FREE APOLLO PILOT: THE MEMOIR OF ASTRONAUT DONN EISELE PDF Donn Eisele,Francis French,Susan Eisele Black | 184 pages | 06 Jan 2017 | University of Nebraska Press | 9780803262836 | English | Lincoln, United States The Space Review: Review: Apollo Pilot Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Apollo Pilot by Donn Eisele. Francis French Editor. Susan Eisele Black Afterword. Known to many as a goofy, lighthearted prankster, Eisele worked his way from the U. He was originally on the crew of Apollo 1 before being replaced due to injury. After that crew died in a horrific fire, Eisele was on the crew selected to return Americans to space. Despite the success of Apollo 7Eisele never flew in Apollo Pilot: The Memoir of Astronaut Donn Eisele again, as divorce and a testy crew commander led to the three astronauts being labeled as troublemakers. Readers can now experience an Apollo story they assumed would never be written as well as the story behind its discovery. Get A Copy. Hardcoverpages. Published January 1st by University of Nebraska Press. More Details Other Editions 1. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Apollo Pilotplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Jul 12, Bon Tom rated it it was amazing. You know how you're sometimes glad after meeting interesting person, and maybe even regret it hasn't happen sooner? This is it! Except, if it wasn't for this interesting person, a lot of it, of historical magnitude, probably wouldn't happen. I like to think every one of us has purpose, and it's a delight when it manifests in such bucketloads in someone's life. I have to say this piece of trivia. As for the "forgotten Apollo" mission Apollo 7 is actually the one i remember the best. Because of You know how you're sometimes glad after meeting interesting person, and maybe even regret it hasn't happen sooner? Because of trivial fact. In my language, "Apollo 7" vaguely sounds like "at " u pol 7. So it became kind of familiar joke, when my auditory challenged grandmother, watching the report of Apollo 7 mission on television, excitedly informed the rest of the family about it: "Did you hear? They arrived, at ! May 10, Jonathan Ward rated it it was amazing. Editor Francis French has painstakingly assembled a coherent narrative from the collected sheets of faded, typed onionskin documents that lay nearly forgotten in Eisele's stored personal effects for more than 20 years after the astronaut unexpectedly died of a heart attack in December French Apollo Pilot: The Memoir of Astronaut Donn Eisele avoided the temptation to render Eisele's writings more polit "Apollo Pilot" is the reconstructed memoirs of Donn Eisele, the "forgotten" crew member of the "forgotten Apollo mission," Apollo 7. French wisely avoided the temptation to render Eisele's writings more politically correct. Thus, we see Eisele's words through a clear glass, and it is both jarring and refreshing to read his opinions of his colleagues and NASA management during the Apollo program. Command Module Pilot Eisele flew his first and only spaceflight in Octoberwhen Apollo 7 circled the Earth for 11 days. Two months later, Apollo 8 made mankind's first voyage to the Moon. The accomplishments of Apollo 7 were rapidly overshadowed by the relentless string of missions that culminated in Apollo 11's landing in July Eisele's commander on Apollo 7 was Wally Schirra, the colorful Mercury astronaut who was by now tired of the grind but who wanted to fly one final mission. Contrary to his public reputation as a fun-loving prankster, Schirra was gruff and frequently humorless behind the scenes. Eisele's portrayal of Schirra is consistent with what we read in his crew mate Walt Cunningham's book, "The All-American Boys," and with the opinions of other people who worked with Schirra and the crew. Nonetheless, Eisele portrays himself as trying to make the best of the situation and enjoy his spaceflight, despite his frustration with Schirra's caustic remarks and lack of preparation for the mission. If there is a fault with the book, it is that it is too short, and that is only because Eisele passed away before anyone could flesh out the memoirs with him. I imagine Mr. French must have been exhilarated to be presented with the Apollo Pilot: The Memoir of Astronaut Donn Eisele to reconstruct the manuscript, and yet also terribly frustrated that he found the project 20 years too late to ask Eisele any questions. An afterword by Eisele's second wife, Susan