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There was a fierce rivalry to be the first man on the moon but Deke Slayton,their boss,chose Neil Armstrong.It is another matter that Armstrong was never comfortable in the publicity spotlight and became something of a recluse in later life.īefore the moon landings,there is the story of Gemini and the tragedy of Apollo 1,whose crew was killed on the ground in a training accident.There were other astronauts,who were killed in flying accidents,before their space missions. History will,however,always remember Neil Armstrong as the first man on the moon.The others,have largely been forgotten. The crew of Apollo 15,was involved in a "stamps" scandal,as they tried to make money from their voyage.John Young,commanded Apollo 16,and along with Jim Lovell,was the most travelled of all the astronauts.įinally,Gene Cernan who commanded Apollo 17,became the last man to stop on the moon.The last three moon missions,Apollo 18,19 and 20 were scrapped,given their enormous cost. There is also the story of Alan Shepard,who managed to get the command of Apollo 14,at the ripe age of 47,much to the dismay of the others,who had been waiting in line. The story of each moon mission is described in vivid detail.Lots of dramatic moments,the first view of the earth from lunar orbit,(Apollo 8),the selection of the first man to step on the moon (Apollo 11),the moment of near disaster for Apollo 12,the near catastrophic crisis aboard Apollo 13,and the landing of the last man on the moon (Apollo 17).Īpollo 10,commanded by Tom Stafford went all the way to the moon,without landing,as a dress rehearsal for the mission of Apollo 11. What is essentially a dry subject,becomes first rate entertainment. Andrew Chaikin brings the astronauts to life.

The story of each moon mission is described in vivid detail.Lots of dramatic moments,the first view of the earth from lunar orbit,(Apollo 8),the selection of the first man to step on the moon (Apollo 11),the moment of near disaster for Apollo 12,the near catastrophic crisis aboard Apollo 13,and the landing of the last man on the moon (Apollo 17).