Author
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Topic: 'Must have' astronaut (auto)biographies
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Tykeanaut Member Posts: 2212 From: Worcestershire, England, UK. Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 03-18-2011 09:20 AM
Which astronaut (auto)biographies do you consider are essential for your bookshelf?Amongst many I think "Apollo: An Eyewitness Account" by Alan Bean, "First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong" by James Hansen and "Carrying the Fire" by Michael Collins should be included. |
GoesTo11 Member Posts: 1309 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 03-18-2011 09:58 AM
I'd add The All-American Boys by Walt Cunningham, and Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane. Both are well-written, engaging, and VERY candid memoirs that effectively convey the personal experience of spaceflight, as well as unfiltered perspectives on the people and politics of NASA and the space program. |
garymilgrom Member Posts: 1966 From: Atlanta, GA Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 03-18-2011 10:12 AM
All American Boys is also available on CD read by Walt himself. I find his reading to be first rate and it adds another dimension to this excellent book. |
J.L Member Posts: 674 From: Bloomington, Illinois, USA Registered: May 2005
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posted 03-18-2011 10:20 AM
I would go with Cunningham and Mullane as top reads. Collins a very close second. |
fredtrav Member Posts: 1673 From: Birmingham AL Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 03-18-2011 10:26 AM
I think all of them are essential. Some are better than others, but I don't know of any that I would not want. Each gives their own unique perspective. That being said, not all are equal in terms of quality either writing or information.If you are talking about the best of the biographies, then Carrying the Fire is tops followed by the All American Boys. |
icarkie Member Posts: 618 From: BURTON ON TRENT /England Registered: Nov 2002
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posted 03-18-2011 02:41 PM
Michael Cassutt 'Deke' was my first. Cracking read by the way. |
GoesTo11 Member Posts: 1309 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 03-19-2011 10:04 AM
Yes, Deke! should definitely be on any "short list" of astronaut books.
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Tykeanaut Member Posts: 2212 From: Worcestershire, England, UK. Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 03-19-2011 10:23 AM
I have not read "Deke", but following your recommendations I have now ordered a copy from Amazon. |
J.L Member Posts: 674 From: Bloomington, Illinois, USA Registered: May 2005
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posted 03-19-2011 10:40 AM
I agree... DEKE is in the top 5. A great read. |
icarkie Member Posts: 618 From: BURTON ON TRENT /England Registered: Nov 2002
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posted 03-19-2011 12:21 PM
quote: Originally posted by Tykeanaut: I have not read "Deke", but following your recommendations I have now ordered a copy from Amazon.
Enjoy, mate you will not be disappointed. I brought it a few years back, seeing this post I might just re-read it again. |
BEFreeman Member Posts: 24 From: Oak Ridge, TN 37830 Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 03-19-2011 08:35 PM
My high school astronomy students enjoy Two Sides of the Moon by Dave Scott & Alexei Leonov; Last Man on the Moon by Eugene Cernan; For Spacious Skies by Scott Carpenter & Kris Stoever; My Dream of Stars by Anousheh Ansari & Homer Hickam and Off The Planet by Jerry Linenger. |
Tykeanaut Member Posts: 2212 From: Worcestershire, England, UK. Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 03-20-2011 06:02 AM
Just a tip for the younger ones (alas not me)in our group who grew up in the shuttle era. "Riding rockets" by Mike Mullane is a very good insight and read about more recent times. |
onesmallstep Member Posts: 1310 From: Staten Island, New York USA Registered: Nov 2007
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posted 03-22-2011 04:21 PM
Add 'Countdown' by Frank Borman and 'Light This Candle: The Life and Times of Alan Shepard' by Neal Thompson. The last book is a warts-all profile of an iconic but complex man, and the ending is sure to stay with you no matter what your opinion of him.. |
capoetc Member Posts: 2169 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 03-22-2011 08:41 PM
quote: Originally posted by onesmallstep: Add ... and 'Light This Candle: The Life and Times of Alan Shepard' by Neal Thompson. ...
Regarding Light This Candle, I would recommend getting the paperback edition, which corrected some (but not all) of the more egregious flaws in the hardcover version. |
Tykeanaut Member Posts: 2212 From: Worcestershire, England, UK. Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 04-19-2011 02:57 AM
Have just finished reading "Deke". As you said, it's an excellent account and was well worth getting. |
Henry Heatherbank Member Posts: 244 From: Adelaide, South Australia Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 04-19-2011 07:47 AM
- Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins
- Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins
- Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins
- All American Boys by Walt Cunningham
- Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane.
Most of the rest are variants of these, in one way or another. |
p51 Member Posts: 1642 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 10-10-2011 01:05 AM
quote: Originally posted by Tykeanaut: Just a tip for the younger ones (alas not me) in our group who grew up in the shuttle era. "Riding rockets" by Mike Mullane is a very good insight and read about more recent times.
I just finished it and I was sad for it to be over. I've never read a book where you actually felt that part of something. It's an amazing book, filled with all kinds of insights into NASA and little details of flying into space I never thought of. |
lm5eagle Member Posts: 429 From: Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 10-10-2011 03:21 AM
quote: Originally posted by Henry Heatherbank:
- Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins
- All American Boys by Walt Cunningham
- Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane.
