
Rocket Men
The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
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Narrated by:
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Ray Porter
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Robert Kurson
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By:
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Robert Kurson
About this listen
New York Times best seller
The riveting inside story of three heroic astronauts who took on the challenge of mankind's historic first mission to the moon, from the best-selling author of Shadow Divers.
"Robert Kurson tells the tale of Apollo 8 with novelistic detail and immediacy." (Andy Weir, number one New York Times best-selling author of The Martian and Artemis)
By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the moon by President Kennedy's end-of-decade deadline and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch, sending the first men in history to the moon - in just four months. And it would all happen at Christmas.
In a year of historic violence and discord - the Tet Offensive, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago - the Apollo 8 mission would be the boldest, riskiest test of America's greatness under pressure. In this gripping insider account, Robert Kurson puts the focus on the three astronauts and their families: the commander, Frank Borman, a conflicted man on his final mission; idealistic Jim Lovell, who'd dreamed since boyhood of riding a rocket to the moon; and Bill Anders, a young nuclear engineer and hotshot fighter pilot making his first space flight.
Drawn from hundreds of hours of one-on-one interviews with the astronauts, their loved ones, NASA personnel, and myriad experts, and filled with vivid and unforgettable detail, Rocket Men is the definitive account of one of America's finest hours. In this real-life thriller, Kurson reveals the epic dangers involved and the singular bravery it took for mankind to leave Earth for the first time - and arrive at a new world.
"Rocket Men is a riveting introduction to the [Apollo 8] flight.... Kurson details the mission in crisp, suspenseful scenes.... [A] gripping book." (The New York Times Book Review)
©2018 Robert Kurson (P)2018 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“Kurson’s first-rate account of this remarkable spaceflight starts by reminding us what a gamble it was, a revelatory wake-up nudge for anyone who thinks moon flights were routine....There are many pieces to the Apollo 8 story, but Kurson brings them together effortlessly.” (USA Today)
“Rocket Men is close-to-the-bone adventure-telling on a par with Alfred Lansing’s Endurance and Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air. It’s as close to a movie as writing gets.” (Mary Roach, The Washington Post)
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Story
In August 1968 NASA made a bold decision: In just 16 weeks, the United States would launch humankind's first flight to the moon. Only the year before, three astronauts had burned to death in their spacecraft, and since then the Apollo program had suffered one setback after another. Meanwhile, the Russians were winning the space race, the Cold War was getting hotter by the month, and President Kennedy's promise to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade seemed sure to be broken.
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Great history of NASA and Apollo 8: a must listen
- By J on 11-17-17
By: Jeffrey Kluger
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A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts
- By: Andrew Chaikin
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 23 hrs
- Unabridged
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Audie Award, History/Biography, 2016. On the night of July 20, 1969, our world changed forever when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. Based on in-depth interviews with 23 of the 24 moon voyagers, as well as those who struggled to get the program moving, A Man on the Moon conveys every aspect of the Apollo missions with breathtaking immediacy and stunning detail.
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Long, comforting book on moon exploration
- By Mark on 06-17-16
By: Andrew Chaikin
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Apollo
- By: Charles Murray, Catherine Bly Cox
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 18 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Apollo is the behind-the-scenes story of an epic achievement. Based on exhaustive research that included many exclusive interviews, Apollo tells how America went from a standing start to a landing on the moon at a speed that now seems impossible. It describes the unprecedented engineering challenges that had to be overcome to create the mammoth Saturn V and the facilities to launch it. It takes you into the tragedy of the fire on Apollo 1, the first descent to the lunar surface, and the rescue of Apollo 13.
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Best book ever for space, ops, and engineering fans
- By JDM on 10-29-19
By: Charles Murray, and others
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Riding Rockets
- The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut
- By: Mike Mullane
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1978, the first group of space shuttle astronauts was introduced to the world - 29 men and six women who would carry NASA through the most tumultuous years of the space shuttle program. Among them was USAF Colonel Mike Mullane, who, in his memoir Riding Rockets, strips the heroic veneer from the astronaut corps and paints them as they are - human.
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Not for the young...
- By Collecting Warehouse on 11-14-18
By: Mike Mullane
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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
- Unabridged
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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.
