Rating: 
Summary: It was cool
Review: I was presented this book while playing a computer game I was really excited when I got it. My mom got it from some friends of mine and it was a great book to read. I liked the way he wrote it. Easily readible and quite enjoyable. I liked his technical discription of the equiptment. It was cool on how they traveled to the moon. And it was quite interesting on the way they did things. Overall it was quite good.
Rating: 
Summary: not up to the standard of his later juveniles
Review: In this early book, Heinlein hasn't yet found his voice. The whole thing is pretty cheesy, and very much a product of its time.
Rating: 
Summary: The beginning of a great series of juveniles
Review: Let's say this right up front: "Rocket Ship Galileo" is not Heinlein's best novel. But it just might be his most influential work, and given that the competition ranges from "Stranger in a Strange Land" to his early groundbreaking science fiction before WWII, that's saying a great deal. After his return from civilian service for the Navy, Heinlein wanted to break out of the pulps he'd written for before the war. He didn't want to stay trapped; he wanted to write for the slicks, for girls, for boys, for the movies, for nearly every market that he could break into. "Rocket Ship Galileo" is not his first novel -- he'd written several novel-length works for the pulps. But it is his first work specifically written for young boys, and the first of the dozen or so juvenile classics to follow. Heinlein's greatest literary hero, Mark Twain, had written for boys; the market seemed open to him, and the money looked good. Heinlein always loved teaching young people, and this novel would prove his greatest triumph in that regard. Yes, the storyline is somewhat hard to believe: three high-school age boys get taken to the moon. But that was right in the tradition of the Tom Swift novels that had sold so well to young boys. Yes, the ending is corny to us now, with Nazis on the moon: but in 1947, the Nazis has just been defeated, and they had been the world's greatest rocket scientists: it seemed perfectly plausible in 1947. The novel hasn't dated well in some respects; the dialogue is a bit cheesy, and the characters are a little hard to tell apart. But it still moves with great excitement, and the science hasn't dated very badly at all; Heinlein's experience developing high-pressure suits proved sufficient to create a space suit remarkably like that later developed. So why is this novel so influential? Because it was read by hundreds of young men and women who went on to work in the Apollo program in the sixties; Heinlein, in this very novel, had convinced them going to the moon was exciting, achievable, and important. If any work of fiction has that kind of impact, it deserves to be read. But in and of itself, "Rocket Ship Galileo" is still a page-turner, and a wonderful read. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: The beginning of a great series of juveniles
Review: Let's say this right up front: "Rocket Ship Galileo" is not Heinlein's best novel. But it just might be his most influential work, and given that the competition ranges from "Stranger in a Strange Land" to his early groundbreaking science fiction before WWII, that's saying a great deal. After his return from civilian service for the Navy, Heinlein wanted to break out of the pulps he'd written for before the war. He didn't want to stay trapped; he wanted to write for the slicks, for girls, for boys, for the movies, for nearly every market that he could break into. "Rocket Ship Galileo" is not his first novel -- he'd written several novel-length works for the pulps. But it is his first work specifically written for young boys, and the first of the dozen or so juvenile classics to follow. Heinlein's greatest literary hero, Mark Twain, had written for boys; the market seemed open to him, and the money looked good. Heinlein always loved teaching young people, and this novel would prove his greatest triumph in that regard. Yes, the storyline is somewhat hard to believe: three high-school age boys get taken to the moon. But that was right in the tradition of the Tom Swift novels that had sold so well to young boys. Yes, the ending is corny to us now, with Nazis on the moon: but in 1947, the Nazis has just been defeated, and they had been the world's greatest rocket scientists: it seemed perfectly plausible in 1947. The novel hasn't dated well in some respects; the dialogue is a bit cheesy, and the characters are a little hard to tell apart. But it still moves with great excitement, and the science hasn't dated very badly at all; Heinlein's experience developing high-pressure suits proved sufficient to create a space suit remarkably like that later developed. So why is this novel so influential? Because it was read by hundreds of young men and women who went on to work in the Apollo program in the sixties; Heinlein, in this very novel, had convinced them going to the moon was exciting, achievable, and important. If any work of fiction has that kind of impact, it deserves to be read. But in and of itself, "Rocket Ship Galileo" is still a page-turner, and a wonderful read. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Boys Club Builds Rocket For Moon Trip
