''Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon'' is a 2018 nonfiction book by Robert Kurson recounting NASA's 1968

Apollo 8 Apollo 8 (December 21–27, 1968) was the first crewed spacecraft to leave low Earth orbit and the first human spaceflight to reach the Moon. The crew orbited the Moon ten times without landing, and then departed safely back to Earth. These ...

mission, which was the first crewed spacecraft to reach the Moon and return safely to Earth. The book is Kurson's fourth, and it debuted on the '' New York Times'' bestseller list.

Background

Kurson drew on hundreds of hours of one-on-one interviews with NASA staff, industry experts, astronauts (including all three Apollo 8 astronauts) and their families as source material for the book.

Synopsis

''Rocket Men'' is an account of the Apollo 8 mission with focus on Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders, the three astronauts who flew the mission. The book also places an emphasis on the astronauts' families during the mission. From The '' Washington Post'': :"'Rocket Men' opens in summer 1968, with the space race in high gear. The Soviet Union had already put the world’s first satellite, Sputnik, as well as the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into Earth’s orbit. The Soviets were projected to reach the moon by the end of the year, months ahead of the United States." The book includes chapters dedicated to each astronaut, the Space Race itself, and background and chronological progress of the mission including critical maneuvers and mission setbacks. It is set against the backdrop of 1968, considered by many to be among the most divisive and violent years in American history.

Reception

The book reached #7 on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list and has received positive reviews from critics. The '' USA Today'' called ''Rocket Men'' a "first-rate account of this remarkable spaceflight" and added, "There are many pieces to the Apollo 8 story, but Kurson brings them together effortlessly." The ''New York Times'' called the book "gripping" and "a riveting introduction to the pollo 8flight" in which "Kurson details the mission in crisp, suspenseful scenes." Writing for The ''Washington Post'',

Mary Roach Mary Roach (born March 20, 1959) is an American author specializing in popular science and humor. She has published six New York Times bestsellers: '' Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers'' (2003), '' Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife ...

compared the book to Alfred Lansing's 1959 book '' Endurance'' and Jon Krakauer's 1997 ''

Into Thin Air ''Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster'' is a 1997 bestselling nonfiction book written by Jon Krakauer. It details Krakauer's experience in the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, in which eight climbers were killed and several ...

'', and called Kurson's writing style "as close to a movie as writing gets." The film rights to ''Rocket Men'' were secured by Makeready prior to the book's publication.

References

External links

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Discussion on ''Rocket Men'' with Kurson and astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders, April 5, 2018

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...

''Q&A'' interview with Kurson on ''Rocket Men'', May 6, 2018

Presentation by Kurson on ''Rocket Men'', June 10, 2018

''Washington Journal'' interview with Kurson on ''Rocket Men'', December 16, 2018

{{Robert Kurson Astronomy books Cosmology books 2018 non-fiction books Popular science books Random House books Books about the history of science History books about the United States Spaceflight books Books about the Apollo program Apollo 8 William Anders Frank Borman Jim Lovell Scribe (publisher) books