Title:	First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong
Author:	James R. Hansen
Genre:	History / Biography & Autobiography / Scientists / Astronauts ; Technology / United States History
Format:	CD, 8 CDs, 10 Hours (Abridged)

 

Synopsis:

 

On July 20, 1969, the world stood still to watch thirty-eight-year-old American astronaut Neil A. Armstrong become the first person ever to step on the surface of another heavenly body. Perhaps no words in human history became better known than those few he uttered at that historic moment.

 

Upon his return to Earth, Armstrong was honored and celebrated for his monumental achievement. He was also -- as James R. Hansen reveals in this fascinating and important authorized biography -- misunderstood. Armstrong's accomplishments as an engineer, a test pilot, and an astronaut have long been a matter of record, but Hansen's unprecedented access to private documents and unpublished sources and his interviews with more than 125 subjects (including more than fifty hours with Armstrong himself) yield this first in-depth analysis of an elusive American celebrity still renowned the world over.

 

In a riveting narrative filled with revelations, Hansen vividly re-creates Armstrong's career in flying, from his seventy-eight combat missions as a naval aviator flying over North Korea to his formative transatmospheric flights in the rocket-powered X-15 to his piloting Gemini VIII to the first-ever docking in space. These milestones made it seem, as Armstrong's mother, Viola, memorably put it, "as if from the very moment he was born -- farther back still -- that our son was somehow destined for the Apollo 11 mission."

 

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 thirty-six years since the Moon landing, rumors have swirled around Armstrong concerning his dreams of space travel, his religious beliefs, and his private life.

 

In a penetrating exploration of American hero worship, Hansen addresses the complex legacy of the First Man, as an astronaut and as an individual. In First Man, the personal, technological, epic, and iconic blend to form the portrait of a great but reluctant hero who will forever be known as history's most famous space traveler.

 

 

Review:

 

Library Journal

 

This authorized biography is a Herculean research effort incorporating personal papers, NASA and other government records, and interviews with over 125 subjects (including Armstrong himself). Hansen (history, Auburn Univ.; Spaceflight Revolution), a former historian for NASA, covers Armstrong's Ohio boyhood and then follows his life as a jet fighter pilot in Korea, Purdue University student, test pilot in supersonic and hypersonic aircraft, and, finally, America's first man on the moon. Hansen's highly technical descriptions of the training programs at Cape Canaveral and Mission Control in Houston, explanation of how astronaut assignments are made, analysis of the onboard routines of the Gemini VIII and Apollo 11 missions, history of Apollo 11's lunar module program, his examination of Armstrong's conflict-avoidance relationship with his Apollo crewmates ("amiable strangers"), and discussion of the controversy surrounding NASA's veiled decision to have Armstrong ("the Lunar Lindy") as its "First Man" are all major contributions. Hansen also succeeds in penetrating his subject's seemingly enigmatic personality. His disclosure of Armstrong's private life-the tragic loss of a child and a painful divorce after 38 years of marriage-is handled with remarkable sensitivity. This impressively documented and engagingly written biography will stand the test of time. Recommended for all libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/05.]-John Carver Edwards, Univ. of Georgia Libs., Cleveland Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.