, on the other hand, is nearly alone in offering a Russian view for the English market, and as mentioned easily the best man living to offer an account, given that his close friends like Yuri Gagarin, and his old bosses (including Korlev) are deceased. Two Sides makes the space race out to be an inspiring struggle between two powers whose accomplishments were noble even if their motives were suspect, and reinforces the fact that despite the distinctions and oppositions in our cultures and beliefs, humans are really not so different from one another: underneath the suit of the American astronaut and the Soviet cosmonaut is the same human flesh.
"When Apollo 11 had soared away from Cape Kennedy I had kept my fingers crossed. I wanted man to succeed in making it to the moon. If it couldn't be me, let it be this crew, I thought, with that we in Russia call 'white envy' - envy mixed with admiration. [...] On the morning of 21 July 1969 everyone forgot, for a few moments, that we were citizens of different countries on Earth. That moment really united the human race. Even in the military center where I stood, where military men were observing the achievements of our rival superpower, there was loud applause."
p. 247, Alexei Leonov
Related:
Into that Silent Sea, Francis French and Colin Burgess, a history of both programs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_Tha...
Moon Shot, Alan Shephard and Deke Slayton. Likewise a joint effort, this culminates in Apollo-Soyuz.
http://thisweekatthelibrary.blogspot....
"Surprise!", Prometheus Music. This celebrates Sputnik and the space age; it's a rather lively tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c_85...
Readers will welcome Two Sides of the Moon as a rare look into the Soviet space program, and Leonov is the best man living to deliver an autobiographical account of it, given that everyone more famous than him in the Soviet program is long dead. Each man takes turns telling his side of the story, from their boyhood days until the culmination of the race in Apollo-Soyuz, in which spacecraft from both powers unite, demonstrating the feasibility of international cooperation, to which the International Space Station is a tribute. Although their stories are wholly distinct from the other, they do work in references to their shared experiences and this combined effort: Scott comments upon seeing the Earth from space that they "should have sent an artist": Leonov, appropriately enough, was a painter. Another reference is Leonov revealing an early death in the Soyuz program caused by a spark in a pure-oxygen atmosphere, a disaster that the United States experienced for itself when Gus Gussom, Ed White (first American to spacewalk) and Roger Chaffey were killed in a launchpad fire caused by the a spark same flammable, pressurized atmosphere. Their accounts offer comments and comparisons about the two space programs: despite their sensitive nature, information leaked through intelligence services reliably. By the authors' account, a feeling of cameradie between the astro- and cosmo-nauts established itself early: despite their being opposing military men, the would-be spacefarers from either side of the Iron Curtain were exposing themselves to extraordinary risks, and under extraordinary scrutiny. When one man from one program fell, they all felt it -- by this account. The Soviet program was distinct in being lead in its early years by Sergei Korolev, the "Chief Designer": Leonov presents him as a driving force behind the Soviet's organization and planning, and when he died in 1966, their program began faltering. (It didn't help that by that point, ambitions were truly lunar and new rockets were being introduced into both programs -- NASA had far better success with its moon-bound Saturns than the Soviets did with their rockets.) The American astronauts were wholly unaware of his role in the Soviet program, one of the few complete surprises their joint account reveals. The book moves more swiftly through the post-Apollo 11 years, mentioning the Salyut project briefly before giving more attention to Apollo-Soyuz, in which the two men both took part. The book ends with epilogues in which both men comment on the fates of their programs in recent years, and offer musings on what might lay ahead: David Scott offered the idea that nations might have to introduce orbital military patrols to investigate newly-launched satellites.
Two Sides of the Moon recommends itself to those interested in the space race, chiefly for Leonov's contributions. Although Scott is a fair writer with helpful technical explanations and many interesting missions, there are so many Apollo biographies out there that his is hard-pressed to rise out among them. Leonov, on the other hand, is nearly alone in offering a Russian view for the English market, and as mentioned easily the best man living to offer an account, given that his close friends like Yuri Gagarin, and his old bosses (including Korlev) are deceased. Two Sides makes the space race out to be an inspiring struggle between two powers whose accomplishments were noble even if their motives were suspect, and reinforces the fact that despite the distinctions and oppositions in our cultures and beliefs, humans are really not so different from one another: underneath the suit of the American astronaut and the Soviet cosmonaut is the same human flesh.
