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Moon Lander: How We Developed the Apollo Lunar Module (Smithsonian History of Aviation and Spaceflight (Paperback)) Paperback – September 11, 2009
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSmithsonian Books
- Publication dateSeptember 11, 2009
- Dimensions5.99 x 0.81 x 8.97 inches
- ISBN-101588342735
- ISBN-13978-1588342737
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“It’s surprising that the man most responsible for the spindly Apollo lunar landers, Tom Kelly, hasn’t told his story years before. Lucid and engaging, he tells how his team at Grumman in Bethpage, Long Island, went from paper studies to delivering hardware that would help change history. Beyond historical interest, the book has lessons for anyone involved in a large project at the cutting edge of technology.”—IEEE Spectrum
“. . . Written in an approachable style, and if you have even a passing interest in space exploration it will grip your interest. It constitutes an important primary source for the history of human exploration . . . This book is a flat-out good read.”—Meteoritics and Planetary Science
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
“It was the first space launch [Apollo 5] we had seen firsthand, and it did not disappoint in spectacle and beauty. First we beheld the brilliant orange flame of the Saturn 1B, then the agonizing wait until the hold-down clamps were released and the rocket began its slow climb upward alongside the launch tower finally clearing it. Then came the heavy, deep-throated roar of the mighty engines, simultaneously pressing down from the sky and upward, like an earthquake, from below the ground. Set majestically against the rose, purple, and deep blue of the dusky sky, the blazing torch of the rocket lit up the approaching night for miles around. It was a thrilling sight but also reminded me of the inherent risk of our whole enterprise. So much raw power unleashed in such a short time!”—from Chapter 13
Product details
- Publisher : Smithsonian Books; Smithsonian History of Aviation and Spaceflight edition (September 11, 2009)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1588342735
- ISBN-13 : 978-1588342737
- Item Weight : 1 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.99 x 0.81 x 8.97 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #460,941 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #156 in Astronautics & Space Flight
- #438 in Aeronautics & Astronautics (Books)
- #688 in Astrophysics & Space Science (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book has enough technical content to keep them engaged and interested in space exploration. They appreciate the author's detailed account of the lunar lander development. The story is described as engaging, well-written, and honest. Readers enjoy the details around design, planning, and testing. Overall, they describe the book as an incredible and worthwhile read for space enthusiasts.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book has enough technical content to keep an engineer engaged. They appreciate the author's explanation of the challenges of managing a complex project. The book provides a good overview of the Lunar Module's development and serves as a great lesson in project management techniques.
"...I found this to be an interesting look at the management and engineering that went into building the Lunar Module...." Read more
"...Overall, I would say a good, personal effort, but probably best for people with a management bent, or after you have read everything else there is..." Read more
"...I found Kelly's well-thought out and insightful book to be an enjoyable read...." Read more
"...The book serves as nice document but might fail to gain your interest unless you were a nerd who dreamed about working for NASA all your life ;)...." Read more
Customers find the story engaging and informative. They appreciate the author's detailed account of the lunar lander development. Readers describe the memoir as honest and well-written, with plenty of stories they haven't heard before. The book is described as informative rather than entertaining, providing a step-by-step process for the event.
"Tom Kelly's book is an interesting account of Grumman's participation in the Apollo program as the LM prime contractor...." Read more
"...Just an excellent and easy to read book that keeps you fascinated by and invested in these folks at Grumman." Read more
"...This history, told by the responsible for LM's building, is quite poignant...." Read more
"Overall interesting, but slow and laborious...." Read more
Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They appreciate the honest review of the company's performance in building the lunar module. The book is described as a great experience and one of the best DVD series ever published about anything.
"...found it to be a bit shallow on technical matters, but still overall worthwhile as there is really quite a dearth of information on the LM out there...." Read more
"...Just an excellent and easy to read book that keeps you fascinated by and invested in these folks at Grumman." Read more
"...The final product was more than 100% good and perfect. Are all your projects like this, so far?..." Read more
"...DVD series "From Earth To Moon", which I still consider on of the best DVD series ever published about anything...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's design details. They find it an insightful look into the planning and testing process. The book provides an open perspective on the creative, dedicated, and skilled design community.
"...Our theme is "it is a great time to be in design" and Tom Kelly backs that thought up in every page." Read more
"...goes into great detail regarding the choice of fuels, tank design, cockpit design, the hatches, batteries, windows, navigation, pyrotechnics, life..." Read more
"A frank story of the struggles of dedicated, inventive and highly skilled space neophytes (who wasn't?) to design and build the lunar lander...." Read more
"...so deeply involved in the development and support of the LEM, a beautiful machine" Read more
Customers enjoy the book's exploration of space. They find it informative and a treat for Apollo and space fans. The book provides an account of various challenges faced by Thomas Kelly.