Review: Rocket Ship Galileo is the first novel in the author's juvenile series, depicting the initial flight to the Moon. Published in 1947, the story is now the history of an alternate timeline, in which the atomic weapons used to end World War II were succeeded by a more vigorous development of nuclear power as well as the growth of internationalism into a more powerful form of world government. Rocket ships are used routinely to carry passengers and freight to the ends of the Earth.In this story, Doctor Donald Morris Cargraves has designed a system of power generation that is too powerful for existing turbines to handle. However, it would make an excellent rocket engine. He takes the idea to his corporate bosses, but they reject the technology as unlikely to have an adequate return on investment. His corporation owns the rights to power generation, but not those to rocket propulsion. Cargraves resigns, with no hard feelings on either side, to work on the idea. While he is considering his options, Cargraves decides to visit his sister and nephew. However, Art is with his friends, Ross and Morrie, at the Galileo Club test site, trying out a new model rocket, so Cargraves drives out to meet them. The boys are running a test as he approaches and have set the engine to full thrust. All is going well until, suddenly, the engine hesitates and then explodes. After the boys have checked the remains and covered the instruments and test stand, they leave only to find Cargraves face down at the gate. They call an ambulance which takes him to the hospital. The next day, the boys have gathered all the pieces of the rocket and tidied up the site when Cargraves shows up with a turban bandage on his head. They show him their clubhouse, with its workbench, equipment, logs, and reference books as well as a few SF novels and magazines. They talk for a while and then eat lunch at Ross's house with his father and mother. Afterwards, they return to the clubhouse and Cargraves suggests that they might want to join him in constructing a nuclear rocket ship to fly to the Moon. This novel is both dated and ahead of its time. The dialogue is most typical of the time, yet the technology is futuristic even today. Most of the reference to nuclear power may seem quaint, since the safeguards mandated by today's regulatory agencies are obviously lacking. Also, the references to walking on the glassy ground that was directly below a nuclear blast makes my toes curl. However, the military conducted nuclear tests with Army personnel in trenches within a few miles of ground zero during the early 1950's. Moreover, the risks of induced radioactivity were not really known at that time. The concept of heating a metal to propel spaceships is not, in itself, a fantasy. Such rocket engines have been designed and seem feasible. The problems, however, are somewhat understated in this novel. For one thing, a nuclear pile that was not shielded on all sides would never be permitted in our society. In addition, the legal issues of allowing a nuclear powered rocket to take off, spewing material out the exhaust that had been exposed to hard radiation, would be formidable; induced radioactivity may have a short half-life, but still detectable, and some people have hysterics if the sun is shining too bright. Another aspects of the novel is, sadly, unrealistic in today's educational environment. Where would you find three high school boys who have studied differential equations and mathematical logic. There are probably some out there, but not many of them would also be able to weld a seam, turn a piece on a lathe and wire a console. The author had high expectations for the public educational system, but THAT turned out to be fantasy. This novel is the inspiration for Destination Moon, originally scripted by Robert Heinlein and Alford Van Ronkel, but the final script was much modified from the original. Nevertheless, Heinlein was employed as the technical advisor, so most of the realism in the movie comes from his efforts. Highly recommended for Heinlein fans and anyone else who in interested in the origins of modern science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Boys Club Builds Rocket For Moon Trip
Review: Rocket Ship Galileo is the first novel in the author's juvenile series, depicting the initial flight to the Moon. Published in 1947, the story is now the history of an alternate timeline, in which the atomic weapons used to end World War II were succeeded by a more vigorous development of nuclear power as well as the growth of internationalism into a more powerful form of world government. Rocket ships are used routinely to carry passengers and freight to the ends of the Earth. In this story, Doctor Donald Morris Cargraves has designed a system of power generation that is too powerful for existing turbines to handle. However, it would make an excellent rocket engine. He takes the idea to his corporate bosses, but they reject the technology as unlikely to have an adequate return on investment. His corporation owns the rights to power generation, but not those to rocket