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TRULY OUTSTANDING
- By Jeff on 05-24-12
By: Craig Nelson
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How Apollo Flew to the Moon
- Springer Praxis Books
- By: W. David Woods
- Narrated by: Todd Belcher
- Length: 21 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Stung by the pioneering space successes of the Soviet Union - in particular, Gagarin being the first man in space - the United States gathered the best of its engineers and set itself the goal of reaching the moon within a decade. In an expanded second edition of How Apollo Flew to the Moon, David Woods tells the exciting story of how the resulting Apollo flights were conducted by following a virtual flight to the moon and its exploration of the surface.
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Easy read
- By DALLASBOX on 05-19-21
By: W. David Woods
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American Moonshot
- John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race
- By: Douglas Brinkley
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
- Length: 17 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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As the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing approaches, the award-winning historian and perennial New York Times best-selling author takes a fresh look at the space program, President John F. Kennedy’s inspiring challenge, and America’s race to the moon.
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This narrator sounds like a frikkin robot! 👎👎👎
- By Timothy Anderson on 04-04-19
By: Douglas Brinkley
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The Confidence Men
- How Two Prisoners of War Engineered the Most Remarkable Escape in History
- By: Margalit Fox
- Narrated by: Richard Elfyn
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Imprisoned in a remote Turkish POW camp during World War I, having survived a two-month forced march and a terrifying shootout in the desert, two British officers, Harry Jones and Cedric Hill, join forces to bamboozle their iron-fisted captors. To stave off despair and boredom, Jones takes a handmade Ouija board and fakes elaborate séances for his fellow prisoners. Word gets around, and one day, an Ottoman official approaches Jones with a query: Could Jones contact the spirit world to find a vast treasure rumored to be buried nearby?
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home run as usual
- By thaichicken on 01-17-23
By: Margalit Fox
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Moon Shot
- The Inside Story of America's Apollo Moon Landings
- By: Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton, Jay Barbree, and others
- Narrated by: Christopher Grove
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, and the space race was born. Desperate to beat the Russians into space, NASA put together a crew of the nation's most daring test pilots: the seven men who were to lead America to the moon. The first into space was Alan Shepard; the last was Deke Slayton, whose irregular heartbeat kept him grounded until 1975. They spent the 1960s at the forefront of NASA's effort to conquer space, and Moon Shot is their inside account of what many call the 20th century's greatest feat - landing humans on another world.
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A Definitive Summary of Our Manned Space Missions
- By Robert on 08-15-19
By: Alan Shepard, and others
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Shoot for the Moon
- The Space Race and the Extraordinary Voyage of Apollo 11
- By: James Donovan
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon, a moment forever ingrained in history. Perhaps the world's greatest technological achievement - and a triumph of American spirit and ingenuity - the Apollo 11 mission, and the entire Apollo program, was a mammoth undertaking involving more than 410,000 men and women dedicated to putting a man on the Moon and winning the Space Race against the Soviets.
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Well Told, But Over Plowed Ground
- By John on 07-24-19
By: James Donovan
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Failure Is Not an Option
- Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
- By: Gene Kranz
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Gene Kranz was present at the creation of America's manned space program and was a key player in it for three decades. As a flight director in NASA's Mission Control, Kranz witnessed firsthand the making of history. He participated in the space program from the early days of the Mercury program to the last Apollo mission, and beyond. He endured the disastrous first years when rockets blew up and the United States seemed to fall further behind the Soviet Union in the space race.
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Excellent Book!
- By Kevin on 02-19-13
By: Gene Kranz
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Outlaw Platoon
- Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan
- By: Sean Parnell, John Bruning
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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At 24 years of age, U.S. Army Ranger Sean Parnell was named commander of a forty-man elite infantry platoon - a unit that came to be known as the Outlaws - and was tasked with rooting out Pakistan-based insurgents from a mountain valley along Afghanistan's eastern frontier. Parnell and his men assumed they would be facing a ragtag bunch of civilians, but in May 2006 what started out as a routine patrol through the lower mountains of the Hindu Kush became a brutal ambush.
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Great book...Everyone should listen to this book!!
- By Chris on 04-09-12
By: Sean Parnell, and others
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Spaceman
- An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe
- By: Mike Massimino
- Narrated by: Mike Massimino
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to find yourself strapped to a giant rocket that's about to go from zero to 17,500 miles per hour? Or to look back on Earth from outer space and see the surprisingly precise line between day and night? Or to stand in front of the Hubble Space Telescope, wondering if the emergency repair you're about to make will inadvertently ruin humankind's chance to unlock the universe's secrets? Mike Massimino has been there, and in Spaceman he puts you inside the suit.