Eisele Black, helps to shed light on some of the crushing disappointments that Eisele suffered shortly after his mission. Rumors abounded then and persist today that the entire Apollo 7 crew was blackballed and denied the opportunity to get future missions because Manned Spaceflight Director Chris Kraft felt they were insubordinate. Schirra famously defied Mission Control repeatedly throughout the mission, and insisted that his subordinates Eisele and Cunningham follow his lead. Eisele's reputation as the black sheep of the astronaut corps was sealed when he became the Apollo Pilot: The Memoir of Astronaut Donn Eisele astronaut to get a divorce, which NASA Apollo Pilot: The Memoir of Astronaut Donn Eisele as a public relations blemish. When Eisele remarried, almost none of his friends and fellow astronauts came to the wedding, which hurt him deeply. While I was left wanting much more, I am nonetheless grateful to have this glimpse into the Apollo pilot that none of us knew well. Congratulations to Francis French for bringing this memoir to our attention and for editing it with such a light Apollo Pilot: The Memoir of Astronaut Donn Eisele. May 23, Tyler rated it liked it. This book is not nearly as thorough as I would like and leaves out numerous details, but I still appreciated gaining Donn Eisele's perspective of his selection into the astronaut corps, his criticism of NASA management in the wake of the Apollo 1 fire, and the Apollo 7 flight that he made the following year. If he had lived longer, he might have added some additional thoughts. Yet he died of a heart attack during a trip to Japan and we are left with this brief manuscript he compiled before This book is not nearly as thorough as I would like and leaves out numerous details, but I still appreciated gaining Donn Eisele's perspective of his selection into the astronaut corps, his criticism of NASA management in the wake of the Apollo 1 fire, and the Apollo 7 flight that he made the following year. Yet he died of a heart attack during a trip to Japan and we are left with this brief manuscript he compiled before his passing. Nov 16, Tom rated it really liked it. The quite literal first draft of history, as told colloquially by the Apollo program's black sheep. It focuses primarily on his career up to the Apollo 7 mission, though his widow adds background on the extramarital affair with her which effectively grounded him afterwards and its aftermath. What I read on Eisele painted him to be a real asshole, and while his account doesn't entirely exonerate him from that charge, it does humanize him and paints him as someone with a catty sense of humor but The quite literal first draft of history, as told colloquially by the Apollo program's black sheep. What I read on Eisele painted him to be a real asshole, and while his account doesn't entirely exonerate him from that charge, it does humanize him and paints him as someone with a catty sense of humor but also a strict commitment to his mission. Mar 15, James R. Great Apollo Pilot: The Memoir of Astronaut Donn Eisele This book was about one of the more unpopular Astronauts, that played a significant role in the Apollo Program. He along with his crew mates proved Apollo could fly men to the moon. May 22, Nick Van rated it really liked it. A forthright and honest account, and of all the Apollo memoirs, probably the most frank. While these memoirs were left incomplete, they have Apollo Pilot: The Memoir of Astronaut Donn Eisele fashioned into a cohesive work quite well. Jan 04, Scott Kardel rated it really liked it Shelves: biographyspace. Apollo Pilot is a first-hand account of the important, but often overlooked mission of Apollo 7. Jun 05, Ethan Symon rated it it was amazing. This is a very good memoir that was never and will never be complete unfortunately. It is really great reading about one of NASA's "forgotten astronaut". Nov 10, Kevin Orrman-Rossiter rated it liked it Shelves: into-the-void. Short, but refreshingly candid - unlike many of the astronaut memoirs. Jun 23, Lance rated it liked Apollo Pilot: The Memoir of Astronaut Donn Eisele. This is an interesting look at how a memoir could look if someone didn't hold back. Nov 21, Angela Joyce rated it it was amazing. Apollo Pilot: The Memoir of Astronaut Donn Eisele was instantly intrigued and drawn into Eisele's story, wishing to know more. This recently discovered memoir, wonderfully edited and with a helpful foreword by Francis French, is a treasure.