Rocket Men

The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon

By: Craig Nelson

Narrated by: Richard McGonagle

Length: 17 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

A richly detailed and dramatic account of one of the greatest achievements of humankind.

At 9:32 A.M. on July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 rocket launched in the presence of more than a million spectators who had gathered to witness a truly historic event. It carried Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins to the last frontier of human imagination: the moon.

Rocket Men is the thrilling story of the moon mission, and it restores the mystery and majesty to an event that may have become too familiar for most people to realize what a stunning achievement it represented in planning, technology, and execution.

Through interviews, 23,000 pages of NASA oral histories, and declassified CIA documents on the space race, Craig Nelson re-creates a vivid and detailed account of the Apollo 11 mission. From the quotidian to the scientific to the magical, readers are taken right into the cockpit with Aldrin and Armstrong and behind the scenes at Mission Control.

Rocket Men is the story of a 20th-century pilgrimage, a voyage into the unknown motivated by politics, faith, science, and wonder that changed the course of history.

©2009 Craig Nelson (P)2009 Penguin

Critic reviews

"Using interviews, NASA oral histories, and declassified CIA material, Nelson has produced a magnificent, very readable account of the steps that led to the success of Apollo 11." ( Booklist)

Outstanding

The best narrative of the Apollo missions I ever heard or read. Spell-binding even though you know how it turns out.

A+ If You're A Space Groupie

Would you consider the audio edition of Rocket Men to be better than the print version?

I don't knows since I read technical stuff.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Rocket Men?

Of course Apollo 11 is the most memorable. While the book essentially starts with the launch of the moon-landing mission, it digresses a number of times to cover tangential elements, facts, and stories. Deciding the most memorable moment is like deciding the most memorial moment of you child’s birth.

Great book

Very informative with a good narrator. The story is well structured and has plenty of value to read multiple times.

Nice history marred by technical mistakes

The history of the Apollo program is fascinating. However the story was let down somewhat by technical mistakes (confusion of orbital velocity with escape velocity, garbled description of max-Q, etc.) The ending, discussing the status of the space program, is also a bit dated. But overall a worthwhile listen.

A Gripping Look at the Minds and Lives of Moon Men

I loved this book for its topic, professionally crafted story and the human look it offers into the personal and professional lives of the men inside the space suits and the nerds who put them on the moon. Being a nerd, I can say that with the utmost respect for their level of education, passion for perfection, contribution to science and the safety of the crew.
Read this book if the moon missions of the 60's fascinate you. You won't want to turn it off until you finish. Then you may rewind it and do it again.

A spectacular addition to the Audible library.

Amazing behind the scene details!

As a child I watched Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo with keen interest. This book filled in so much detail and connected the scientific, political, and social aspects. Very well written and performed. Only slight issue is the same deep voice quoting many different people, even women is a little weird :) Loved this book!

Wow, just wow

Every politician from local government to the president should be required to read this book. Forget politics, wars, or feelings.... this book truly shows our nation when we had a common goal and just how powerful we can be when we actually have something to strive for.

While I’ve always enjoyed space, this book can be read by anyone and they can appreciate the events and message it’s trying to present.

It both plants seeds of dreams and is hauntingly depressing because it reveals how little our country cares for space and everything that it has given to us that we take for granted.

I will reread multiple times....

Bounced around a lot

Loved learning about the moon landing and everything involved but disappointed in how much the story jumped around. One second you’d be learning about the launch and the next sentence they are talking about the Bay of Pigs.

Love early space fight history

This book was a wonderful journey through early spaceflight history. I didn’t know a lot of it even if I have read about space most of my life. It was a wonderful book, and a must read if you enjoy the subject.

Great story! Great performance!

Richard McGonagle's narration style is perfect for this setting. Craig Nelson crafted a great story detailing the technical feats and the humanity involved in going to the moon.