From Publishers Weekly
Were the Apollo moonlandings an epic of scientific exploration, a safety valve for cold war rivalries or a boondoggle subsidy to the aerospace industry? They were all of these things, according to this idiosyncratic history cum memoir. Longtime BBC aerospace reporter Turnill gives a comprehensive overview of the Apollo program, including its origins in America's post-Sputnik panic, the preliminary Mercury and Gemini programs, the drama of the Apollo 11 landing and the Apollo 13 near-disaster, as well as the program's demise amid waning public interest, rising costs and a general sense that the moonlaunches had accomplished all they could accomplish. Turnill's eyewitness account focuses less on the landings than it does on the news coverage of the landings. On the one hand, this results in some tedious passages devoted to wranglings with his editors and the minutiae of trying to establish telecom links to file his stories, while others are taken up reprinting raw transcripts of impenetrably jargon-filled back-and-forth between Houston and the astronauts, as if there were air-time to kill. On the other hand, Turnill's eye for human interest, flair for punchy narrative and superb expositions of the science and technology of space exploration, honed by decades of reporting for popular audiences, make for an engaging read. Free for the most part of right-stuff mythologizing, and canny about the effects of personal antagonisms, budgetary constraints and political opportunism on the space program, this is a clear-eyed account that still conveys the real excitement and achievement of the race for the moon. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"This is a fine account of the working life of a high-profile journalist...Certainly today's space journalists will never write memoirs to compete with Turnill's epic tale." Times Higher Education Supplement
"The book provides plenty of new information even for veteran space enthusiasts. Recommended." Choice
"This is a unique eyewitness account of one of the most thrilling adventures of the twentieth century, the story of the race to the Moon." Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin
"...engaging and whimsical narrative." C&RL News
Book Description
The Soviet-American race to land the first man on the Moon was a technical challenge unlike anything in modern human history. BBC Aerospace Correspondent Reginald Turnill covered the story, and his reports were heard and seen by millions worldwide. With unparalleled access to the politicians, scientists, and technicians involved in the race to the Moon, Turnill knew all the early astronauts--Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin--as they pioneered the techniques that made the Moon landings possible. He became a friend of Dr. Wernher von Braun, the German rocket pioneer and mastermind behind the technology. Turnill's unique eyewitness account of one of the most thrilling adventures of the twentieth century is clearly written and is packed with action and drama, making this a fascinating read for all those interested in the story of the race to the Moon. Reginald Turnill started work in Fleet Street at the age of 15, and by 19 he was covering the national news as a Press Association staff reporter. After joining the BBC in 1956 he covered the launch of Sputnik 1 and found it so exciting that he made space reporting his speciality. As the BBC Aerospace Correspondent, Turnill spent the rest of his career covering all the manned space missions as well as planetary missions like Mariner, Pioneer, Viking, and Voyager. Since leaving the BBC staff, Turnill has continued to broadcast and write on space, and he created the first spaceflight directory. Turnill is the only non-American to have been presented with NASA's Chroniclers Award for contributions to public understanding of the space program.
Download Description
The Soviet-American race to land the first man on the Moon was a technical challenge unlike anything in modern human history. BBC Aerospace Correspondent Reginald Turnill covered the story, and his reports were heard and seen by millions worldwide. With unparalleled access to the politicians, scientists, and technicians involved in the race to the Moon, Turnill knew all the early astronauts--Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin--as they pioneered the techniques that made the Moon landings possible. He became a friend of Dr. Wernher von Braun, the German rocket pioneer and mastermind behind the technology. Turnill's unique eyewitness account of one of the most thrilling adventures of the twentieth century is clearly written and is packed with action and drama, making this a fascinating read for all those interested in the story of the race to the Moon. Reginald Turnill started work in Fleet Street at the age of 15, and by 19 he was covering the national news as a Press Association staff reporter. After joining the BBC in 1956 he covered the launch of Sputnik 1 and found it so exciting that he made space reporting his speciality. As the BBC Aerospace Correspondent, Turnill spent the rest of his career covering all the manned space missions as well as planetary missions like Mariner, Pioneer, Viking, and Voyager. Since leaving the BBC staff, Turnill has continued to broadcast and write on space, and he created the first spaceflight directory. Turnill is the only non-American to have been presented with NASA's Chroniclers Award for contributions to public understanding of the space program.
Book Info
A unique eyewitness account of one of the most thrilling adventures of the 20th Century. Written in a lucid style, packed with action and drama, a fascinating read for all those interested in the story of the race to the Moon.
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