| ||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £6.60
Trade in Footprints in the Dust: The Epic Voyages of Apollo, 1969-1975 (Outward Odyssey: A People's History of Spaceflight) (Outward Odyssey: A People's History of Spaceffight) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £6.60, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Plus, get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Product Description
Review
"Elegantly written and scrupulously researched, this marvellous book not only opens a window on a truly dynamic period but is one of those rarities in spaceflight literature---a compelling and enjoyable page-turner. It captures magnificently the remarkable spirit of those involved in the Apollo story." Charles M. Duke Jr., Apollo 16 astronaut and moonwalker "We who engaged ourselves in making the Apollo program a reality realize the tremendous importance and responsibility of inspiring young people, our future space pioneers. This book emphasizes the notion that seemingly ordinary people can do quite extraordinary things, and we are not bound by our dreams. A remarkable tale of triumph and melancholy." Ed Buckbee, author (with Wally Schirra) of The Real Space Cowboys "Like its predecessors in the Outward Odyssey series, this vivid and entertaining book reveals the human side of space exploration. We all too often think of the Apollo program as a technical achievement, when, in fact, it was the human element that made it successful." Al Worden, Apollo 15 astronaut and chairman of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation
Product Description
Arriving on the fortieth anniversary of Apollo 11, as NASA prepares to return astronauts to the moon, "Footprints in the Dust" offers a thorough, engrossing, and multifaceted account of the Apollo missions. The flight of Apollo 11 was a triumph of human endeavour, persistence, and technology, one of the greatest achievements in human history. This book begins with the mission that sent Neil Armstrong and Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin to the moon, then follows American spaceflight through the harrowing rescue of Apollo 13 before moving on to the successful joint Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975. Drawing on extensive research and interviews with key figures in the space program, the authors convey the human drama and chart the technological marvels that went into the Apollo missions. They also put the accomplishments of American spaceflight into historical context, examining the competitive space race with the Soviet Union, the roles of politics and personality in launching the mission, and the consequences, practical and profound, of this giant leap for mankind.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The first 2 volumes in the series - "into that silent sea" and "in the shadow of the moon" are great reads - full of new nuggets of information and previously untold tales of familiar events and people. This third volume doesn't disappoint and is more of the same - covering the end of the apollo phase of manned exploration - with the US/USSR link up. Well written and researched, plenty of interviews from all the major players and quite a few minor players as well this builds up a well rounded picture of the American side of things and a very good view of the Russian perspective of events. Short on pictures it may be, but the writing style makes up for that with a descriptive style and obvious enthusiasm.
Recommended - it would be worthg getting the other 2 as well, not just to complete this people's history, but bvecause they're a darn good read!
Recommended - it would be worthg getting the other 2 as well, not just to complete this people's history, but bvecause they're a darn good read!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
7 reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
"New" Apollo gems get harder to come by
9 May 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is the third volume I've read in the terrific "People's History of Spaceflight" series. It fills in the gap between "In the Shadow of the Moon," covering Gemini and Apollo up to the first landing, and "Homesteading Space," the Skylab story. In the Shadow of the Moon is one of the best new additions to the Apollo literature that I've seen in some time (full details in my previous Amazon review), so I had high hopes for Footprints.
While Footprints is certainly not bad, I must report that it's less engaging than Shadow -- whose greatest strength was a focus on behind-the-scenes details of astronaut politics and personalities, some of which were unknown, even to someone like me who's read the entire Apollo canon. Footprints has fewer "new" factoids that the Apollo enthusiast craves. For the most part, it recounts the basic facts of the post-Apollo 11 missions in a relatively breezy fashion. Accurate to be sure, but if you've read Chaikin's "Man on the Moon," you've probably read it all before, and in much greater detail.
The mission recaps are a bit shorter than they otherwise might have been because of the number of pages dedicated to the parallel -- and ultimately unsuccessful -- Soviet lunar program. While there's potentially a lot of territory to cover in the previously hidden Soviet program, I found the retelling to be somewhat dry. It certainly lacks the intense drama of the comparable American story...mostly because their program never got very far. Without a reliable super-booster (the N1 rocket having failed spectacularly four consecutive times), they simply could not advance the program and instead resorted to flying repetitious manned orbital flights and long duration stays aboard various Salyut space stations.
All that having been said, Footprints does score in a few areas:
(1) there's some focus on Dick Gordon and Joe Engle and some details of Gordon's bid to hold out for command of Apollo 18, which was ultimately cancelled. Also, Joe Engle, who would have landed on the moon as LMP of Apollo 17 had Harrison Schmitt not replaced him, gets some attention.
(2) Geoffrey Bowman's chapter on the Apollo Soyuz Test Project is a real stand-out. Bowman recounts in very personal terms his journey from Britain to Florida as a young man to witness the launch of the last ever Apollo-Saturn vehicle in 1975. Bowman's account of his efforts to get to Florida, to rig up a home movie camera and cassette recorder to capture the launch are endearing. His retelling of the event is wonderfully vivid and I felt as if I were there with him watching that final Saturn 1B blast into orbit.
(3) The epilogue chapter gives a good, current "where are they now" wrap-up of each of the twelve men who walked on the surface of the moon. (The accompanying CMPs are undeservedly left out of this chapter.)