propulsion. Cargraves resigns, with no hard feelings on either side, to work on the idea. While he is considering his options, Cargraves decides to visit his sister and nephew. However, Art is with his friends, Ross and Morrie, at the Galileo Club test site, trying out a new model rocket, so Cargraves drives out to meet them. The boys are running a test as he approaches and have set the engine to full thrust. All is going well until, suddenly, the engine hesitates and then explodes. After the boys have checked the remains and covered the instruments and test stand, they leave only to find Cargraves face down at the gate. They call an ambulance which takes him to the hospital. The next day, the boys have gathered all the pieces of the rocket and tidied up the site when Cargraves shows up with a turban bandage on his head. They show him their clubhouse, with its workbench, equipment, logs, and reference books as well as a few SF novels and magazines. They talk for a while and then eat lunch at Ross's house with his father and mother. Afterwards, they return to the clubhouse and Cargraves suggests that they might want to join him in constructing a nuclear rocket ship to fly to the Moon. This novel is both dated and ahead of its time. The dialogue is most typical of the time, yet the technology is futuristic even today. Most of the reference to nuclear power may seem quaint, since the safeguards mandated by today's regulatory agencies are obviously lacking. Also, the references to walking on the glassy ground that was directly below a nuclear blast makes my toes curl. However, the military conducted nuclear tests with Army personnel in trenches within a few miles of ground zero during the early 1950's. Moreover, the risks of induced radioactivity were not really known at that time. The concept of heating a metal to propel spaceships is not, in itself, a fantasy. Such rocket engines have been designed and seem feasible. The problems, however, are somewhat understated in this novel. For one thing, a nuclear pile that was not shielded on all sides would never be permitted in our society. In addition, the legal issues of allowing a nuclear powered rocket to take off, spewing material out the exhaust that had been exposed to hard radiation, would be formidable; induced radioactivity may have a short half-life, but still detectable, and some people have hysterics if the sun is shining too bright. Another aspects of the novel is, sadly, unrealistic in today's educational environment. Where would you find three high school boys who have studied differential equations and mathematical logic. There are probably some out there, but not many of them would also be able to weld a seam, turn a piece on a lathe and wire a console. The author had high expectations for the public educational system, but THAT turned out to be fantasy. This novel is the inspiration for Destination Moon, originally scripted by Robert Heinlein and Alford Van Ronkel, but the final script was much modified from the original. Nevertheless, Heinlein was employed as the technical advisor, so most of the realism in the movie comes from his efforts. Highly recommended for Heinlein fans and anyone else who in interested in the origins of modern science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Ridiculous ending
Review: The book had a powerful vision, but the ending was so weak. The beggining was technical and pretty good, but when they landed on the moon it just got lame. Definately not worth a read. Check out his other books.
Rating:
Summary: Hard to believe this was written before the moon landing
Review: The descriptions of the technology and the Galileo sound amazingly modern. One would believe that this book was written recently...until the publication date was checked. _ROCKET SHIP GALILEO_ will convince skeptics that Heinlein was often ahead of his time with his ideas. _ROCKET SHIP GALILEO_ is a mystery as well. I will not divulge any of the plot here, however:) As a matter of fact, the plot and technology are the book, which is why I gave _RSG_ an eight. I wasn't as concerned about the characters as I was about the mystery and plot. If you're wanting an Heinlein book with strong characters, read one of the other novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't stand the test of time.
Review: The true measure of greatness for books written for children or teens is whether they are worthy of being read by adults as well. This book fails the test. I enjoyed it immensely as a young teen, and when I ran across a copy 20 years later I was eager to read it again. The story just didn't work any more, for reasons that others have pointed out below -- so I won't repeat them.
Rating:
Summary: Doesn't stand the test of time.
Review: The true measure of greatness for books written for children or teens is whether they are worthy of being read by adults as well. This book fails the test. I enjoyed it immensely as a young teen, and when I ran across a copy 20 years later I was eager to read it again. The story just didn't work any more, for reasons that others have pointed out below -- so I won't repeat them.
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