Apollo 1

The Tragedy that Put Us on the Moon

By: Ryan S. Walters

Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly

Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

On January 27, 1967, astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee climbed into a new spacecraft perched atop a large Saturn rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a routine dress rehearsal of their upcoming launch into orbit, then less than a month away. All three astronauts were experienced pilots and had dreams of one day walking on the moon, but little did they know, nor did anyone else, that once they entered the spacecraft that cold winter day they would never leave it alive. The Apollo program would be perilously close to failure before it ever got off the ground.

But rather than dooming the space program, this tragedy caused the spacecraft to be completely overhauled, creating a stellar flying machine to achieve the program’s primary goal: putting man on the moon.

Apollo 1 is a candid portrayal of the astronauts, the disaster that killed them, and its aftermath. In it, listeners will learn

• how the Apollo 1 spacecraft was doomed from the start, with miles of uninsulated wiring and tons of flammable materials in a pure oxygen atmosphere, along with a hatch that wouldn’t open;
• how, due to political pressure, the government contract to build the Apollo 1 craft went to a bidder with an inferior plan; and
• how public opinion polls were beginning to turn against the space program before the tragedy and got much worse after.

Apollo 1 is about America fulfilling its destiny of man setting foot on the moon. It’s also about the three American heroes who lost their lives in the tragedy, but whose lives were not lost in vain.

©2021 Ryan S. Walters (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing

Excellent book

Narration is very well done
The book goes into so much detail yet I was riveted from start to finish. The astronauts came alive for me as I shared their stories and their heroism.
Well worth your time

excellent read.

Well-researched, thorough. it is a page turner and brings to light many aspects if the investigation I never knew. it also brings to life again our three lost astronauts. may they rest in peace. i highly recommend this book. It's excellent.

Enlightening

The book is great- you learn a lot about the Apollo 1, background of the three crew members, and the author gives a strong and compelling argument that the fire greatly benefited the space program. The only ding I have on the book is the clear American bias overtone throughout it. Overall good book that I recommend.

Space history

I knew a little about the Apollo fire but only a little. This book did an excellent job of providing the background which led to the fire and the resulting improvements of the space program.

Really good book!

This book far exceeded my expectations, had a wealth of information and strongly recommend it if you have any interest in the space program.

A Good Read!

A history of an American tragedy and its aftermath. If you want to know about the space program, this is a good read!

learn a lot

I thought that I had been informed about the space race. I learned a lot.

Very Good, But Has Editing Issue

First, let me say that I am a longtime fan of the U.S. space program, especially Apollo, and have read at least six books on the subject. Overall, "Apollo 1: The Tragedy that Put Us on the Moon," by Ryan S. Walters, provided enough new, illuminating information to hold my interest and keep me listening eagerly. The clear, well-paced narration by Kevin Kenerly was quite strong and well-suited to the subject matter. I especially liked the chapters giving the biographical information on each of the three astronauts, their personalities, and their families. The one major glitch is the penultimate chapter, which precedes the excellent final chapter, "The Eagle Has Landed." Following the chapter on the tragedy itself, and then a chapter on the investigation and inquiries in Congress, there is this penultimate chapter, about some possibly nefarious wheeling and dealing that brought the contract to build the command module to North American Aviation instead of some other competitor. There is speculation here that if the contract had gone to another company, the tragedy may never have occurred. While this is all interesting, is doesn't seem to fit where it is, chronologically or thematically, sandwiched between two more on-point chapters. It seems that Ryan Walters should have taken the content from this chapter, and sprinkled bits and pieces of it among earlier chapters. It may seem like a minor quibble, but in my view, it keeps the book from being a great one. Still very good overall and recommended.

Illuminating!

What a fantastic listen. I learned quite a bit with this one. Definitely worth your time.

Very informative without putting you to sleep

I very much enjoyed learning out this era in NASA’s and America’s history. I never realized how much JFK did for America’s journey to space just by announcing that we we’re going to do it and getting the funding to get it going.