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Summary: Sim Sup
Review: In "Failure Is Not An Option", Kranz tells it like it was. This is a very accurate description of life as a flight controller from 1960 until the end of the Apollo program. The characters are real and the circumstances they lived in are accurately portrayed in a manner that is interesting and provoking. I know because I was there. Sim Sup
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Summary: An insider's view of history
Review: Gene Kranz was a flight director for most of the U.S. manned space program, and was on duty for some of the most critical events - including the first moon landing, and, of course the Apollo 13 accident. In "Failure Is Not an Option," Kranz tells the story of Mission Control from the begining (he wrote some of the intial procedures manuals) through the Space Shuttle program. He shows how the ground controllers developed into a team, not only with each other, but with the astronauts on board the spacecraft. Kranz may not be the most polished writer, but this is a first-person account from someone who helped make history. One of the things I really liked about the book is that Kranz not only took detailed notes during the missions (that was his first flight assignment), but he held on to them and used them to provide a more detailed account than I have seen before of the key missions from the perspective of Mission Control. He doesn't pull punches, and he's not afraid to admit mistakes, and this gives this book an air of honesty that you don't always find in an autobiography.
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Summary: Outstanding
Review: Gene Kranz is a legend and rightfully so. Although best known for his role as flight director for Apollo 13, he was with Mission Control from the beginning and as a result set the high standards that continue to this day.
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Summary: Could Not Put It Down
Review: This is a well-written account of the space program from the perspective of a mission controller. The author does a great job of telling the "behind the scenes" story of each Mercury, Gemini and Apollo mission. In the end, I was left with a profound feeling of respect for the men and women who worked together using technology that was, by today's standard, ancient to put men on the moon and bring them back safely. I was also left with a deep feeling of sadness that my children are unlikely ever to experience the awe and pride that we as a country experienced as we watched their achievement unfold.
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Summary: Historically interesting but also a portrait of teambuilding
Review: Everyone else has reviewed the technical and historical aspects of this book, which I also found enthralling. However, a side benefit is that it can also be seen as a great how-to book on leadership. The Mission Control "mission statement" and the struggles that Krantz went through to lead the fledgling agency are a great study in teambuilding and the power of visionary leadership through integrity. I've posted the Mission Statement by my desk at work.
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Summary: Failure Is Not an Option
Review: I thought Gene Kranz did a fine job of re-living the space race from Mercury to Apollo. His remarks and recall put you right in the control center and his accounts of some of the more interesting moments make you appreciate everything that test pilots and astronauts went through in those early years. If you have want a great account of the space program, the early years, this is the book you won't be able to put down.
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Summary: Must read after reading all the astronauts' books.
Review: Gene Kranz's book tells a similar story, as told in books by Eugene Cerman, Scott Carpenter, and Chris Kraft, without being dominated by the author's ego. The others wrote good books. But Kranz avoids using personal attacks to tell his tale. The antidotes differ from those in other stories, as Kranz does not have a Boy Scout image to preserve. However, Kranz covers mission control only through Apollo 17. This book is an excellent story of the space race from the ground.
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Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: I picked up this book out of interest in the Apollo program (thanks to Ron Howard and Tom Hanks). I just wanted more details, but found out I have an interest in the entire space program. This auto-biography of Gene Kranz's years at NASA reads like a well-written novel. It's a great first hand account of the early years of the space program. From Mercury to the final days of Apollo, this book is a fast paced thrill ride from start to finish. It shows the unwavering intelligence, engenuity and shear willpower of the American people.
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Summary: A super adventure for those of us who weren't there
Review: I enjoyed reading this book, especially that Mr. Kranz wrote it himself without the help of a ghost writer. Once you get over the fact that this author clearly thinks of himself as a hero, and wants to remind the reader of his personal accomplishments once or twice a chapter, this book contains alot of very interesting information related to the early days of NASA. This was clearly a dynamic time, full of technological developments born out of a need at NASA. A time worthy of such an interesting book. I was disappointed that although the cover talks about events through to the 80's there was no lengthy discussion on events after the Apollo program. There nothing discussing the events of the Challenger disaster, a period in which NASA operations pushed a "Failure Is The Only Option" approach. But this would fly in the face of the NASA Mr. Kranz believes that he helped to create. All in all: a good book to read, about a remarkable time, from a man with an enormous ego.
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