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Author Topic:   Books about life of a 1960s astronaut?
stsmithva
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Posts: 1933
From: Fairfax, VA, USA
Registered: Feb 2007

posted 12-11-2016 09:35 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for stsmithva   Click Here to Email stsmithva     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What books would you recommend that tells what it was like to be an astronaut in the 1960s? I'd like to read about "typical" (if such a word can describe the experiences of space pioneers) experiences such as the astronaut selection process; official duties like training and specializing in one aspect of missions for the good of all the astronauts; and unofficial aspects of being an astronaut like the stress of suddenly becoming a public figure.

I know some astronaut autobiographies do a particularly good job of telling such a story. I'd have to think that Michael Collins' "Carrying the Fire" is one of the best. But then there must be books written by others that describe in detail what life was like for an Mercury, Gemini and/or Apollo astronaut during the 99 percent of the time he wasn't in space.

Which would you recommend? (In addition to Chaikin's "A Man on the Moon.")

Kevmac
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Posts: 267
From: College Station, TX
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 12-11-2016 11:02 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kevmac   Click Here to Email Kevmac     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
"We Seven: By the Astronauts Themselves" — every spaceflight fan should have this book.

stsmithva
Member

Posts: 1933
From: Fairfax, VA, USA
Registered: Feb 2007

posted 12-12-2016 06:09 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for stsmithva   Click Here to Email stsmithva     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
That is a good one — and then of course there is "The Right Stuff." But I'd like to hear about others that cover more of the 1960s, beyond Mercury.

Paul78zephyr
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Posts: 675
From: Hudson, MA
Registered: Jul 2005

posted 12-12-2016 04:03 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Paul78zephyr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
"The All American Boys" by Apollo 7 astronaut Walt Cunningham. Written in 1977 it is one of the best books out there on the subject you inquired about.
http://www.waltercunningham.com/the_all_american_boys.htm

p51
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Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted 12-12-2016 05:59 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for p51   Click Here to Email p51     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Others will likely disagree, but I found that "The Making Of An Ex-Astronaut" by Brian O'Leary was a very interesting book, illustrating some aspects of how they picked people back then.

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