Welcome to Litsy!

This is a terrific book - a narrative nonfiction history of the Apollo program told mainly through the astronauts. The book will win over jaded resistant readers and often keep us glued. The astronauts are super smart, but also foolish and emotionally distant.

One thing that struck me was the scale of the moonscape. Pike‘s Peak sized mountains outside the landers.

My new audiobook, from 1993. Yes, I am partially listening to this because the author and I share last names.

"We choose to go to the moon! We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do other things - not because they are easy, but because they are hard." John F. Kennedy.

- Starting a new book while waiting for my flight! -

Amen to the LA Times quote on the cover of my 1994 Penguin paperback edition: “The authoritative masterpiece.” Unlike many Apollo-era memories and histories, Chaikin hasn‘t limited his research to the astronauts themselves. As the astronauts have always maintained, they were the most public face of a venture that was made possible by hundreds of thousands of like-minded souls. Chaikin gets it, and his narrative conveys it superbly.

It's almost as if Kennedy grabbed a decade out of the 21st century," Cernan said, "and spliced it into the 1960s."

Aldrin's first words when he stepped onto the surface of the moon were, "Beautiful view. Magnificent desolation."

Spaceflight is not a solo venture by daring pilots; it is a partnership between the astronauts and mission control, and nothing demonstrated this more than landing on the moon.

“If tomorrow and the next day are like today, we‘ll be safe.”

Although the system was still not perfect, Nasa made The DECISION of taking the risk, under Soviet‘s pressure. Apollo 8 was ready to fire！

“The greatest irony was that Gus Grissom, who had almost drowned after his Mercury mission because of a hatch that opened prematurely, was claimed by a hatch that could not be opened at all.”

“Apollo 8 was more than a successful space mission; it was a bright moment for a nation experiencing its first pangs of self-doubt.”

“Whatever names humans gave their earth, it deserved to be called the Blue Planet, for its dominant aspect was the vivid, deep blue of oceans. In striking contrast were the clouds, brilliant white flecks and streamers that embraced the globe, swirling along coastlines and across oceans. ”

I love this description on Earth!??

“And if you had asked any of them, especially the rookies, whether Slayton's statement was really true —he might as well have said that the moon doesn't go around the earth.”
My Analyze:This irony suggests that the Rookies‘ ignorance and complete trust towards Slayton, which also makes a strong contrast between the Nine and the Fourteens.

“ Just a few days ago, to show his frustration, he'd hung a big Texas lemon on it.”

“It‘s not going to change me”

“Why,” he added without missing a beat, “does Rice play Texas?” This joke infers the difficulty of moon landing, convey their longing towards it. “Not because they are easy, but because they are hard”

Aaah, this is more like it! Palate cleanser after the train wreck of “Astronaut Wives‘ Club.”

This is not about the scientists, the engineers, or the thousands of people that made Apollo possible. This book is about the personal lives and inner thoughts of the astronauts. And it is fascinating. Chaikin's book served as the basis for the HBO series From the Earth to the Moon. We only have a few Apollo astronauts left living. Getting to the moon was humanity's baby steps. It's time to start walking.

#walkingonthemoon #rockinmay @Cinfhen Maybe a bit literal but this one has been on my digital TBR forever thanks to Book Riot. I think specifically the Get Booked podcast.

Wrote a piece for Paste Magazine today, for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire that claimed the lives of Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. If you don't know this story, it's one that's really important to me. https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/01/apollo-1-50-years-later.html

I can't recommend this book enough, especially for fans of the space program. I hope I get to see more missions to the moon in my lifetime.

"The Eagle has landed." #Apollo11

47 years ago today we landed on the Moon. Time to go back. And this is the book on the Apollo program.

A nostalgic look back at the Apollo space program and the men who took part in those missions. I liked the focus on the men during the missions rather than any technical and political aspects of space travel.

On this day in 1965, Gemini 5 launched into space! Ed White would become the first American to perform a space walk. I am a 60s space/retrofuture nerd, so here are some recommendations! (I've read part of most of these.)I'm actually reading T-Minus right now, too. Links in the comments! Spaaaaaace!