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Francis French

In the Shadow of the Moon: A Challenging Journey to Tranquility, 1965-1969 Hardcover – Illustrated, Sept. 1 2007

by Francis French (Author), Colin Burgess (Author), Walter Cunningham (Foreword)

4.7 92 ratings

Part of: Outward Odyssey: A People's History of Spaceflight (22 books)

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In the Shadow of the Moon tells the story of the most exciting and challenging years in spaceflight, with two superpowers engaged in a titanic struggle to land one of their own people on the moon. While describing awe-inspiring technical achievements, the authors go beyond the missions and the competition of the space race to focus on the people who made it all possible. Their book explores the inspirations, ambitions, personalities, and experiences of the select few whose driving ambition was to fly to the moon.

Drawing on interviews with astronauts, cosmonauts, their families, technicians, and scientists, as well as rarely seen Soviet and American government documents, the authors craft a remarkable story of the golden age of spaceflight as both an intimate human experience and a rollicking global adventure. From the Gemini flights to the Soyuz space program to the earliest Apollo missions, including the legendary first moon landing, their book draws a richly detailed picture of the space race as an endeavor equally endowed with personal meaning and political significance.

ISBN-10

9780803211285
ISBN-13

978-0803211285
Publisher

University of Nebraska Press
Publication date

Sept. 1 2007
Part of series

Outward Odyssey: A People's History of Spaceflight
Language

English
Dimensions

16.51 x 2.54 x 23.5 cm
Print length

448 pages
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Product description

From Publishers Weekly

The Gemini program has always been NASA's quiet, superachieving middle child, overshadowed by the space cowboys of the Mercury years and Apollo's lunar prospectors. French, an executive at Sally Ride Science, and Burgess, author of Fallen Astronauts, chronicle the missions on which American astronauts learned how to live in space for more than a few hours; steer a spacecraft around the Earth at almost 20,000 miles an hour; rendezvous with a companion ship; and navigate to another world and return safely. The authors relate that during the early Gemini missions, in the mid-'60s, several crews came close to ending in tragedy before NASA had the bright idea to have Buzz Aldrin practice in a Baltimore swimming pool for the final flight, Gemini 12. The book also covers the Apollo program and the U.S.S.R.'s simultaneous space efforts. Although the authors interviewed surviving astronauts, family members and NASA staff for some fresh material, space aficionados will know most of this saga by heart. For young readers born decades after man last walked on the moon, this is a readable introduction to the first years of America's leap into space. Illus. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“[A] readable introduction to the first years of America’s leap into space.”—Publishers Weekly

"Authors Burgess and French are even-handed and equitable, and have done an excellent job in covering a vast expanse of material. . . . The opportunity to get the true stories from the astronauts themselves is a luxury that will sadly not be available forever, and In the Shadow of the Moon has done an excellent job in gathering and eliciting the stories of these men, not just the 'official reports,' but the personal touches that render them more human. . . . The authors have a touch for weaving revealing and captivating personal narratives amidst the nuts-and-bolts space history."—Michael Patrick Brady, PopMatters.com

“French and Burgess present a first-rate, detailed, and very personal account of the space race to the moon . . . . Strongly recommended both as a study of the social interactions among this unique group of people and as a gripping series of anecdotes that describe the exciting, dangerous steps behind the successful moon landing.”—CHOICE

"This book has everything you ever wanted to know about the astronauts that paved the way for the first Moon landing. Rarely does one get the entire information of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programmes, encased in one book, about the men who entered the dangerous and untried realm of flying off the Earth."—Jeff Green, Liftoff

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0803211287
Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Nebraska Press (Sept. 1 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780803211285
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0803211285
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 821 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 16.51 x 2.54 x 23.5 cm

Customer Reviews:
4.7 92 ratings

About the author

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Francis French

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Francis French has international experience in relating science, engineering, music, astronomy, art, and wildlife to general audiences through classes, workshops, public speaking, television and documentary productions. He is the author of numerous bestselling history books, and an international keynote speaker at conferences. More information at www.francisfrench.com .

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

92 global ratings

5 star		75%
4 star		23%
3 star		2%
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Pascal Delaunay

A must read for any space fan !

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 5, 2016

Verified Purchase

A fantastic book !
Anybody who is interested in the Apollo program will discover so much information's. Each flight is explained in great details and each crew life and selection to the astronaut program, training, knowledge and character provided to us is so valuable to understand the complexity of this program.
There is also a very interesting view of the political side of NASA and how crew were mixed together for specific reasons.
A must read and probably the best book made about the Apollo program

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on September 21, 2016

Verified Purchase

Fantastic book, one of the better books about the Apollo missions. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Helpful

Rupert Morley

A window seat on the voyage to the moon

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on October 23, 2007

It has been almost 50 years since mankind first slipped the bonds of earth to explore the heavens. Since then, space exploration has given us some of the most spectacular and memorable moments in history from the first moon-landing on Apollo 11 to the drama of Apollo 13 and the devastation of the Challenger and Columbia disasters. The material already written on these programmes would likely stretch from here to the moon, and many would be forgiven for assuming that there's nothing new to write on the subject. However, authors Francis French and Colin Burgess have found a new angle and made a most worthy contribution to the history of our greatest adventure.