"When Apollo 11 had soared away from Cape Kennedy I had kept my fingers crossed. I wanted man to succeed in making it to the moon. If it couldn't be me, let it be this crew, I thought, with that we in Russia call 'white envy' - envy mixed with admiration. [...] On the morning of 21 July 1969 everyone forgot, for a few moments, that we were citizens of different countries on Earth. That moment really united the human race. Even in the military center where I stood, where military men were observing the achievements of our rival superpower, there was loud applause."
p. 247, Alexei Leonov
Related:
Into that Silent Sea, Francis French and Colin Burgess, a history of both programs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_Tha...
Moon Shot, Alan Shephard and Deke Slayton. Likewise a joint effort, this culminates in Apollo-Soyuz.
http://thisweekatthelibrary.blogspot....
"Surprise!", Prometheus Music. This celebrates Sputnik and the space age; it's a rather lively tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c_85...
November 23, 2011
At first glance, this appears to be another story about the space race. But it really does go beyond the race itself, and uniquely focuses on the lives of two men directly involved, albeit on opposite sides of that race. The fact that the book was a joint memoir is fascinating to me. You get a real feel for how the space race was on both sides. Getting the Russian perspective from Leonov was very interesting to me, because so much of their history had to slowly reveal itself over time, where as the American achievements were broadcast for the entire world to see live. I learned about just how far ahead the Russians were, and how their Chief Designer was the true genius behind all of their early triumphs, and how his death set them back years. And the best part is that Leonov tells the Russian side beautifully. It gave me a true appreciation for what they accomplished, and how the cosmonauts were dedicated professionals, same as their American counterparts. The best part of David Scott's story is when we recalls in vivid detail his Apollo 15 mission, from training, to splash down and recovery. This is an exceptionally well written memoir, and it should be required reading for any fan of that part of human history. Much like a good novel, there is tragedy and triumph, with memorable characters, and exotic locations (the moon). At the end, you should be left with an admiration for both men, as well as the sudden urge to look up into the night sky at the moon.
July 18, 2023
A sweeping, detailed — if occasionally rose-tinted —account of the Space Race and how it unfolded. I really enjoyed the dual perspective narrative and found the unique struggles and joys of not only these astronauts’ (or cosmonauts if you happen to be Russian) careers but their collogues’s as well both major and everyday to be utterly fascinating.
Read
October 12, 2017I enjoyed this book a lot because it told the space race from both sides and told the story of the astronauts and cosmonauts who made history. The book constantly switches between the perspectives of the two pioneers to show what they were doing during different times of history. The pioneers in question are David Scott and Alexi Leonov. (Alexi Leonov was the first man to walk in space and David Scott who when on the Gemini 8 which was originally scheduled to last three days due to a malfunctioning thruster The crew had to perform the first successful docking of two vehicles in space and demonstrated great piloting skill in overcoming the thruster problem and bringing the spacecraft to a safe landing) The book itself is very well written and gives the reader an insight into soviet life and american at the time.
June 5, 2021
The Cold War Space Race through the eyes of two of its participants: Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first man to walk in space and later commander of the Russian crew for the joint Apollo-Soyuz mission, and astronaut David Scott, who after participating in Gemini 8 and Apollp 9 went on to command Apollo 15 on the moon, each tell their side of the story in this joint memoir. I really liked the idea of this format, which worked out just as well as I'd hoped.
November 16, 2024
A personal account involving Cold War Politics + History + Aerospace Nerdery- YES PLEASE!! This book had the recipe for amazing and it was everything I hoped it would be. The story switched between a Russian Cosmonaut and American Astronaut. The dichotomy of their experience writes the story itself from the control of communism to the flare of capitalism.
