Lost Moon

By Jim Lovell, Jeffrey Kluger,

Book cover of Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13

Book description

In April 1970, during the glory days of the Apollo space program, NASA sent Navy Captain Jim Lovell and two other astronauts on America's fifth mission to the moon. Only fifty-five hours into the flight of Apollo 13, disaster struck: a mysterious explosion rocked the ship, and soon its oxygen…

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Why read it?

3 authors picked Lost Moon as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I wanted to be an astronaut. I was drawn to the adventure, excitement, and thrill of rockets. One of the most thrilling experiences of the American space program was the flight of Apollo XIII.

The commander of the flight, Jim Lovell, working with writer Jeffery Kluger, took me aboard this ill-fated flight, filling in all my questions about the flight and how to solve the challenges. I have often turned to this book throughout my flying career.

Being a pilot involves overcoming obstacles, although most are not as severe as those faced by the crew of Apollo XIII. Nevertheless, this…

By now, nearly everyone has seen Apollo 13, the movie based on this gripping account by the mission’s commander. The book delves into both the events themselves and the background of the mission in ways a movie cannot, including an unlikely event during the spacecraft’s assembly, which ultimately led to the oxygen tank explosion.

Of all the hard-charging, high-achieving astronauts, Mr. Lovell was perhaps the most “normal” of the group, which I think is illustrated by the fact that he was one of the few to get through the Apollo program with his marriage intact. His humanity, intelligence, and…

From Patrick's list on space history that read like novels.

Most everyone who loves space exploration has probably seen the Tom Hanks movie Apollo 13, about the mission on which all three astronauts nearly lost their lives while heading to the Moon. This book is co-written by Jim Lovell, who commanded Apollo 13, and describes in page-turning detail both what occurred onboard and in Mission Control as everyone scrambled to save the crew’s lives. Fantastic stuff. 

From Christopher's list on history of space exploration.

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