Fallen Astronauts: Heroes who Died Reaching for the MoonNear the end of the Apollo 15 mission, David Scott and fellow moonwalker James Irwin conducted a secret ceremony unsanctioned by NASA: they placed on the lunar soil a small tin figurine called “The Fallen Astronaut,” along with a plaque bearing a list of names. This book enriches the saga of mankind’s greatest scientific undertaking, Project Apollo, and conveys the human cost of the space race – by telling the stories of those sixteen astronauts and cosmonauts who died reaching for the moon. Many people are aware of the Apollo launch pad disaster in which three men lost their lives, but few know of the other five fallen astronauts whose stories this book tells as well: among them, Ted Freeman and C.C. Williams, who died in the crashes of their -38 jets; the “Gemini Twins,” Charlie Bassett and Elliot See, killed when their jet slammed into the building where their Gemini capsule was undergoing final construction; and Ed Givens, whose fatal car crash has until now been obscured by rumors. The extraordinary lives and accomplishments of these and other fallen astronauts – including eight Russian cosmonauts who lost their lives during training – unfold here in intimate and compelling detail, supported by extensive interviews and archival material. Their stories return us to a stirring time in the history of our nation and remind us of the cost of fulfilling our dreams. |
Contents
Gemini Twins | 32 |
Countdown to Disaster | 78 |
By the Light of a Soviet Moon | 159 |
Copyright | |
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Fallen Astronauts: Heroes who Died Reaching for the Moon Colin Burgess,Kate Doolan Limited preview - 2003 |
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aboard Academy accident Air Force Base aircraft airplane Aldrin Apollo asked assigned aviation backup crew became began Beth Betty C.C. Williams cadet capsule Charlie Bassett commander Corps cosmonauts crash death Deke Slayton Ed Givens Ed White Edwards ejection Ellington Elliot engineering father fighter finally fire flew flight flown flying Frank Borman friends Gemini Gene Cernan Givens graduated Gus Grissom hatch honor Houston Jeannie Jim Lovell Jim McDivitt John knew Komarov later launch Lieutenant lives look Lovell lunar landing Marilyn Marine memorial Mercury astronauts miles mission module moon named NASA NASA's Naval Nelyubov officer orbit oxygen Pilot School plebe prime crew recalled rocket Roger Chaffee scheduled soon Soviet space center space program spacecraft spaceflight squadron Stafford Ted Freeman test pilot told Tom Stafford took USAF walk Wally Schirra West Point White wife young Yuri Gagarin