A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts

By: Andrew Chaikin

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Length: 23 hrs

Publisher's summary

Audie Award, History/Biography, 2016

This acclaimed portrait of heroism and ingenuity captures a watershed moment in human history. The astronauts themselves have called it the definitive account of their missions. 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.

©2007 Andrew Chaikin (P)2015 Audiobooks.com

comprehensive history

i loved this. it is very long. i wondered if I'd get thru it. it flew by. there are no boring parts. history, biography and reflection by the astronauts. wonder how the experience changed them? it's here. what did we learn about the moon? it's here. answers ti questions you never thought to ask? it's here. i highly recommend this book.

the narrator was instrumental in third enjoyment of this experience.

Thoroughly incredible read.

I am mad at myself that I didn’t “read” this years ago. Will listen again and again.

through their eyes

it transformed me to the lunar surface through the eyes of those who represented us, mankind.

fantastic book on Apollo.

I have read many books on Apollo and early space exploration and taught a course about it in the Air Force. This book is great, especially when it comes to the personalities of the astronauts and the specific scientific accomplishments of each mission

Truly Inspiring.

What made the experience of listening to A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts the most enjoyable?

First it was reading The Martian, then the Bobiverse books, then watching Hidden Figures, then playing Terraforming Mars, and them watching The Mars Generation. Finally it was David McCullough's new book The American Spirit quoting Kennedy's famous speech that laid out the goal of landing on the Moon. My love of the space race has been fully reignited.

I like the way Tom Hanks puts it in the foreward to this book, "In my mind, the six Moon landings are six of the seven greatest stories every told."

A must read, and I use that term sparingly

If you are fascinated by space flight or exploration, you will love this book. If you look up, in the night sky, and wonder what would it be like to no longer be Earth bound or governed by what is, rather than what can be, you will love this book. Apollo 13 and From the Earth to the Moon give short insights into this world but, this book completes the picture with the world in which the astronauts lived and the world on which so many lost their lives in furthering man's exploration beyond Earth. A book of wonders and a wonderful book.

The Story of Apollo

thoroughly enjoyed this book. Long, but worth it. If you loved the movie Apollo 13 you will enjoy this book.

Exciting Story

Chaikin's book describes the Apollo missions with personal stories from the astronauts and details of problems and adventures that I hadn't heard before. I couldn't put this book down! Told by Bronson Pinchot in a way that you can feel the apprehension as the astronauts and their families realize the criticality of each problem, rocket burn and discovery that can result in their never returning to earth.

All you need to know about Apollo

This book is an epic. All the details that matter during the Apollo program are here in detail. Exquisitely researched and extremely well written, there are engineering insights about various and sundry critical components and decisions about them. Likewise about mission planning, navigation and lifesupport. Of course, front and center are the main characters—the astronauts themselves and their individual personalities. For those interested in America's most exciting age of space exploration, read this book.

Thorough, compelling, and revealing

Man on the Moon allows the reader to become a passenger on Apollo missions. It also acts as a time machine to make the heady, optimistic, and exciting times of the 60s and 70s come to life. Whether a reader, like me, is old enough to remember watching the low quality black and white images of Tranquility Base or born far after those events, Man on the Moon makes those days and adventures contemporary.

The history is comprehensive without becoming dull. There are moments so riveting that one must continue listening, feeling as if that mission is happening at the very moment. The author presents his opinions but does so in a manner that allows each reader to make his or her own interpretation.

Finally, what a great gift it was to all of us for these men, and some of their wives, to open up and provide details that would otherwise be lost to history. This is a story that deserves to be told.