Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond Paperback – Illustrated, 23 Jun. 2009

This is an excellent book... I am at the moment about halfway through and I find the writing style is clear and flows well. Kranz packs in a lot of information and doesn’t waffle, he just gets on and tells the story. He gives a little information about the various people he encounters as and when they enter the narrative and sets the scene just before recounting a dramatic event. If you want a highly readable account of the US space programme from someone who was making real time decisions at the heart of mission control, Kranz is your man. The book is packed with important detail and plenty of edge of the seat moments. If you are not a ‘space enthusiast’ this will give you a wonderful account of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programmes within one page-turning book. If you are a ‘space enthusiast’ then this should most definitely be in your library...

This is a truly inspirational story.Gene Kranz was right at the heart of the Apollo story and he has sufficient technical knowledge to give real insights into how NASA managed to put Armstrong et al on the moon in such a short space of time.Of course there is heroisim in here by virtue of the bravery exhibited by those who were prepared to put their lives at risk in order to achieve the goal set by JFK. Not everyone survived.But for me, the real lessons are about just how much can be achived by a motivated set of gifted individuals with a set of technologies that were at the time in their absolute infancy.I can't believe Health and Safety will ever again permit a story like this to get off the ground, and therefore is likely to remain for ever one of the truly outstanding team achievements of all time.A compelling book.

Based on his experience as a flight director for the American space programme from Mercury through to the Apollo moon landings, Gene Krantz has written a gripping biography of those years. He takes us behind-the-scenes and we see the pressures faced by the controllers and everyone – not just the astronauts – connected with the programme. The resources involved are, quite literally, vast.After 16 successful launches they overcame the death of three astronauts in the pad fire that destroyed Apollo 1. But, despite that disaster, the programme continued and we are given a gripping account of the moon landings, subsequent lift off and rendezvous. There’s also an near-light-hearted summary – remember the film? – of the way in which the astronauts put together that air scrubber using a fan, bits of cardboard and a fair amount of duct tape. But it worked and averted another near disaster.At the end of the book Gene Krantz expresses – strongly – his views about the way in which the United States terminated that particular part of the space programme. But, of course, he was unaware of the way in which projects like the International Space Station and Mars explorations would ultimately follow. And that Russia, China and India would play a major joint role in ongoing space exploration.In the book he also quotes the opening line (the title to my review) of the poem ‘High Flight’, written by the 19-year-old Canadian pilot John McGee, who was killed when his Spitfire 1 collided with a training aircraft close to RAF Cranwell on 11 December 1941. ‘High Flight’ is now the official poem of both the RAF at the RCAF and was quoted by President Reagan in his speech following the Challenger disaster on 28 January 1985.I believe the final few lines of the sonnet epitomise the entire space programme:“Up, up the long, delirious, burning blueI’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.Where never lark, or even eagle flew —And while with silent lifting mind I’ve trodThe high, untrespassed sanctity of spacePut out my hand and touched the face of God.”

Really good inside track on what I watched on tv as a kid.

Another one of those books you read quickly because you can't put it down. The book starts where he finds himself out of work after the Korean war, right through his NASA career and after the final Apollo mission. It's mainly told from the viewpoint within mission control, explaining some of the technical aspects of the various missions, some of the controls in the spacecraft and control centres, the colourful characters in the various departments, mission simulations, faults and problems and a view of the astronauts' and families side of things.I don't know if Kranz uses a ghost writer or did it all himself, but the writing is very easy to absorb, is written in a natural flowing manner and explains technical or unusual words in a sensible way that doesn't condescend or patronise the reader.

Eugene Kranz is an unsung hero. Maybe most people are familiar with Ed Harris's portrayal of him in Apollo 13 but the man was around from the beginning of the space programme. We've already forgetten, all too easily, what an astonishing achievement NASA completed with the space programme in terms of technology. We forget also that the staff there literally invented the rules as they went along. But apart from all the engineering and science, there is the incredible way that they stood up to the pressure not just on the Apollo 13 mission but in other situations. In the thick of it all is Eugene Kranz. These days people in the UK are stupid enough to vote Queenie and Robbie Williams as the most important Britains ever. As an antidote read this and focus on someone who deserves our admiration.

A great account from one of NASA's ex flight controllers. Covers the earliest American attempts into space through to after the Apollo program. Gives a real feel and picture to the highs and lows of missions throughout that period. Not overly technical, captures the emotions involved and describes the various personalities of the astronauts and staff in Mission Control.