"...Moon Lander covers a lot of ground in this respect. It packs a great account of the many different sorts of challenges Thomas Kelly's team faced..." Read more
"A frank story of the struggles of dedicated, inventive and highly skilled space neophytes (who wasn't?) to design and build the lunar lander...." Read more
"Really for the space junkie that loves the lunar lander design and building process. I do, so I took it slow, but enjoyed it...." Read more
"...book hugely, both because of my interest in the past and present of the human space program and also because of the insight that it gives into the..." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2012When the idea of landing a man on the Moon first developed in the early 1960s, no one really had any idea of how to go about doing it. After President Kennedy made it a national goal to do so in May 1961, NASA scrambled to figure out how to do it. Eventually, they chose Grumman to build the Moon landing vehicle.
Enter Tom Kelly, author of this book and an important leader at Grumman that designed and built the Lunar Module. Building the LM proved to be a difficult challenge for Kelly and his colleagues. No project like Apollo existed before. There were no precedents as to how to build a manned lunar lander. Everything had to be designed and built from scratch.
Throughout the book, Kelly describes various problems they faced designing and building the LM. For example, weight was always a big problem. The Saturn V could only carry so much payload and NASA set restrictions as to how heavy the LM could be. Kelly and his team had to scour the LM design searching for any place where ounces could be saved.
Eventually, Grumman was able to deliver the LMs to NASA. The first one was beset by problems, such as leaky fuel lines, and NASA criticized them for it. However, the problems would not last and Grumman was always able to deliver top-quality machines.
The latter part of the book describes the various missions the LM was involved with. Starting with the first unmanned test on Apollo 5 and the first manned flight on Apollo 9. The successes would continue to Apollo 11 and the first Moon landing. The LM proved to be critical on Apollo 13 when an explosion crippled the Command/Service Module leaving only the LM available for the crew to survive. After that, four more landings would round out successful LM flights.
I found this to be an interesting look at the management and engineering that went into building the Lunar Module. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves spaceflight and the Apollo Program especially.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2002Tom Kelly's book is an interesting account of Grumman's participation in the Apollo program as the LM prime contractor. The book was interesting, but not really what I expected. It is really more of a personal account of Grumman/LM Management decisions and functioning than anything else.
I found it to be a bit shallow on technical matters, but still overall worthwhile as there is really quite a dearth of information on the LM out there. People who really want the be all, end all LM technical information are probably better off reading The NASA Mission Reports series compiled by Robert Godwin. (In particular the Apollo 9,11,and 13 volumes are most illuminating about LM functionality.)
Overall, I would say a good, personal effort, but probably best for people with a management bent, or after you have read everything else there is on Apollo.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2014I learned about Thomas J. Kelly of the Grumman Iron Works through his character played by actor Matt Craven on the HBO Series From the Earth to the Moon. I saw a man dedicated to creating an unearthly vehicle to land man on the moon. The Lunar Modules has some growing pains but in the end they worked superbly for NASA and the astronauts who used the LMs to make it to the surface of the Moon. I found Kelly's well-thought out and insightful book to be an enjoyable read. Kelly did a good job of walking the reader through the alien world of government contracts. Grumman had been working with the Navy for a long time and would they be able to adjust to the way NASA did business. Grumman was a newcomer to the space race and now the US was embarking on the massive Project Apollo to make JFK's declaration that we would land men on the moon and safely return them to the earth by the end of the decade a reality. Kelly walks us through the battles, successes, setbacks, and other issues that faced Grumman throughout the build process for the LM. The LM functioned well with a few glitches but it really came into its own for the Apollo 13 mission. The LM was turned into a lifeboat that saved the crew so they could return home to earth and survive once they landed in the Pacific. Just an excellent and easy to read book that keeps you fascinated by and invested in these folks at Grumman.
Top reviews from other countries
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Hector TorresReviewed in Mexico on February 11, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente!
Un gran relato sobre el desarrollo del proyecto Apollo.
- ClovisReviewed in Brazil on July 15, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Great storytelling
Great storytelly on how the first moon landed was conceived, built and ultimately used on the moon
-
Client A.Reviewed in France on December 26, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Passionnant !
Livre en anglais mais à lire absolument si vous êtes passionné de conquête spatiale et de l’aventure lunaire. Jette un éclairage sur les défis que les industriels ont dû relever pour réussir cet exploit. Passionnant !
- Bobby DReviewed in Canada on January 2, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Great technical and human effort story.
Well written book describing the development of the moon lander. A mix of human efforts and engineering detail. Bought this for a friend recently and I have read this now three times myself.
- Sanjay C MahagaokarReviewed in India on February 2, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read Before You Die
Outstanding. It's a great exposition of many fine ideas, the systems deployed and how they evolved, the continuous race against time to meet deadlines, the unceremonious lashings from NASA to rectify a situation or a delay. We use so many of the systems developed by these organizations and their young engineers.
Very honestly written by a committed young engineer participating in Mankind's greatest adventure. Scattered with gems of technical wisdom for future engineers, it's a must read book. Kudos to Grumman for not hiding the mistakes they made as they went up the learning curve.
Tom Kelly, you have done a wonderful job and written a wonderful book. The least we the readers can do is say THANK YOU.