Schirra's Space Audiobook By Wally Schirra, Richard N. Billings cover art

Schirra's Space

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Schirra's Space

By: Wally Schirra, Richard N. Billings
Narrated by: Richard Rohan
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Irreverent, provocative, and filled with fascinating anecdotes, this autobiography by one of America's first astronauts offers a revealing inside look at the early days of space flight and the men who captured the heart of the nation. Wally Schirra was the only one of the original seven NASA astronauts to command a spacecraft in all three pioneering space programs - Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. This chronicle of his experiences takes us into space on Schirra's 1962 Mercury flight that orbited Earth six times and aboard Gemini for the first rendezvous of two manned craft in space. Never reluctant to discuss the problems along with the stunning successes of those exciting, formative years, Schirra openly describes the pressures, tensions, and dangers associated with a launch. Nor does he confine himself to his days as an astronaut. He also speaks about his career as a navy pilot, which began in 1947 with biplanes, transitioned to jets for combat missions over Korea, and ended with rockets in space.©1988 by Walter M. Schirra, Jr., and Richard N. Billings (P)2000 by the Naval Institute Press Astronomy Astronomy & Space Science Biographies & Memoirs Military Physics Professionals & Academics Science Science & Technology Witty
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Wally tells it like it was… the good, the bad and the stupid.

This is the best book I’ve listened to by the original NASA spacemen.

Great Between The Lines Info on the early decades of NASA

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This story of one of America's first pioneers into space is one that needed to be told. It was not as flashy as John Glen's story. It was not as controversial as Gordon Cooper's. It is also about the working ethics of American Test Pilots.

People who are looking for an in-depth look at Apollo will be a little disappointed. This book is about everything leading up to the Apollo 7 flight, including the fateful decision to enter the Naval Academy instead of West Point or the drawing of lots between a bomber and fighter billets.

That being said it is a wonderful journey through the hardships of the space race. It is a good counterpoint to other books of the era, such as Tom Wolff's 'The Right Stuff'. Worth the listen.

Gotcha U

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I really enjoyed the story telling in this book. I have read extensively about Apollo, but it's hard to find good audio books about early spaceflight development, Mercury, and Gemini. You definitely get some inside information about the Original 7. There is a bit of soapboxing in there I could have done without, but it's mostly funny now, because the criticism is pretty out of date. The recording quality was a little up and down, but tolerable and didn't interupt the story too bad. If you're a NASA buff...you'll want to check this out.

Interesting insight into Original Seven

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I am a big fan of the Apollo space program, so when I saw this one unabridged on Audible (keep those unabridged books coming, Audible), I had to give it a try. Unfortunately, Schirra's Space is a bit light on the details and a bit heavy on the "Gotchas," or practical jokes the astronauts played on each other. The jokes are fun to read about, and have their place, but they are a bit self-aggrandizing and add too much fluff. I expected a bit more from Wally Schirra, the only astronaut to fly in Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Perhaps he is saving his best flight stories for later.

Gotcha! Schirra's Arrogance Distracts

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I was really pleasantly surprised with this book. I’ve read so much stuff on Apollo, and pretty much all the books out there now, except this one! Wally’s book gave a really good insight to the friendships amongst the astronauts, their ways of lives, and their wives etc! Well just really interesting and funny as well, well worth the listen, very well narrated too! Don’t pass by this jewel! Reg

Very interesting! Well worth the read!

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