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Summary: Mercury to Apollo: the inside scoop on the US space program
Review: In my boyhoood, I collected news clippings of space flights like some others collected stamps. While I knew of the the complete or near-disasters of Apollo 1 and 13 which never escaped media attention, I could not imagine how many more instances of nervous questions there were on the ground at Mission Control Center (MCC) during many of the celebrated successful space shots.Gene Kranz's book provides an insider's view into the inner workings of MCC, all the way from the Mercury program to the final Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Probably better suited than almost any one else to tell this story on how things looked from the ground, Kranz worked his career in NASA up to Flight Director, including for the memorable Apollo 11 and 13 flights which provide some of the most dramatic passages in the book. While the world savored the euphoria of the first men landing on the moon, Kranz tells of how he and his team were worrying about near fatal computer problems with the lunar lander. Most readers will be familiar with the Apollo 13 episode which was well enacted on the big screen with Tom Hanks , but Kranz's book provides some of the finer detail that the movie misses. The book not only provides flight details of the manned spaced shots, but discuss some of the important management and technical issues which need to be resolved to move from Mercury through Gemini and Apollo. Kranz's epilogue concludes with some of his broader observatons and recommendations for future space policy. Readers will be struck by the authoritarian and disciplined management style in the program, which Kranz does not easily hide. The author would probably have done well to use a ghostwriter or good editor. But apart from its prose which lacks elegance and an easy flow, this book provides an illuminating insight into how such a complex management feat was accomplished.
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Summary: A new perspective on the effort to reach the moon
Review: Most of the books written about the early days of the space race and the dramatic race to the moon focus on the astronauts and their feelings upon being part of the program, with their autobiographies, and biographies written by Apollo historians, such as Andrew Chaikin's "Man on the Moon. However, this book by flight director Gene Kranz offers a new perspective on the missions, as he explains how the dramatic events in the void of space were handeled by mission control in Houston-Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 flight, John Glenn's Friendship 7 flight, the first lunar orbit on Apollo 8, the first lunar landing on Apollo 11, and the "successful failure" of Apollo 13. The story of these missions have been told many times, yes, but not in the eyes of a man in mission control. The book is not high literature, as the sentences are short and choppy, but that is not likely to concern a space buff reading this book. Overall, this book is a unique and new perspective on the early days of the space program.
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Summary: A Guideline for Space Buffs
Review: This book is much more than just another volume about the Apollo era. Written by famous former flight director Gene Kranz himself, it provides a very detailed and personal look into the world of mission operations from the early days of manned spaceflight to the end of the Apollo program. Besides being very interesting and thrilling it's also full of funny anecdotes. But moreover, "Failure Is Not an Option" is a story about the virtues that have to be developed in order to reach goals and make dreams come true. Tough and competent, discipline and morale are like the central thread in this story which is, in a sense, about an unfinished work. It is a story about teamwork as well, and while Gene Kranz is giving this wonderful account of his work and life at NASA's Flight Control Division he is introducing to us many of his former teammates in the attempt to send men to the moon and return them to earth safely. He credits people most of the readers probably never heard of before, but who still deserve to get mentioned more often. And, of course, not to forget: he also writes about his great wife who had the idea of the now famous mission vests. Gene's absolute dedication shines throughout all the pages of his book as well as his absolute honesty - especially when mentioning other person's greatness and at the same time talking about his own faults. This is sure not the biography of some egocentric person who only sees his own accomplishments. Rather this book is a guideline for all the space buffs out there. The work is still unfinished and the author leaves it up to all us readers to learn the lessons and then do our share of the job. This precious book gives us the means to do so. So, if there is anything negative to say about the book, it's only that it's too short. Thank you Gene for giving us this opportunity to learn from you!
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Summary: Could Not Put It Down
Review: This is a well-written account of the space program from the perspective of a mission controller. The author does a great job of telling the "behind the scenes" story of each Mercury, Gemini and Apollo mission. In the end, I was left with a profound feeling of respect for the men and women who worked together using technology that was, by today's standard, ancient to put men on the moon and bring them back safely. I was also left with a deep feeling of sadness that my children are unlikely ever to experience the awe and pride that we as a country experienced as we watched their achievement unfold.
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Summary: Tour de Space
Review: Using his extensive files (over 7 file cabinets) and numerous sources, Gene Kranz reviews each launch and narrates his participation in the space program from Mercury through Apollo. An amazing amount of detail is given for the numerous difficulties that were encountered in each phase of the space program. The recognition of problems, troubleshooting them and quick resolution is the driving force in this text. Readers remember Apollo 13's fuel cell crisis and the excellent job done by both Mission Control and the crew to safely return the space craft home. However, while not as dramatic as Apollo 13's potential for astronauts being lost in space, several other incidents that could have resulted in tragedy are detailed along with the actions taken to overcome each difficulty. The text is an account of Gene Kranz's career from procedure writer to Flight Director and details the history of the development of NASA's Mission Control organization. There being no previous experience, the book outlines how the Mission Control organization was developed from scratch. The text illustrates that in space, team work and training was mandatory to be able to evaluate a problem and initiate action often within 60 seconds. This required a high degree of commitment and competence for all persons involved. Kranz's accounts of training through simulation is fascinating. Malfunctions were programmed into the training without prior knowledge of the persons in the training session. In one case the simulated collapse of the mission doctor was so real that after the training session others had to be told the doctor was fine. Such detailed and stressful training and the actual mission performance required a detailed knowledge of systems by each person for their area of responsibility plus knowledge of adjoining areas. This training frequently revealed problems where such knowledge later paid off in successful missions. The author briefly outlines the background of each person as they appeared in the narration. They were basically a mix of young engineers and aviators some having test pilot experience. All parties had to live by a time line whether it was during planning, training, launch, flight or recovery. The text clearly states that participation in the space program demanded discipline, commitment and risk. Some readers may criticize Gene Kranz for his strict military attitude, discipline and unwavering commitment but the question must be asked what other alternatives would have worked in situations where decisions had to be made in seconds for malfunctions involving life and death? I am reminded of the old saying "A camel is a race horse designed by a committee." As the author clearly illustrates, in space there was no margin for error or time for debate. Also covered are several non-flight activities such as upper management, debriefings and press conferences. Each debriefing was critical to the success of the next mission especially if critical malfunctions had to be addressed. The text states that the space program was covered by a dedicated, well-informed, and highly professional press corps who "....knew the difference between objective reporting of news and hyping things up to entertain the audience...." Kranz notes that "The press conference was almost as much of an ordeal as the mission" and further states "They asked the tough questions, but they respected us and the work we did as long as we didn't try to mislead them." Flight directors worked rotating shifts. Gene Kranz was a flight director for Apollo 11 during the actual first lunar landing and later led the team that developed the program to recover Apollo 13 after it suffered the fuel cell explosion. The text gives much interesting information about both flights. The last moon landing was Apollo 17 where once again Kranz was a flight director. The book concludes with the usual chapter Where They Are giving an update of the history for the major players. The book provides a tremendous amount of information. Readability may be a minor weakness of this work, but a most helpful appendix Glossary of Terms defines the many acronyms used in the text and helps the reader to move ahead. While not difficult to read, at times it is slow reading unless the reader is just skimming. While some may take issue with Gene Kranz's stern, disciplined, military approach to the challenges faced, the results confirm the effectiveness of this approach to life and death situations where decisions must be made in seconds and there is no turning back once a decision was made. A must read for those interested in a time when the United States successfully met a major challenge.
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