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Rating: 
Summary: Terrific biography of a real hero
Review: I haven't read many other books about our early space explorers, but it's hard to imagine one with more down-to-earth info and exciting tales of the whole NASA program than this one. Gordon Cooper is one of those people whom you can't help but admire for his guts, his skill, his modesty and his downright courage. He seems to tell it like it was (and is) when it comes to the whys and wherefores of America's adventure into space. His candid opinions count for a lot because he was there and he doesn't pull any punches. And his amazing tales of UFO's and (maybe) extraterrestrial visitors really left me with a lot to ponder. This is a wonderful book about a wonderful American hero. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes an inspiring read.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but a little flawed
Review: I've been a fan of Gordo Cooper since he visited my town of Pennsburg 25 years ago. As a result, I was really excited when he decided to write a book. Gordo writes an interesting tale that is worth reading. Are his stories that spins about UFO's and people in contact with aliens true? I'm just a little sceptical but it does make for interesting reading. As for his tales of his Mercury and Gemini missions...I wish he would have given more detail and also double-checked his memories with other astronauts and NASA folk. Inaccuracies such as on page 159, "...the awesome Saturn V, sported eight engines..." is just plain wrong. (FYI: the 1st and 2nd stage had 5 engines each and the 3rd had 1.) On page 165 Gordo claims that on the day of the Apollo 1 fire, "...Gene Kranz had considered being in the spacecraft to try to figure out a recurring problem with one of the systems." Well, unless every other book I've read so far has got it wrong, that person was actually Chris Kraft. On another note, I really did enjoy what little he provided into the life and antics of Pete Conrad. Unfortunately we'll never get to read Pete's autobiography since he died in a motorcycle accident in 1999.
Rating: 
Summary: One too many trips around the Earth
Review: The first part of this book is interesting. The whole Mercury program, the behind the scenes politicing, the trips into space. And then the book gets weird. It is always interesting when public figures give UFO accounts but it would have been nice to have some backup documentation rather than vague acusations about area-51 and the government hiding things. This government doesn't seem to be able to hide two people making out in an office nevermind capturing space aliens, transporting their ship somewhere, figuring out how it works etc etc. If two people can't keep a secret can the 100's that would have had to be involved in such a coverup keep a secret? Come on folks, this guy appears to have had one too many trips around the planet.Anyway its light summer reading and like I said, the first part of the book is fine.
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