October 2, 2010
Aside from having a general interest in space exploration history I wanted to read this book for several reasons. First, I like Dave Scott. He seems to be one of the more accessible Apollo veterans, more of an everyman. Second, Apollo 15 was one of my favorites of the six successful missions. Third, I was interested to get a view from the Russian perspective. And finally, how could I resist a book with a foreward by Neil Armstrong and an introduction by Tom Hanks? The book did not disappoint. The tale of the hair-raising Gemini 8 mission was amazing, and Sergeis vignettes of the Russian program were equally astounding.
March 25, 2010
My enduring image of this book is the story of how Leonov and a fellow cosmonaut, having survived the ordeal of a journey in space and a hard landing on earth are stranded in their capsule miles off course, battling the cold and at risk of being eaten by bears! An easy read but a very illuminating one.
Read
April 1, 2021The story of the Space Race is described in this book from two perspectives interwoven beautifully. David Scott, commander of the Apollo 15, one of the most complex science expeditions to the moon, describes his life and the US space program. Parallelly, Alexei Leonov, the Russian cosmonaut and the first to perform a spacewalk, describes his experiences growing up in communist Russia and his life trajectory as he intricately participates in the Russian space program. Two lives lived on either side of the Iron Curtain come to life in this must-read for space enthusiasts.
Quotes:
- In all great competitions, success is dependent on a combination of skill, preparation and an element of luck. -Neil Armstrong
- You should not malign the system because of the wrongdoings of some individuals. -Alexei Leonov's father.
- The base was just 20km from the border with West Germany, and often, as I flew near the air corridor separating East from West I saw American jet fighters on the other side. I felt no animosity toward the American pilots. Sometimes, as a mark of mutual respect,w e tipped our wings in recognition of a fellow pilot. Alexei Leonov
- Our training was intensive, a punishing regime which pushed us beyond what we thought we were physically capable of. Alexei Leonov.
- We choose to go the Moon in this decade and to do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. That challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win. -John F Kennedy (Rice University, September 12, 1962)
- (When man landed on the moon) Even in the military center where I stood, where military men were observing the achievements of our rival superpower, there was loud applause. - Alexei Leonov
- In contemplating events of the past and prognosis for the future, however, we humans tend to overestimate the near term and underestimate the longer term. - David Scott
Quotes:
- In all great competitions, success is dependent on a combination of skill, preparation and an element of luck. -Neil Armstrong
- You should not malign the system because of the wrongdoings of some individuals. -Alexei Leonov's father.
- The base was just 20km from the border with West Germany, and often, as I flew near the air corridor separating East from West I saw American jet fighters on the other side. I felt no animosity toward the American pilots. Sometimes, as a mark of mutual respect,w e tipped our wings in recognition of a fellow pilot. Alexei Leonov
- Our training was intensive, a punishing regime which pushed us beyond what we thought we were physically capable of. Alexei Leonov.
- We choose to go the Moon in this decade and to do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. That challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win. -John F Kennedy (Rice University, September 12, 1962)
- (When man landed on the moon) Even in the military center where I stood, where military men were observing the achievements of our rival superpower, there was loud applause. - Alexei Leonov
- In contemplating events of the past and prognosis for the future, however, we humans tend to overestimate the near term and underestimate the longer term. - David Scott
December 15, 2019
This joint memoir, coauthored by Astronaut David Scott and Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, tells the tale of the space race of the 50s, 60s and 70s in a totally new way. The two stories are told in parallel, so you can follow the space race from both points of view: from the early Russian successes and later failures to the ultimate American triumph of the moon landings. Since I lived in Florida during the entire period of the space race, the events at Cape Canaveral/Kennedy were close up and personal. From where I lived, you could see the rockets take off (although not up close) and I've always had a real fascination with space. But the Russian efforts were a complete mystery to me, since at that time the Soviets were extremely secretive. This book changes all that. Alexei was a close friend of Yuri Gagarin (the first man in space and a genuinely heroic character) about whom I previously knew very little. And the book introduces readers to Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, known as the Chief Designer, who was the brains of the Russian space effort. After his death in 1965, the program was never the same.