I absolutely and totally agree with the choice of these three magnificent books. I cannot make a distinction between them, however, and so I accord them equal status. |
neke Member Posts: 55 From: PA Registered: Jan 2009
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posted 10-21-2011 11:26 AM
Just noticed a couple good autobiographies at bargain prices on Amazon, and thought I'd post the links for anyone who may not have the books or may want to pick one or two up for holiday presents: |
dog320 Member Posts: 49 From: West Sussex, United Kingdom Registered: Jul 2010
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posted 10-21-2011 12:14 PM
I think this depends on your definition of essential. For me its those that provide an "as if you were there" view of events.The majority of these books are badly written, bland, and many contain glaring inaccuracies. In my opinion, many are just not worth reading. Standing head and shoulders above the rest of the field in my opinion - no real surprises: - Collins: Carrying The Fire
- Cunningham: The All American Boys
- Mullane: Riding Rockets
These three dispense with ghost writers and really get down to the nitty gritty.Unfortunately, in my opinion, no "moon lander" has written a really good book, but the relevant sections of Irwin's "To Rule The Night" and Duke's "Moonwalker" are well worth a read. As an aside only a single lunar mission has autobiographies by the entire flight crew - Apollo 15. The three books are very different and well worth a read. For those with a wider interest Thompson's "At The Edge Of Space" is a good look at the X-15, but not really an autobiography as such. Finally, for the chronology of Armstrong's life there is Hansen's "First Man". Unfortunately it is very thin on Armstrong's technical opinion or assessment of events and hardware which would have been very interesting. |
Tykeanaut Member Posts: 2212 From: Worcestershire, England, UK. Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 10-21-2011 12:36 PM
I also found "Falling to Earth" by Al Worden and Francis French an excellent read. |
dog320 Member Posts: 49 From: West Sussex, United Kingdom Registered: Jul 2010
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posted 10-21-2011 05:15 PM
quote: Originally posted by Tykeanaut: I also found "Falling to Earth" by Al Worden and Francis French an excellent read.
In my opinion, the overall best of the co/ghost written autobiographies, benefiting greatly from its later and more candid perspective. |
Philip Member Posts: 5952 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 10-30-2011 03:26 AM
I really appreciated Belgian astronaut Dirk Frimout's book "De Blauwe Planeet" , with a lot of background information on the STS-45 training and well illustrated as well! |
crash Member Posts: 318 From: West Sussex, England Registered: Jan 2011
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posted 11-05-2011 11:12 AM
I really need some suggestions as to my next read. I have just finished Homesteading Space.I have read all the above already apart from The Blue Planet, which I suspect may be in Flemish, and Falling to Earth. I do have two signed copies of FtoE courtesy of Farthest Reaches but am waiting for a cheap copy to surface so I can drag it around with me at work.
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dss65 Member Posts: 1156 From: Sandpoint, ID, USA Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 11-05-2011 07:49 PM
If you're looking for something a little bit different from an "astronaut (auto)biography", one of my very favorite books in my collection is "The Unbroken Chain" by Guenter Wendt and Russell Still. If you haven't read it and can find a copy, I'll bet you'll like it! |
crash Member Posts: 318 From: West Sussex, England Registered: Jan 2011
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posted 11-06-2011 02:08 AM
I have indeed read it. Great book! Thank you for the suggestion dss65. When I buy my books I prefer to get 1st ed hardbacks and I was fortunate enough to pick up a perfect copy of The Unbroken Chain for only $10 which was an absolute bargain. |
dss65 Member Posts: 1156 From: Sandpoint, ID, USA Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 11-08-2011 09:39 PM
Indeed it was! |
Spaceguy5 Member Posts: 427 From: Pampa, TX, US Registered: May 2011
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posted 11-11-2011 05:47 AM
My favorites are Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane, Skywalking by Tom Jones, Carrying to Fire by Michael Collins (though I've yet to finish it), The Last Man on the Moon by Gene Cernan, We Have Capture by Tom Stafford, and My Dream of Stars by Anousheh Ansari (I met her and got it signed and inscribed). I have a ton of others as well (pretty much most of the books others have mentioned, plus more), though haven't had time to read them yet. |
Tykeanaut Member Posts: 2212 From: Worcestershire, England, UK. Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 11-13-2011 11:26 AM
Well, I've taken your recommendation and ordered a copy of "My Dream of Stars." |
Paul78zephyr Member Posts: 675 From: Hudson, MA Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 11-15-2011 09:46 AM
quote: Originally posted by lm5eagle: I absolutely and totally agree with the choice of these three magnificent books.
Totally agree with both. |
Paul23 Member Posts: 836 From: South East, UK Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 11-25-2011 07:24 AM
I was able to get Moonwalker by Charlie Duke on my Kindle recently and am very much enjoying reading it.The sections on the EVAs are very well written and seem to give a really good feeling of being there with him. |
Tykeanaut Member Posts: 2212 From: Worcestershire, England, UK. Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 12-29-2012 04:03 PM
I have just finished reading a copy of Moonwalker, a very good read. Having been fortunate enough to meet Charlie twice in recent years his enthusiasm shone through. I did find the last few chapters something of a detour though. |