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Likable guy, great storyteller
- By Joy Woller on 10-09-16
By: Mike Massimino
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Apollo 11
- The Inside Story
- By: David Whitehouse
- Narrated by: Simon Mattacks
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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In the most authoritative book ever written about Apollo, David Whitehouse reveals the true drama behind the mission, telling the story in the words of those who took part - based around exclusive interviews with the key players. This enthralling book takes us from the early rocket pioneers to the shock America received from the Soviets' launch of the first satellite, Sputnik; from the race to put the first person into space, through President Kennedy's enthusiasm and later doubts, to the astronauts' intense competition to leave the first footprint.
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Space Race Revivalism
- By Doug on 06-14-19
By: David Whitehouse
What listeners say about Rocket Men
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- Justin H
- 05-21-21
I not knee
Great book! Once it got going it really was less like a modern thriller. Just one issue, Love Ray Porter and the narration was superb BUT for the love of William Shatner's hairpiece Gemini is Gem-uh-nye not Gem-uh-knee ( I not E)!!! It was like nails on a chalkboard everytime. But other than that Ray was awesome.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Cliff B.
- 02-13-22
The most amazing space Odyssey that most people have never heard of.
I was 10 years old when Apollo eight flew to the moon and returned safely. I remember it well. It was amazing. I also remember the year 1968. As a 10 year old, it felt like the world was ending. Apollo eight was the ultimate cure for one of the most turbulent years in our nations history.
Now, more than half a century after that historic flight, that adventure has been mostly relegated to the dust bin of time. Everyone knows the story of Apollo 11, and because of the movie, Apollo 13, but for some reason the story of Apollo eight has been mostly forgotten. What’s amazing is that it’s the most exciting story in the entire space program. Even Neil Armstrong said this was the most important flight in the space program. Although I lived through it, I never knew any of the amazing decisions and risks that went into this extraordinary flight. This book documents it in exquisite detail and brings it all to life. As someone who lived through that era, I can’t recommend it enough. To those of you who are unaware of it, strap in and get ready for a hell of a ride.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Scott Boettcher
- 05-29-21
Wish it were longer!
Great story of the great Apollo 8 mission and the people.
Hated that it ended so soon, but I highly recommend this book to any space fan.
These people were real life heroes. Hard to find today. And good people too.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jon Ed
- 07-06-20
A must read about Apollo 8
Never knew how important Apollo 8 was to the space race or how daring the mission was.
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- Babur Nawaz Khan
- 02-12-20
Loved everything about this one
Loved the story
Loved the narration
One of the best non-fiction books I've ever read (or listened to)
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- Dennifer
- 09-17-19
Absolutely Brilliant
One of the few books that actually makes you feel like you are there. Unlike many of the space books/biographies, this one is written like a story. The narrator is one of the best. Very well researched. Highly recommended!!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jim Foreman
- 03-27-23
A Gripping Story Many Americans Don't Really Know
I was first turned on to Robert Kurson with 'Shadow Divers.' What could have been a dry and inconsistent yarn about finding a lost WWII Sub instead played out like a thriller. The true story is both fascinating and a perfect intertwining of the drama at hand with the backstory of the personalities and context of the times.
Since then, Kurson's books get immediately snatched up upon release without a hint of disappointment.
Rocket Men is no exception. From the first page to the last, one is captivated by the people and times involved. Kurson brilliantly weaves a minute-by-minute account of the tense and exciting reality that made up the ambitious Apollo Program.
This book had me wanting to listen to every spare moment as Narrator Ray Porter expertly brings the text to life.
Rocket Men is a must-buy and easily one of the top 10 books I've ever enjoyed throughout my 18 years on Audible.
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- Arizona Wildcat
- 09-19-23
Loved every minute of this!
This book was very engaging because the accounts were so masterfully written and narrated. This is one of those books that I didn’t want to pause. I am so grateful for the amazing men and women who did so much to support space exploration!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Vince
- 08-14-18
Fantastic Book About The Flight That Made Apollo 11 possible
Very well written book about the brave men who took a giant risk to be the first humans to fly to the moon and back. The book gives details about the mission and gives you a lot of insight about each of the crew members. Highly recommend this book.
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- R. Foster
- 08-06-18
Rocket Men, a great book about the Apollo 8 trip.
This was well done story of the heroic astronauts, their training and experience of their journey around the moon.
They faced many unknowns and were not sure of the success of the mission but had faith on the thousands who took part in the building and planning of such an undertaking, not to forget the effect it had on their wives and family. These were truly American heroes..
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1 person found this helpful