I really enjoyed this book and I recommend to anyone with an interest our space program.
I really enjoyed this book and I recommend to anyone with an interest our space program.
April 6, 2022
Wow this was awesome. Thanks as always to John Green for his stellar recommendations, including this one which he referenced in his episode of The Anthropocene Reviewed, "Orbital Sunrise."
I was a bit hesitant going in that this was going to be a load of jargon since both of the authors were professional pilots and astronauts, but this book is not that at all. While jargon and acronym alphabet soup are inescapable in any book about space travel (there is a glossary in the appendix), this is more an incredible personal tale from the authors about their experience with their respective space programs in the overall context of the Cold War/Space Race. Both authors had a distinct voice to their prose that fit well into their personalities (I was already a fan of both of these guys, had no idea they wrote this book until I heard about it from John Green).
I loved this book and would gladly recommend it to anyone with even a fleeting interest in space travel, national space programs, the Space Race and its impact on the Cold War, American and Russian perspective dichotomy, engineers/pilots, etc. It is such an easy to read book that the base is really that wide.
I was a bit hesitant going in that this was going to be a load of jargon since both of the authors were professional pilots and astronauts, but this book is not that at all. While jargon and acronym alphabet soup are inescapable in any book about space travel (there is a glossary in the appendix), this is more an incredible personal tale from the authors about their experience with their respective space programs in the overall context of the Cold War/Space Race. Both authors had a distinct voice to their prose that fit well into their personalities (I was already a fan of both of these guys, had no idea they wrote this book until I heard about it from John Green).
I loved this book and would gladly recommend it to anyone with even a fleeting interest in space travel, national space programs, the Space Race and its impact on the Cold War, American and Russian perspective dichotomy, engineers/pilots, etc. It is such an easy to read book that the base is really that wide.
October 6, 2018
I have read a great many books about the Apollo program over the years, including most of the memoirs written by the different astronauts. This one has been sitting on my shelf for a long time, a shame, as I have have been missing out on a good book.
What sets this book apart from many of the others is that it is a dual memoir which alternates between American astronaut David Scott (Gemini 8, Apollo 9 & 15) and Russian cosmonaut Alexi Leonov (Voskhod 2, Apollo/Soyuz). The story swaps back and forth between the two men often giving different viewpoints of the same events, and it gives a rare view of the Russian space program. The result is quite fascinating and makes this one of the better books about the Apollo program and the early days of manned space flight.
What sets this book apart from many of the others is that it is a dual memoir which alternates between American astronaut David Scott (Gemini 8, Apollo 9 & 15) and Russian cosmonaut Alexi Leonov (Voskhod 2, Apollo/Soyuz). The story swaps back and forth between the two men often giving different viewpoints of the same events, and it gives a rare view of the Russian space program. The result is quite fascinating and makes this one of the better books about the Apollo program and the early days of manned space flight.
October 10, 2021
Working on reviews of NASA for the past two years, I’ve become a bit of a space nerd. I say a bit because there are some genuine space nerds that far surpass my level of nerdiness. Still, this was far and away the best book I’ve read about space yet. It’s kind of a combined memoir of a U.S. astronaut, who became one of only 12 people to walk on the moon to date, and a Soviet cosmonaut, who became the first person to conduct a space walk. The two men became friends when they worked together on a mission that involved Soviet cosmonauts docking with a U.S. Apollo capsule in orbit. This was during the middle of the Cold War, so the combined mission, and the fact that the two superpowers were able to work companionably on something as complex as a space mission was a big deal. The two men lived fascinating lives, and the best part of the book is definitely reading their old space stories. Leonov’s description of the first ever space-walk is particularly riveting consisting of several near-death attempts when his spacesuit inflated so much he couldn’t fit back in the airlock, when the spacecraft spun out of control for several orbits, and a crash-landing in the Siberian wilderness that saw them surviving -40 degree weather and fending off wolves. While this may sound like a plot to a Tom Cruise action thriller, it’s all real! So cool. Scott’s description of the Apollo 15 mission was equally riveting, but luckily involved fewer life-and-death moments. I also really enjoyed learning about the Soviet space program, which I had previously known very little about. Highly recommend for anyone interested in space or just wanting to hear two old space explorers describe their great adventures.