What separates "In the Shadow of the Moon" from many other books on the space programme is that it focuses on the men and women who made it all possible. This is a people's history of space and examines that magnificent race from the perspective of those who lived it and did it: whether running the programmes or riding the rockets. Through their genuine interest in the subject matter, Burgess and French won the trust of the astronauts, cosmonauts and the lesser-known or forgotten space pioneers who toiled behind the scenes. The reward for their dedication and sincerity were stories that in many cases have never been told before and provide a fresh perspective on the early days of spaceflight. The end result is a book that ranks amongst the very best written on the subject.

Not only does this book provide a most welcome perspective on a truly remarkable endeavour, but it is also extremely well written and thoroughly readable. This book transports you to a time when the two great superpowers were competing for control of the ultimate high ground while the rest of the world watched in awe and perhaps bewilderment. It proves that while the men and women who rode these rockets were indeed the best, bravest and brightest of that or any other time, they were also mere humans with their own foibles, insecurities, peculiarities and curiosities.

If you want a truly human history of spaceflight, this book is among the very best available.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Patricia Moody

An Outstanding Read!!

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on October 19, 2007

I'm on the last few pages of the book and I must say I hate to see it end!

In particular, I thought the Gemini section was brilliant! Along with quite a few missing links from otherwise well-documented tales, what I really enjoyed were the unique and exclusive comments from some of the astronauts who flew the missions, especially those of Stafford and Cernan. This not only lends credibility to the book, but it also brings the reader to the "inside" of the stories.

I've always felt that Donn Eisele was sort of The Invisible Man on Apollo 7 because so little has been written about him. But now, I have a much more complete picture of his personality, his domestic challenges, his professional aptitude, etc. Donn's a complete member of the crew in my mind now! I thought Walt Cunningham's comments were extremely helpful by providing the reader with an insider's view of key events surrounding the Apollo 7 mission.

This book really goes a long way in quenching the thirst for those of us who are "space literate", but I can see where it would fun to read and informative for those who wouldn't know Neil Armstrong from Lance Armstrong.

Lastly, the authors never let us forget that there were real human beings flying in those spacecraft; not robots programed to perform their tasks until their batteries died. To me, that is probably one of the key things that makes this book special.

4 people found this helpful

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Zero-G Me

A must read book

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 2, 2008

What authors French and Burgess have managed to accomplish with their book "In the Shadow of the Moon" is a sense of being there.

This book transcends a third-party recounting of events. French and Burgess have created an extraordinary interface between the reader and the people sharing their stories. "In the Shadow of the Moon" does an exquisite job of bringing us into the fold, allowing a rather personal access to these astronauts' lives and innermost thoughts: helping us to better understand an experience we will never have ourselves.

The authors' skillful marriage of informing and storytelling help to ensure that it is a book that will be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of their interest level in space history. The authors did an excellent job of introducing background information on a mission, and then following it up with personal interpretation by someone who was there. The authors' thorough research is apparent, but it is woven so well with the narrative that it allows the reader to simply take it in, absorbing it effortlessly.

By writing this book, French and Burgess share with humanity that which few have experienced. But more than that, they help us all understand a little better the magnitude of our venture into space: the accomplishments of the few, holding meaning for us all.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Mr. S. P. Olive

... the 1960's and this is up there with the best. A very good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 25, 2015

Verified Purchase

I buy just about everything written about the American space programme of the 1960's and this is up there with the best. A very good read.

2 people found this helpful

gibson

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 5, 2014

Verified Purchase

GOOD BOOK

2 people found this helpful

TheTimeBeing

my Dad loved it

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 16, 2014

Verified Purchase

Bought this for my Dad for Christmas, He couldn't put it down until he'd read it cover to cover, so must be good.

2 people found this helpful

Martin J. Lollar

Masterful storytelling of a shining, bygone era, Part 2

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 1, 2018

Verified Purchase

As the story continues from "Into that Silent Sea", Americans are single-mindedly intent on fulfilling President Kennedy's goal of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely before 1970 (and beating the Russians to the Moon). Communist Russia is struggling to keep up with the US's remarkable progress (and beating the US to the Moon). With each new tale, another player is introduced and their place in this epic tale unfolds. And, sadly, we learn of the fatalities caused by pushing too hard and too fast (with great challenges often comes crushing heartbreak). The same entrancing storytelling from the first book is continued here with the inevitable crescendo of the US Moon landing providing the historical denouement and essentially closing out a time in history that, so far, has never been repeated. For a brief, shining instance in human history, the world was focused not on itself, but on its nearest neighbor 250,000 miles away and dreamers and visioneers carried the day. Through sheer dogged ingenuity and determination, the world was one entity and it was a wonderful moment to be human. These two books capture this feeling beautifully.

Personal note, the Epilogue to this book is one of the most beautiful and touching pieces of writing I've ever had the pleasure to read. As with "Into that Silent Sea", highly recommended.

3 people found this helpful

Misty D.

A Space Hipsters favorite

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

This book is written by Francis French, who is a knowledgeable, talented, & kind gentleman. In the Shadow of the Moon is a fantastic addition to my collection of books on space exploration and the astronaut heroes who put their lives on the line with every mission. The focus of this book in particular is the timeframe of the great space race. A must for anyone who is interested in spaceflight history.

One person found this helpful

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In the Shadow of the Moon: A Challenging Journey to Tranquility, 1965-1969 Hardcover – Illustrated, Sept. 1 2007

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About the Author

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About the author

Francis French

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