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Loading... Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 (1994)by Jim Lovell, Jeffrey Kluger
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No current Talk conversations about this book. Wow! This is the relatively easy-to-read, with technical-made-understandable, account of the Apollo 13 adventure. I call it an adventure because the story reveals that the things learned out of possibly devastating challenges can really put engineer minds to work creating solutions on-the-fly! The fact that the crew survived is amazing. Loved this book and appreciate that Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger wrote it. This story of what happened to Apollo 13, including how its commander Jim Lovell came to be in NASA, was written in a very engaging way that pulled me for the run although it wasn't telling me anything I didn't already know about Apollo 13. Good writing. World class story. A good book has the ability to tell a story you already know in a way that keeps you interested. I've read a lot about Apollo 13, seen the movie at least a dozen times (which isn't totally accurate but darn close), and am very familiar with the space program due to a lot of interest. In fact, I'm reasonably certain I read this book 25 years or so ago. So I already knew how this book was going to end. Yet it still kept me interested. The only technical thing about the book that made me cringe is when the authors wrote things like "28 volts of current flowed through the system." I have three degrees in electrical engineering. Voltage is not current. no reviews | add a review
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In April 1970, during the glory days of the Apollo space program, NASA sent Navy Captain Jim Lovell and two other astronauts on America's fifth mission to the moon. Only fifty-five hours into the flight of Apollo 13, disaster struck: a mysterious explosion rocked the ship, and soon its oxygen and power began draining away. Written with all the color and drama of the best fiction, APOLLO 13 (previously published as Lost Moon) tells the full story of the moon shot that almost ended in catastrophe. Minutes after the explosion, the three astronauts are forced to abandon the main ship for the lunar module, a tiny craft designed to keep two men alive for just two days. As the hours tick away, the narrative shifts from the crippled spacecraft to Mission Control, from engineers searching desperately for a way to fix the ship to Lovell's wife and children praying for his safe return. The entire nation watches as one crisis after another is met and overcome. By the time the ship splashes down in the Pacific, we understand why the heroic effort to rescue Lovell and his crew is considered by many to be NASA's finest hour. Now, thirty years after the launch of the mission, Jim Lovell and coauthor Jeffrey Kluger add a new preface and never-before-seen photographs to Apollo 13. In their preface, they offer an incisive look at America's waxing and waning love affair with space exploration during the past three decades, culminating only recently when the Apollo 13 spacecraft itself, long consigned to an aviation museum outside Paris, was at last returned to its rightful home in the United States. As inspiring today as it was thirty years ago, the story of Apollo 13 is a timeless tribute to the enduring American spirit and sparkling individual heroism. No library descriptions found. |
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![]() GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)629.454Technology Engineering and allied operations Other Branches Astronauts and Space Travel Manned space flightLC ClassificationRatingAverage:![]()
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This is the compelling story of the Apollo 13 disaster: the blow-out that disabled the command module and life support systems for astronauts James Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert, and the ensuing rescue efforts to bring them safely back to Earth. The story is told from the points of view of the astronauts, from all the engineers and staff at NASA Mission Control working frantically, and from the families who watched helplessly. There's a lot of detail here, as one crisis follows another, but it's not too technical and not boring.
If you've seen the Ron Howard movie, you will know the outline of the story (and the importance of duct tape), but it was still interesting to me to get all the details filled in. I was constantly amazed at the skill and ingenuity of the the astronauts and the people on the ground, as especially their dedication. The families, too, were amazing in their bravery and stoicism. It was a thrilling adventure to read, but also a very feel-good book.
Recommended.
4 stars (