December 30, 2023
My enduring image of this book is the story of how Leonov and a fellow cosmonaut, having survived the ordeal of a journey in space and a hard landing on earth, are stranded in their capsule miles off course, battling the cold and at risk of being eaten by bears! An easy read but a very illuminating one.
** I wrote this review on 24 March 2010 and am copying it here because GR won't give me access to my original account **
** I wrote this review on 24 March 2010 and am copying it here because GR won't give me access to my original account **
March 12, 2025
Very enjoyable! Caused me to reflect on how much our space exploration was funded to demonstrate that our political system was better than the Soviet one. (And vice versa) But it was carried out by scientists, pilots, and explorers on both sides who were not nearly as interested in the politics and were very similar to one another. When given the opportunity to work together and interact, they often became friends.
May 7, 2021
A top-notch look at the space race as told by U.S. astronaut & Moonwalker David Scott of Apollo 15 and Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first person to walk in space.
This book gives a real insiders look at the two competing space programs and the people in them. I enjoyed it very much.
This book gives a real insiders look at the two competing space programs and the people in them. I enjoyed it very much.
February 28, 2022
One of the best books I have ever read. It will appeal to anyone with an interest in the Cold War, space travel, or is just awed by how indomitable the human spirit is. Read this book!!!
One negative: there is no audio recording of this book.
One negative: there is no audio recording of this book.
January 29, 2018
Excelente livro que mostra um paralelo da vida e experiência do astronauta e cosmonauta, de seu países (contexto histórico) e seus mentores (chefes dos programas espaciais). Impecável!!!
February 1, 2018
4.5 stars
July 2, 2019
Interesting read!
Read
February 26, 2020Kind of dragged toward the end. Very interesting for any space buffs.
March 30, 2021
Can't recommend this highly enough.
May 9, 2021
Informative about space travel.
November 21, 2022
Excellent personal and professional perspectives from both sides of the race to the Moon, highly recommend for anyone interested in human spaceflight and exploration
December 14, 2023
An excellent and unique autobiographical history of the American and Russian space race by an astronaut and cosmonaut. Very eye-opening. Highly recommended for space history buffs.
June 4, 2024
Superb. It was fascinating to read the perspectives of both Leonov and Scott about the early days of the space race.
January 4, 2025
Joint memoirs from two sides of the cold war spatial exploration. In this book, historical testimony meets scientific vulgarisation : a delightful and natural blend.
December 4, 2019
very well written and very interesting - particularly the passages from the soviet point of view - it does fizzle out towards the end - but then so did the space race
August 11, 2019
I found this an interesting look at the parallels (and contrasts) between the early American and Soviet space programs, particularly the bits dealing with life as a relatively-privileged Soviet citizen. The level of technical detail was perhaps a little lower than I might have liked, but Leonov's sections in particular shine a light on material that western audiences often don't get to read about.
Expanded discussion about the author's personal lives, especially in the years following their spaceflights, might have been interesting. That said, a narrow focus on their careers lets the book drill into its intended subject matter without getting too dull, intense, or esoteric.
Overall, an interesting and engaging collaborative autobiography.
Expanded discussion about the author's personal lives, especially in the years following their spaceflights, might have been interesting. That said, a narrow focus on their careers lets the book drill into its intended subject matter without getting too dull, intense, or esoteric.
Overall, an interesting and engaging collaborative autobiography.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews