FREE VOICES FROM THE MOON: APOLLO ASTRONAUTS DESCRIBE THEIR LUNAR EXPERIENCES PDF Andrew L Chaikin,Victoria Kohl | 224 pages | 26 Aug 2009 | Penguin Putnam Inc | 9780670020782 | English | New York, NY, United States Voices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar Experiences - collectSPACE: Messages Voices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Voices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar Experiences ExperiencesAndrew Chaikin SpaceRef Review: As we descend upon the 40th anniversary of the first humans to stand on the moon, the books, and movies, and DVDs, and websites all seem hell bent on a collision — each one trying to best encapsulate the Apollo experience. While Apollo 11 was the first mission to put people on the moon — other missions followed. And while the experience of walking on the Moon was shared by a precious few, the opinions of the moonwalkers are remarkably diverse so as to allow everyone to identify with Voices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar Experiences it must have been like to be there. Indeed, if there is anyone who has lived and breathed Apollo for the past 40 years, it has been Andy. Now, suddenly, it is new again. Andy did not write this book in the traditional sense. The words are virtually all from the Apollo crews. Nor did he take the pictures — they were also taken by others. He weaved their words and pictures into a narrative about what it was like to go, to live, and then to return from this amazing place. Many of the images are familiar but many more are not. Often, the images chosen for this book were not what people wanted to see in Life Magazine inso they were never seen by more than a Voices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar Experiences few. I am not certain if it was taken on approach or on return from the Moon. That said, it shows a small grey orb, partially lit in the distance — again it is either a destination or a memory. Across from the image is a quote from Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise which captures the moment when the crew simultaneously knew that their dreams were crushed — and their lives were very much at risk. We seem to have forgotten just how awe- inspiring a place the Moon truly is. It is good that these voices were brought back together, perhaps one last time. A decade hence, that number will be much smaller. Soon there will only be words and pictures. This book will be at the top of the pile. Skip to content Voices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar ExperiencesAndrew Chaikin SpaceRef Review: As we descend upon the 40th anniversary of the first humans to stand on the moon, the books, and movies, and DVDs, and websites all seem hell bent on a collision — each one trying to best encapsulate the Apollo experience. [Voices from the Moon] | Now, using never-before-published quotes taken from his in-depth interviews with twenty-three of the twenty-four Apollo lunar astronauts, Chaikin and his collaborator, Victoria Kohl, have created an extraordinary account of the lunar missions. In Voices from the Moon the astronauts vividly recount their experiences in intimate detail; their distinct personalities and remarkably varied perspectives emerge from their candid and deeply personal reflections. Carefully assembled into a narrative that reflects the entire arc of the lunar journey, Voices from the Moon captures the magnificence of the Apollo program like no other book. Paired with their own words are images taken from NASA's new high-resolution scans of the photos the astronauts took during the missions. Many of the photos, which are reproduced with stunning and unprecedented detail, have rarely -- if ever -- been seen by the general public. Voices from the Moon is an utterly unique chronicle of these defining moments in human history. First impressions are that this is a must have if your an Apollo fanatic. The photos are excellent. There are some I have not seen in print in some time. Very well Voices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar Experiences. The narrative by the crew members is really well done. This is from a fast scan of this volume. Chaikin has another winner. There are an number of Apollo related books coming out this year. Hope they're all this good. I really highly recommend this one! I will be doing a thorough read Voices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar Experiences weekend. I can't get enough of the Apollo program. Some pretty obscure pictures, and even the familiar ones have an interesting crop and have been milked for detail. The quotes photos and layout work beautifully. Andy and his wife have done a great job on this book, and I highly recommend it. The writing is as good as the photos, a must have for Apollo enthusiasts. I envy Mr. Chaikin in what was obviously a labor love. How many of us have had the oppurtunity to meet with an Apollo astronaut or even still a moon walker. And then to collect their remembrances! Thanks for sharing the results of your work. The photos are excellent and there were some that even I had never seen before. But the most interesting part to me are the numerous quotes from interviews that Chaikin had with the Apollo astronauts. There are some moving observations there Voices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar Experiences I can never get enough of these men sharing their adventures. This is a must for every Apollo-fan. Reading it allows you to get a better feel for the way the astronauts speak and what they think of participating in the program. I will never ask Dave Scott how it feels? A wonderful guy! We shared our experiences of seeing the launch of Apollo 17 as two 16 year old kids. I find myself inevitably comparing it to "Full Moon. Thanks again to Andy for this beautiful book and for finding another way to mine the gold from his interviews with our lunar explorers! I just knew I wouldn't be disappointed; also great pictures. I love the picture of McDivitt and Cernan having a good laugh. If you are celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11 with the purchase of a space book, then this is THE one to buy. Andy Chaikin has done it again and may even have surpassed himself in relation to his earlier stunning volumes. Andrew Chaikin has done a brilliant job marrying the astronauts observations with images, some rarely heard or seen in print. The first of two standout parts, for me, are on page when Fred Haise describes his disappointment at the 'failure' of Apollo 13's primary mission. The two images of him during the flight which accompany the text are very poignant, portraying his feelings, sadly, very well. Also, as we know, Buzz has gone on record stating how difficult he found events post A11, including the 'world tour. I have borrowed it from my local public library as my current economic situation does not allow me the luxury of owning it. Having read the book I must state that I have very mixed feelings about it. On the positive side: Clearly this book is very well researched, written, and illustrated. Many of the photographs are ones that I have never seen before. The astronauts own words and sentiments seem quite genuine, thoughtful, and refreshingly candid. As one who has never met an astronaut not for lack of wanting I found that by linking a given astronauts words on various subjects over the different pages I could discern a somewhat better measure of each man than I had in the past from reading their bios, books, etc. I think that is what this book is trying to do and in that regard it does it well. Clearly the passage of time between when the astronauts made their space journeys and when they were interviewed for this book has given them a deep sense of perspective and distance figuratively that makes it easier for the non-space traveler me to better grasp their experiences. That was a very positive thing that I came away from this book with. On the negative side: On the very first page of the book the author dedicates the book 'to the four hundred thousand individuals - the men and women of Apollo - who worked to turn a science fiction dream into reality. Without them, the words and images on these pages would not exist. Belying its title the book is clearly about more than the moon for it encompasses aspects of the entire Apollo program and those men's voices were a part of that. On page 61 Buzz Aldrin speaks of irony. Well I found it overtly ironic, and more than a bit saddening for me, to see that the book was published in China. And it was done so for one reason - to reduce its cost so that those that made it and published it can Voices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar Experiences their profits. It's Voices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar Experiences simple. And the irony Voices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar Experiences the fact that so many in the space community - including many of these same astronauts - say that the next flag planted on the moon will be the Chinese flag. And it will be paid for by our ridiculously obese trade imbalance with them that is driven by greed.