Gemini

Stepping Stone to the Moon, the Untold Story

De: Jeffrey Kluger

Narrado por: Rob Reider

From the bestselling author of Apollo 13 comes the thrilling untold story of the pioneering Gemini program that was instrumental in getting Americans on the moon.

Without Gemini, there would be no Apollo.

After we first launched Americans into space but before we touched down on the moon’s surface, there was the Gemini program. It was no easy jump from manned missions in low-Earth orbit to a successful moon landing, and the ten-flight, twenty-month celestial story of the Gemini program is an extraordinary one. There was unavoidable darkness in the program—the deaths and near-deaths that defined it, and the blood feud with the Soviet Union that animated it.

But there were undeniable and previously inconceivable successes. With a war raging in Vietnam and lawmakers calling for cuts to NASA’s budget, the success of the Gemini program—or the space program in general—was never guaranteed. Yet against all odds, the remarkable scientists and astronauts behind the project persevered, and their efforts paid off. Later, with the knowledge gained from the Gemini flights, NASA would launch the legendary Apollo program.

Told with Jeffrey Kluger’s signature cinematic storytelling and in-depth research and interviews, Gemini is an edge-of-your-seat narrative chronicling the history of the least appreciated—and most groundbreaking—space program in American history. Finally, Gemini’s story will be told, and finally, we’ll learn the truth of how we landed on the moon.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A superbly written and thoroughly researched story of early spaceflight that isn't just for space buffs but for every reader who loves tales of true adventure. You can almost smell the hydrazine fumes as you turn the pages of Jeffrey Kruger's amazing story of America's second spacecraft that ultimately gave us the moon.” —Homer Hickam, bestselling author of Rocket Boys

"Long before my twin brother Mark and I flew in space, it was Gemini, another twin, that taught NASA how to get there — and back. In Gemini, Jeff Kluger brings to life the grit, danger, and brilliance behind a program that turned theory into skill and astronauts into moonwalkers. This is essential history, told with the kind of precision only Jeff can deliver — and every space traveler or fan of space should read.” —Scott Kelly, Retired US Navy Captain and former NASA astronaut

"Jeffrey Kluger—the best author ever at capturing both the technical and human aspects of space travel—tells the amazing and, up until now, untold story of the Gemini program, the program that developed the technology, experiences, and people needed to successfully land the first humans on the moon... A must read not only for space enthusiasts, but also for any person seeking inspiration from the greatest adventure ever accomplished by humanity." —Mike Massimino, Columbia University professor and former NASA astronaut

"[Kluger's] page-turning prose is written with new journalistic bravado... heartpounding... Impressively researched and stylishly written, the history of the space race achieves liftoff." —Kirkus Reviews

"Kluger’s book is part history of space-travel technology and part study in human ingenuity and perseverance." —Library Journal

Fly me to Earth Orbit

A well done audio book. Fantastic narrator and an engaging telling of the Gemini missions. The writer needs more details of the spacecraft and less emphasis on Mercury. Well done and any space enthusiasts will enjoy.

Outstanding

Outstanding book dealing with NASA from its beginnings through Apollo. For a book whose stated purpose was to highlight and focus on the Gemini (pronounced Gem-uh-nee apparently, not Gem-uh-nye as I had always thought) program it does spend an awful lot of time on Mercury. That seems mostly to introduce the astronauts & flight directors and to set the scene of JFK’s promise to reach the moon by the end of the decade.

If you enjoyed A Man On the Moon, First Man, The Right Stuff you will love this.

Oustanding telling of the "Middle Child" missions

We all know about Mercury, and Apollo, but it's the Gemini missions that so often get overlooked. There were SO many milestones that had to be achieved before Apollo could even take off, and Gemini did them! Of course, there were problems, but that's space travel. I was a child when this happened, but I was already fascinated with NASA and the space program. I was often glued to the TV watching as much as I could.

What amazed me was the frequency of the missions. They were turning these out at breakneck speed! Then again, they had to to meet JFK's deadline.

Great job in explaining the missions, the men, and the backstories that most people don't even know.

As I always do, in full disclosure, the narrator is a good friend of mine and I always love listening to his narration.

Whether you lived it during the 1960's or were just curious about how things developed getting us to the moon, this is a GREAT read/listen!

Incredible!

If you love learning about the space race prepare to have that itch scratched. The author did an excellent job going into the right amount of detail. The book did such a great job of painting the picture of these stories, especially when paired with pictures you can look up online. The book felt well researched and the narrator did and excellent job portraying the excitement and emotion of the subject but in a steady and consistent way as to not take away from the words themselves. The writing was informative without being dull, truly one of my favorite books of the year!!

Gripping history

Excellent recounting of an exciting piece of history. Well performed! Worth another listen soon. Money well spent.