#Houston70: The Miracle Journey of Apollo 13 (Hashtag Histories)

Overview: What if there had been social media during the Apollo 13 Moon mission? Gene Kranz was present at the creation of America's manned space program and was a key player in it for three decades. As a flight director in NASA's Mission Control, Kranz witnessed firsthand the making of history. He participated in the space program from the early days of the Mercury program to the last Apollo mission, and beyond. He endured the disastrous first years when rockets blew up and the United States seemed to fall further behind the Soviet Union in the space race. He helped to launch Alan Shepard and John Glenn, then assumed the flight director's role in the Gemini program, which he guided to fruition. With his teammates, he accepted the challenge to carry out President John F. Kennedy's commitment to land a man on the Moon before the end of the 1960s. Kranz was flight director for both Apollo 11, the mission in which Neil Armstrong fulfilled President Kennedy's pledge, and Apollo 13. He headed the Tiger Team that had to figure out how to bring the three Apollo 13 astronauts safely back to Earth. (In the filmApollo 13,Kranz was played by the actor Ed Harris, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance.)InFailure Is Not an Option, Gene Kranz recounts these thrilling historic events and offers new information about the famous flights. What appeared as nearly flawless missions to the Moon were, in fact, a series of hair-raising near misses. When the space technology failed, as it sometimes did, the controllers' only recourse was to rely on their skills and those of their teammates. Kranz takes us inside Mission Control and introduces us to some of the whiz kids -- still in their twenties, only a few years out of college -- who had to figure it all out as they went along, creating a great and daring enterprise. He reveals behind-the-scenes details to demonstrate the leadership, discipline, trust, and teamwork that made the space program a success. Finally, Kranz reflects on what has happened to the space program and offers his own bold suggestions about what we ought to be doing in space now. This is a fascinating firsthand account written by a veteran mission controller of one of America's greatest achievements "Kranz was flight director for both Apollo 11, the mission in which Neil Armstrong fulfilled President Kennedy's pledge, and Apollo 13. He headed the Tiger Team that had to figure out how to bring the three Apollo 13 astronauts safely back to Earth. (In the film Apollo 13, Kranz was played by the actor Ed Harris, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance.)". "In Failure Is Not an Option, Gene Kranz recounts these historic events and offers new information about the famous flights. What appeared as nearly flawless missions to the Moon were, in fact, a series of hair-raising near misses. When the space technology failed, as it sometimes did, the controllers' only recourse was to rely on their skills and those of their teammates. Kranz takes us inside Mission Control and introduces us to some of the whiz kids - still in their twenties, only a few years out of college - who had to figure it all out as they went along, creating a great and daring enterprise. He reveals behind-the-scenes details to demonstrate the leadership, discipline, trust, and teamwork that made the space program a success."--BOOK JACKET. The Author, Flight Director In Nasa's Mission Control, Tells Of The Challenges In Space Flight From The Very Early Years To The Current Time And Of His Own Bold Suggestions About What We Ought To Be Doing In Space Now.--jacket. Four-inch Flight -- Liftoff; The Clock Is Running -- God Speed, John Glenn -- Brotherhood -- Making Of A Rocket Man -- Gemini: The Twins -- White Flight -- Spirit Of 76 -- Angry Alligator -- Fire On The Pad -- Out Of The Ashes -- X Mission -- Christmas Story -- 1969: The Year Of Apollo -- Simsup Wins The Final Round -- We Copy You Down, Eagle -- What The Hell Was That -- Age Of Aquarius -- Coming Home -- Shepard's Return -- What Do You Do After The Moon -- Last Liftoff. Gene Kranz. Includes Index. A retelling of the Apollo 13 mission using tweets based on actual astronaut accounts, NASA transcripts of the astronauts' conversations with Mission Control and live broadcasts of major U.S. TV networks who were covering the unfolding drama. Includes posts by well-known personalities of the time such as astronaut Jim Lovell and news anchor Walter Cronkite The man who headed the "tiger team" that saved the Apollo 13 astronauts gives an insider's view of NASA Mission Control, from the early years of trying to catch up with the Russians to the end of the manned spaced program. At some time in the hours that followed that terse announcement from Apollo 13, many of us in NASA's Mission Control Center wondered if we were going to lose the crew.