First Man: The Life of Neil A. ArmstrongSimon and Schuster, 2018 M05 29 - 464 pages Soon to be a major motion picture, this is the first—and only—definitive authorized account of Neil Armstrong, the man whose “one small step” changed history. When Apollo 11 touched down on the Moon’s surface in 1969, the first man on the Moon became a legend. In First Man, author James R. Hansen explores the life of Neil Armstrong. Based on over fifty hours of interviews with the intensely private Armstrong, who also gave Hansen exclusive access to private documents and family sources, this “magnificent panorama of the second half of the American twentieth century” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) is an unparalleled biography of an American icon. In this “compelling and nuanced portrait” (Chicago Tribune) filled with revelations, Hansen vividly recreates Armstrong’s career in flying, from his seventy-eight combat missions as a naval aviator flying over North Korea to his formative trans-atmospheric flights in the rocket-powered X-15 to his piloting Gemini VIII to the first-ever docking in space. For a pilot who cared more about flying to the Moon than he did about walking on it, Hansen asserts, Armstrong’s storied vocation exacted a dear personal toll, paid in kind by his wife and children. For the near-fifty years since the Moon landing, rumors have swirled around Armstrong concerning his dreams of space travel, his religious beliefs, and his private life. A penetrating exploration of American hero worship, Hansen addresses the complex legacy of the First Man, as an astronaut and as an individual. “First Man burrows deep into Armstrong’s past and present…What emerges is an earnest and brave man” (Houston Chronicle) who will forever be known as history’s most famous space traveler. |
Contents
1 | |
7 | |
9 | |
15 | |
21 | |
Aeronautical Engineering 101 | 27 |
NAVAL AVIATOR | 33 |
Wings of Gold | 35 |
Out of the Ashes | 151 |
Wingless on Luna | 157 |
Amiable Strangers | 168 |
First Out | 177 |
Dialectics of a Moon Mission | 185 |
MOONWALKER | 205 |
Outward Bound | 207 |
The Landing | 229 |
Fighter Squadron 51 | 46 |
RESEARCH PILOT | 55 |
Above the High Desert | 57 |
At the Edge of Space | 71 |
The Worst Loss | 81 |
Higher Resolve | 85 |
Ive Got a Secret | 99 |
ASTRONAUT | 105 |
Training Days | 107 |
In Line for Command | 114 |
Gemini VIII | 121 |
The Astronauts Wife | 137 |
For All America | 144 |
APOLLO COMMANDER | 149 |
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abort Agena air force aircraft airplane altitude American Apollo 11 astronauts Aviation backup became Borman Butchart Buzz Aldrin Buzz’s camera CapCom Cincinnati command module crater crew Deke Deke Slayton descent docking Eagle Earth Edwards engine feet felt ffag ffew ffight ffown ffying fighter fuel Gemini program Gemini VIII Gemini X Gene Cernan going guys Houston inside Janet Jim Lovell July June knew later launch LLRV LLTV LM’s look lunar landing lunar module lunar orbit lunar surface maneuver Mike Collins miles minutes Mission Control Moon landing Moon’s NACA NASA NASA’s navy Neil and Buzz Neil Armstrong Neil explained Neil’s never Ohio Okay plane President problem Purdue recalled remembered rendezvous rocket Schirra Scott simulator Slayton space program spaceffight squadron test pilot things thought told took trip vehicle Viola Wally Schirra wanted Wapakoneta