Thursday, March 16, 2006

Book notes: Rocketman: Astronaut Pete Conrad's Incredible Ride to the Moon and Beyond

The Paragraph Farmer (aka Patrick O'Hannigan) says he liked this book:

Rocketman: Astronaut Pete Conrad's Incredible Ride to the Moon and Beyond
Rocketman: Astronaut Pete Conrad's Incredible Ride to the Moon and Beyond


Click on the book cover to go to Barnes & Noble. From that page:

FROM OUR EDITORS

Charles "Pete" Conrad (1930-99) seemed to be the last person destined to make history. The dyslexic son of debt-ridden parents, the Philadelphia-born future astronaut took odd jobs at an airfield before landing a Navy scholarship to Princeton, where he majored in aeronautical engineering. A born risk taker, he became one of the nation's elite test pilots, then joined the Mercury Space Program, only to drop out. Some people thought that he was too free-spirited or too short in stature to become an astronaut. Conrad proved them wrong. On his four Gemini flights, he spent nearly 1,200 hours in space, but he is best known as the commander of the second lunar landing in November 1969. His first words on the moon were not exactly tailored for history: "Whoopie!" he shouted, "That may have been one small step for Neil, but it's a long one for me!" In Rocketman, Conrad's widow joins with Space Cowboys screenplay writer Howard A. Klausner to capture the life and achievements of a high-flying hero.

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