While Footprints is certainly not bad, I must report that it's less engaging than Shadow -- whose greatest strength was a focus on behind-the-scenes details of astronaut politics and personalities, some of which were unknown, even to someone like me who's read the entire Apollo canon. Footprints has fewer "new" factoids that the Apollo enthusiast craves. For the most part, it recounts the basic facts of the post-Apollo 11 missions in a relatively breezy fashion. Accurate to be sure, but if you've read Chaikin's "Man on the Moon," you've probably read it all before, and in much greater detail.
The mission recaps are a bit shorter than they otherwise might have been because of the number of pages dedicated to the parallel -- and ultimately unsuccessful -- Soviet lunar program. While there's potentially a lot of territory to cover in the previously hidden Soviet program, I found the retelling to be somewhat dry. It certainly lacks the intense drama of the comparable American story...mostly because their program never got very far. Without a reliable super-booster (the N1 rocket having failed spectacularly four consecutive times), they simply could not advance the program and instead resorted to flying repetitious manned orbital flights and long duration stays aboard various Salyut space stations.
All that having been said, Footprints does score in a few areas:
(1) there's some focus on Dick Gordon and Joe Engle and some details of Gordon's bid to hold out for command of Apollo 18, which was ultimately cancelled. Also, Joe Engle, who would have landed on the moon as LMP of Apollo 17 had Harrison Schmitt not replaced him, gets some attention.
(2) Geoffrey Bowman's chapter on the Apollo Soyuz Test Project is a real stand-out. Bowman recounts in very personal terms his journey from Britain to Florida as a young man to witness the launch of the last ever Apollo-Saturn vehicle in 1975. Bowman's account of his efforts to get to Florida, to rig up a home movie camera and cassette recorder to capture the launch are endearing. His retelling of the event is wonderfully vivid and I felt as if I were there with him watching that final Saturn 1B blast into orbit.
(3) The epilogue chapter gives a good, current "where are they now" wrap-up of each of the twelve men who walked on the surface of the moon. (The accompanying CMPs are undeservedly left out of this chapter.)
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Journeys to the Moon Get Personal
14 Aug 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The last five years have produced a surprising number of works on the history of manned spaceflight. Much of the attention derives from the fortieth anniversary of the first lunar landing in 2009, and while it's terrific to see a resurgent interest in this unique aspect of human endeavor, some works are merely capitalizing through new editions, or repackaging of known stories. As a self-professed space enthusiast, the challenge is to find something not yet heard; uncovering lesser known tales; hearing the astronauts' more personal insights. After so many decades of reflection, many of these well known avaitor/engineer/scientists are opening up, becoming chattier, and often showing an emotional side their professional lives - out of necessity and technical brevity - often suppressed. Though NASA's decade long oral history program captured some of this astronaut recollection, a good space tale needs some personal punch. Thousands helped develop, build, and launch trans-lunar machines, and it always took people to fly them - and more importantly, it still takes people to interpret these historic events.
The Outward Odyssey history of the manned space program, expertly written by Colin Burgess, Francis French, and others, is a treasured part of my library. When I finally ordered this edition, from an already superlative series, I expected entertaining and factual work. Yet Mr. Burgess opted for a novel approach, seeking additional space history expertise plus unique interpretation, from a number of authors. I find one of the greatest strengths of this work is the international makeup of the contributors. As someone raised and educated in the U.S., the views from other continents are particularly enjoyable - it's simply a blast reading how Apollo played globally. All of the authors represent a range of perspectives on the pivotal human achievement of going to the Moon. Each chapter stands as a distinct work, spinning different styles, and in the process generating enjoyable new insights. Eyewitnesses to great space voyages of the past share their views, impressions and feelings, adding additional richness to known stories. These fine contributors and an esteemed editor have built a satisfying addition to our Apollo living history.
The Outward Odyssey history of the manned space program, expertly written by Colin Burgess, Francis French, and others, is a treasured part of my library. When I finally ordered this edition, from an already superlative series, I expected entertaining and factual work. Yet Mr. Burgess opted for a novel approach, seeking additional space history expertise plus unique interpretation, from a number of authors. I find one of the greatest strengths of this work is the international makeup of the contributors. As someone raised and educated in the U.S., the views from other continents are particularly enjoyable - it's simply a blast reading how Apollo played globally. All of the authors represent a range of perspectives on the pivotal human achievement of going to the Moon. Each chapter stands as a distinct work, spinning different styles, and in the process generating enjoyable new insights. Eyewitnesses to great space voyages of the past share their views, impressions and feelings, adding additional richness to known stories. These fine contributors and an esteemed editor have built a satisfying addition to our Apollo living history.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Footprints in the Dust
2 Jun 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm really enjoying the book, some nice insights on an event that happened 40 years ago, from those involved, who have now had time to reflect.
The book was simply placed in a box with another box, so from a packing point of view, a poor effort, there was slight cosmetic damage to the other book.
The book was simply placed in a box with another box, so from a packing point of view, a poor effort, there was slight cosmetic damage to the other book.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Military History > Armed Forces > Air Forces
- Books > Reference > Transport > Aviation
- Books > Science & Nature > Astronomy & Cosmology > Astronomy
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Aeronautics & Aerospace > Aerospace & Aviation Technology
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Aeronautics & Aerospace > Astronautics
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Engineering Physics
- Books > Science & Nature > Physics > Applied Physics > Astrophysics
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
