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Rocket Men

The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon

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Rocket Men

By: Robert Kurson
Narrated by: Ray Porter, Robert Kurson
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About this listen

 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The riveting inside story of three heroic astronauts who took on the challenge of mankind’s historic first mission to the Moon, from the bestselling author of Shadow Divers.

“Robert Kurson tells the tale of Apollo 8 with novelistic detail and immediacy.”—Andy Weir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Martian and Artemis

By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the Moon by President Kennedy’s end-of-decade deadline, and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch, sending the first men in history to the Moon—in just four months. And it would all happen at Christmas.

In a year of historic violence and discord—the Tet Offensive, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy, the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago—the Apollo 8 mission would be the boldest, riskiest test of America’s greatness under pressure. In this gripping insider account, Robert Kurson puts the focus on the three astronauts and their families: the commander, Frank Borman, a conflicted man on his final mission; idealistic Jim Lovell, who’d dreamed since boyhood of riding a rocket to the Moon; and Bill Anders, a young nuclear engineer and hotshot fighter pilot making his first space flight.

Drawn from hundreds of hours of one-on-one interviews with the astronauts, their loved ones, NASA personnel, and myriad experts, and filled with vivid and unforgettable detail, Rocket Men is the definitive account of one of America’s finest hours. In this real-life thriller, Kurson reveals the epic dangers involved, and the singular bravery it took, for mankind to leave Earth for the first time—and arrive at a new world.

“Rocket Men is a riveting introduction to the [Apollo 8] flight. . . . Kurson details the mission in crisp, suspenseful scenes. . . . [A] gripping book.”—The New York Times Book Review Aeronautics & Astronautics Americas Astronomy & Space Science Expeditions & Discoveries Science United States World Air Force US Air Force Inspiring Aviation Imperial Japan Interstellar Space Exploration History
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Fantastic read! The background and context is brought to life wonderfully. I could almost start listening again as soon as I'd finished the first time!

What a storyteller!

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I listened to this book as I was unfamiliar with the story of Apollo 8. I was significantly surprised with how enjoyable the book was and would recommend it to those both familiar and unfamiliar with the history of the space race.

A surprising book

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I’ve listening to several novels on different aspects of the Apollo program and they were all excellent and 5 stars. This is a whole new level, the storytelling of the author has you there, caught up in emotion - I cried several times! Apollo 8 means so much more to the space program than I’d ever realized. Def one I will listen to again and again! The narrator was perfect also

Outstanding!

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Never has my stomach been twisted in anxiety as much as listening to the brave souls out there pushing our species to the stars! Epic book and makes you proud to be human!!!

Mindblowing!!!

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I was hooked from start to finish. Expertly researched and well structured, really highlights the drama of that year.

Enthralling

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The insignia for Apollo 8 was the infinity symbol: the Saturn 5 took the three astronauts into earth orbit then took them on a trajectory looping round the moon and back to earth. Issues during the flight were minor and cleared the way for the lunar landing flights the next year, in 1969. The Apollo 8 flight program was cobbled together at very short notice, for fear the Soviets would beat the US to a round the moon trip. The Saturn rocket had never flown with men aboard before, and the flight broke numerous records including the first lunar orbit injection and the first human transit of the far side of the moon. The risks of curtailing the Apollo program in this way were huge: NASA itself put the odds of a complete mission and safe return at no better than 50%. Kurson tells this story with extreme clarity and vigour, though it appears to be based entirely on popular, published sources. He is good on setting the voyage into the context of US and world events in the key year of 1968, and there is plenty of human detail about the astronauts and their families: too much for me, as in truth apart from their incredible bravery the men were not in truth very interesting people. The account is very thin, even for the layman, on the technical and engineering side of the mission.

A familiar story, well told

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Ray. If you ever read this, Thank you!! You bring whatever you do to life, and you need to do more history.

Thank you Ray

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With a possible new space exploration era in the winds, this book is not only a glimpse into the golden years but also a fascinating insight into what could be again.

A must for all space enthusiasts.

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Best book on space travel ever. A pure pleasure to listen to. Even if one wasn't a space buff so to say, it's a wonderful story of adventure and daring

Fantastic read

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Absolutely fantastic story with excellent details. Well worth the time to listen to. As with many of these space race stories we know what's going to happen but as they say 'the devil is in the details' and the extra anecdotes and interviews that have gone into this book are extraordinary.

excellent and riveting story

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