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Rocketman: Astronaut Pete Conrad's Incredible Ride to the Moon and Beyond
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| Part No: | B000VYO5MO |
| Manufacturer: | NAL Trade |
| MFG Part: | |
| Customer Rating: | 4.0 / 5.0 |
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Whether he was hot-dogging at Mach 2, test-flying every supersonic jet the Navy developed (and some they shouldn't have), orbiting the Earth at almost 20,000 mph, or redlining his Corvette, Pete Conrad loved pushing the envelope.
The guy every NASA pilot wanted to happyhour with after work-and would kill to fly with-Pete had a natural outspokenness that got him removed from the Mercury program. But the "Comeback Kid" came roaring back-flying two Gemini missions, walking on the Moon as the commander of
Apollo 12, commanding the first
Skylab, and logging more time in space than all the original astronauts combined.
This is a surprisingly candid insider's view of the greatest ride in history: America's glorious race to the stars, as seen through the eyes of a
real space cowboy.
| Enjoying it | 2010-05-14 | 5 / 5 |
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| I'm still reading it but so far I'm enjoying it a great deal. Conrad was really one of a kind and this book expresses it very well. It's told from two different points in time which to me at least, adds to my enjoyment. I especially like the part when he was in the selection process for the Mercury Project. Can't give it away, but the way he was "unselected" was great. |
| Succeed on a literary level but there's some historical fiction in there. | 2010-04-27 | 4 / 5 |
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| I really enjoyed the book and it "fit" with what I know about Conrad from reading other works about his years in the space program. I did find the "voice" of the book to be a little off as the authors told a lot of stories from Pete's point of view, and not all of that can be authentic....for instance, even at the end, there is the story of his last motorcycle ride, including an encounter with a little girl in a diner who gets his autograph, and we are told what he was thinking/feeling as he left the restaurant before his fatal crash. I am not sure how anyone could know that, but it made a really good story. In any case, this is a very enjoyable read, and I do think the personality of the man comes through, but if you are after absolute historical accurary, be on your guard. |
| Navy Aviator,Test Pilot, Spaceman Hero, Humerous be Good and Colorful | 2010-03-12 | 5 / 5 |
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Wow what a book. I loved it. Rocket Man Astronaut Pete Conrad's Incredible Ride To The Moon And Beyond rocks! Nancy his wife was super with notes and stories and Howard Klausner did an outstanding job writing this book.
We see Charles "Pete" Conrad and three friends making an around the world speed record in a business Lear jet owned by his CableVision friend. Pete is only 5 ft 6 in and 1/4in. with a space toothed grin. He tells the other three on the jet his stories.
He grows up in a temporary rich family although his father loses most of the families wealth in the depression. The family gardener/house fixer upper man helps Pete develop an interest in how things work and taking appliances apart and putting them back together.He is young Pete's best friend.Much later Pete becomes a super engineer. Pete goes to an elite private school but bombs out because he has a reading dyslexia problem. He has his old Indian motorcycle that he terrorises the neighborhood with.
I was in my workplace lunch room and belly laughed reading Rocket Man. Many looked at me and said it must be a good book. It sure was.
His elite all boy private school is having its traditional Christmas play . Pete is selected to play the "Virgin Mary". No way he wants this role as he will be made fun of and picked on but he does it. "Joseph" is played by a Leave it to Beaver Eddie Haskel type of nitwit. "Joseph" eats lots of gassy foods and farts on the "Virgin Mary" but over does it and ends up throwing up all over Pete. Pete can't take it any more and throws off his puked on "Virgin Mary" outfit and proceeds to tackle and punch out "Joseph". Other students puke and the parents in the audience with their suits and gowns are so embarrassed. In my minds eye I can see this . So funny made me laugh big time.The book has many stories of Pete's humorous side. What a character.
He gets thrown out of this private elite school because of bad grades caused by his reading dyslexia problem and goes into another school. He works jobs fixing things on planes. He fixes a female instructor's plane and she gives Pete flying lessons. Pete becomes a private pilot and knows flying is his calling.
He conquers dyslexia and gets a full Navy scholarship to Princeton. He marries his first wife and starts a fine family. Pete becomes a Naval Aviator and is so good at flying he gets into Pax River as a test pilot. After flying many fast jets he gets orders to the new NASA and competes for a Mercury 7 slot but can't stand all the crazy medical tests and deposits a stool sample on the General doctors desk and goes back to PAX and he flies the Phantom F4. Later his friend Wally Schirra and Al Shepard meet Pete and help him get back in NASA.
He trains and trains and gets 2 Gemini space flights and is the commander on Apollo 12 and the 3rd man on the moon. Pete tells the world from the moon " It may have been a small step for Neil but it was a big one for me".So funny. He's only 5 ft 6in and its a 3 foot step to the lunar surface. However he tells the people on the Lear jet speed record plane his most exciting ride was his first carrier landing. Pete says his top achievement was helping to design Skylab and the flight to repair it. Skylab was his pet baby. . He retires from the Navy as a Captain and retires from NASA.
He becomes good friends with Big Mac of MacDonald Douglass and become an executive helping sell DC10s all over the world. Pete and Big Mac make lots of money until an engine falls off a DC10 and everyone on the jet is killed plus 2 on the ground. Pete must investigate who was at fault. Its discovered that airline companies to cut cost were using forklifts to take the engine and pods off the planes causing metal fatigue. Nothing wrong with the jet or its builder.
Pete and his wife drift apart as their family grows up.Pete suffers so much as his youngest son gets sick and dies. Later Pete marries Nancy his second wife who supplied so many notes and stories for Howard Klausner to write this excellent book. Poor Pete has an accident driving his Harley motorcycle and does not receive quick medical attention at the hospital and passes away. The world loses a true hero with so many accomplishments. The book lists them as well as specifications of the spacecraft he flew and his many awards and advancements.If you want to read one of the best astronaut books and have a good laugh and a little cry read this book. As Pete said "Be good and colorful". He sure was. What a great guy and a fun loving character. Highly recommended. 5 star |
| Pete Conrad deserves better | 2009-08-24 | 2 / 5 |
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This book is poorly written tripe that 14 year olds would love. Everyone older should save their money for much better books like "First Man", and "Carrying the Fire".
Lots of misinformation, BS, made up stories, along with a dearth of details makes this book more like pulp fiction.
It's too bad because Pete Conrad was an exceptional pilot, astronaut, and entrepreneur with a unique sense of humor. He deserves better, much better than this garbage.
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| A good and colorful book | 2009-06-26 | 5 / 5 |
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The life of Pete Conrad was so colorful that it is difficult to express it in a 301-page book.
It is a "rich summary", which allows the reader to have a good notion of the person who was Conrad, his restless spirit, his technical and scientific mind. Its reading makes us realize why he was always referred to by fellow astronauts as an exemplary man, whatever the aspect considered.
The focus is the person, not the profession.
The book doesn't have lots of details of Gemini 5, Gemini 11 or Apollo XII missions. But the final product is rewarding as it provides a good overview of U.S. manned space program history, and allows us to know a human being that was an example to those who lived around him. Those who didn't have that opportunity can learn a lot with the "Rocketman".
It is a good and colorful book.
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