posted 05-14-2001 05:47 PM               

Kelly has a natural talent for telling a sometimes complicated and technical tale in a very down to earth (pardon the opposing pun), human-like manner.

posted 05-30-2001 12:17 PM               

With the deft touch of a practical yet eloquent engineer, he relates the events in a sometimes dry but interesting "nuts and bolts" manner. It reads as if he wished to set the record straight and get it all down as accurately as possible.

His frequent footnotes and bibliography show that he paid a great deal of attention to getting the details right. At the same time, he does open the door to his emotions (such as when his father passed away, or at critical moments during missions, or at the births of his children, or when particularly trying problems are discussed). He shows us his humanity, it's just that the focus of this book wasn't about him and his emotions while conquering the many engineering dragons of building the LM.

And, he didn't use it as a pulpit to criticize others. In fact, he was very self-effacing in analyzing his own weaknesses and shortcomings. His candor was refreshing and makes him an even greater human being, in my humble opinion.

All in all, a great read and a must have for anyone interested in reading a first hand account which is both accurate and entertaining.

posted 05-30-2001 02:01 PM               

I enjoyed reading more in depth about certain aspects of the design that were critical, such as the need to trim weight off of the LM and the problems concerning leaks in the propulsion system and the RCS. I also enjoyed the smaller details as well, such as learning who suggested a larger front hatch to allow for the bulky backpack on the lunar surface. While reading the book I made an effort to look through my various photographs of the LM, and knowing the stories behind the form and function caused me to see it differently than in the past.

I agree with John also in regard to the emotional component of the book. He gives praise to the workers of Grumman and accepts a share of personal responsibility for specific setbacks that the program encountered. Writing it was not an excercise in self-gratification, which makes the success that he achieved that much greater.

Perhaps the only improvement that I would have made to the book would have been to include additional diagrams throughout the text. The few that are found are excellent; I simply wish that there were more of them.

posted 07-20-2001 05:00 PM               

It amazed me in the amount of detail as to who did what and when, and the step by step process that took an engineer's thoughts to a completed spacecraft. He was in my opinion very honest as to some of the mistakes made, oversights, bad management, etc. by Grumman. He did detail how they corrected their problems.

posted 11-27-2001 04:56 AM               

I know nothing about engineering but I am determined to finish this book. I have learned so much about the difficulties that were involved to build a 'spaceship' to land on another planet. The task was so enormous I am surprised that it was ever built! Seven years sounded like plenty of time to design and build a space craft, but it wasn't - not by a long shot. I've just finished the chapters on the Apollo 1 fire and how this put the program back again (but for the better). Fascinating stuff!! And I haven't been too bewildered by the science of it all either.

posted 11-03-2010 10:47 PM               

Moon Lander has been on my "must read" list for a while, but I've heard that some sections are tough sledding for someone with no engineering background (like me). I'd appreciate any feedback from any cSers who have read it. Thanks!

posted 11-03-2010 10:48 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by SpaceAholic:
Very easy read for this non-engineer.

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posted 11-28-2010 06:00 PM               

The book is very well-written and gave me an easy to read insight into the development, testing and actual flights of Grumman's Lunar Modules. It wasn't at all too technical and is filled with quirky anecdotes from Tom Kelly. Examples include from when he describes how McDivitt and Schweickart snuck out of the LM simulator during an Apollo 9 comm break simulation to get a sandwich to how two Grumman employees were questioned by the FBI upon landing after an entire flight's conversation about bombs (they were discussing using bombs for engine tests but the flight attendants didn't know that!)

From vividly describing how Grumman came up with their original proposal for their LM design to the difficulties faced along the way (notably trying to lose LM weight) this book is a must-read for Apollo enthusiasts like myself, and gave me a whole new understanding of the behind the scenes work that went into putting men on the moon.

Kelly goes through each Apollo mission involving a LM in quite good detail (with the exception of Apollo 16 which Kelly mainly only watched from home.) Although the chapters on the landings don't really include anything we haven't already read before, it is interesting to read it from the perspective of someone outside of NASA but who still played a pivotal role in getting humans to the Moon.