I was listening to The Race for Space album today by Public Service Broadcasting, and it set me thinking about the whole Moon-shot era. So now I’m looking for a decent, factually insightful read about the 60s space race. Non-fiction. Maybe something about the Soviet space programme, as most of the NASA stuff is fairly well documented; the Soviets were far more clandestine.
Has anybody read such a book recently that they can recommend?
btw – ‘Spitfire’ by the above band is a jolly marvelous track, in case you were wondering…
Ta.

I think The Right Stuff is pretty good, as a starter, if a little bit “style over substance”.

The Very Hungover Caterpillar

Not about the Russians, but Carrying the Fire, by Michael Collins is an excellent read.

Not about the Russians at all, but Ready Player One by Earnest Cline will be a great read / listen for the vast majority of the STW demographic, I’ll wager

I enjoyed Starman (bio of Gagarin) and Red Moon Rising, both focused on the Soviet side of things:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Moon-Rising-Sputnik-Rivalries/dp/0747593078/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=0XEW0CKKZM25NY2WJCTQ

Very good read, author is played by Ed Harris in the film Apollo 13.

There’s some very good options there, thanks all. STW delivers the goods…

Having read most of the space race books I will recommend Into The Black, follows on from Apollo and gives a great insight into the development and first flight of the Shuttle, also the secret Airforce space program that I knew nothing about even though I’ve read pretty much all the Apollo stuff I could get hold off!

Also, A Man On The Moon by Andrew Chakin is very good.

2nd: A Man On The Moon (haven’t read the other suggestions, but noted for future reference).

Add: Dragonfly: NASA and the Crisis Aboard Mir – very readable. (Oops – didn’t see the 60’s thing 😳 A Man On The Moon it is, then)

I enjoyed this a while back.
Moondust

Well that’s me sorted with reading material for the next 2 years. Again, thanks all. Much appreciated.

Red Moon Rising by Matthew Brzezinski gives a Soviet viewpoint. Good read.

The Apollo Guidance Computer. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apollo-Guidance-Computer-Architecture-Operation/dp/1441908765?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-iphone-uk-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1441908765

Goes into *every* detail about one of the greatest technology advances of the whole programme.

Basically, you will read about how to use it completely.

You’ll know what a 1202 alarm is, why it occurred just before landing Apollo 9 and why it could be ignored because of the epic skills of the developers on the ground.
Rachel

Tick

I’ve just finished Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane; a 3 time Shuttle veteran. Very interesting reading.

Eye-opening, and eye-watering in equal measure. He doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to his own, or Nasa’s, shortcomings.

Off topic but read the first ascent a few weeks ago. A surprisingly absorbing book about Griffith Pugh.. did lots of pioneering research about high altitude climbing, athletics and outdoor survival etc.. never received the credit he should have.

I’ve just finished Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane; a 3 time Shuttle veteran. Very interesting reading.

It’s a later era than Apollo et al, but yes, I was going to recommend the same thing.

+1 for Moon Dust.

Thread resurrection – but based on this I tracked down Mike Mullane – Riding Rockets – from a US bookstore and it was a brilliant if slightly disturbing read into the mind of an astronaut.

If anyone wants a loan, more than happy to post it to them as long as they cover postage by means of a donation into a charity pot of their choice and then send it back to me after ‘unharmed’

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