Apollo and America's Moon Landing Program: NASA Engineers and the Age of Apollo - Stories of the Engineers Who Made the Moon Landing Possible (NASA SP-4104)

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Physics, Astronomy, Other Sciences, History
Cover of the book Apollo and America's Moon Landing Program: NASA Engineers and the Age of Apollo - Stories of the Engineers Who Made the Moon Landing Possible (NASA SP-4104) by Progressive Management, Progressive Management
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Progressive Management ISBN: 9781465896582
Publisher: Progressive Management Publication: January 14, 2012
Imprint: Smashwords Edition Language: English
Author: Progressive Management
ISBN: 9781465896582
Publisher: Progressive Management
Publication: January 14, 2012
Imprint: Smashwords Edition
Language: English

This comprehensive official NASA history document - converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction - is a fascinating collection of interviews with engineers involved with the NASA space program and the Apollo moon landing project.

From the Preface: "A generation of men and women who had defined their lives to a large extent in terms of this nation's epochal departure from Earth's surface was taking its leave of the program they had built. Would they, or their work, be remembered? Would anyone care? As the historian for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, I had the responsibility of attempting-attempting, because the task could never be fully done-to capture the essence of their lives and careers. Those who worked "on the front lines" of what I have called, after William James, a "moral equivalent of war," have had their quirks and genius memorialized in the agency's lore. If our memory of the Apollo era neglected those ordinary people, that memory would be incomplete, and we would have done an injustice to the true nature of life over time. Thus, the lives and careers laid out on the pages that follow have been drawn from hours of conversation with a variety of people: they are my best approximation of the "average" NASA engineer of the Apollo age; some did remarkable things, while others just filled in the pieces. It soon became apparent, however, that even the most "average" of them were part of a story that was larger than the Apollo story itself, much less NASA's story. What happened to them over the course of their careers was part of the undertow of what happened to this country during the post-World War II era and the 1960s."

This profile is thus necessarily restricted to those engineers who, for whatever reason, preferred to work for NASA. Fifty-one engineers from NASA Headquarters and its seven principal installations 12 were selected for interviews at random from each of four groups: the "nominee" group and the three cohorts that comprised the "total population" of engineers who came to work for NASA between 1958 and 1970. None declined what was most often received as an opportunity to tell one's own story and thus surface from the depths of anonymity to which bureaucracy consigns most of its workers. The interviews clearly suggested that the career experiences of the "nominee" group were substantially similar to those of the "total population" other than what I have noted above, which is indicated by a fairly straightforward demographic analysis.

The chapters that follow do not necessarily incorporate the observations or reflections of every person interviewed on every single subject. Predictably, some engineers told good stories and others had few stories that they could or wanted to tell. Some simply had more interesting lives than others. Those whose comments were selected for inclusion were chosen because the experiences they related were relatively typical-that is, other engineers could have told of similar experiences. Occasionally an engineer's observations were selected precisely because they were atypical; in those instances the reader is alerted to the exceptional nature of what follows. All of the engineers we asked to interview not only agreed to talk with us, but were as open about their experiences as their apparent individual levels of personal reticence seemed to allow. Although none requested anonymity, pseudonyms have been used throughout the text that follows (however, actual place names are used).

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This comprehensive official NASA history document - converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction - is a fascinating collection of interviews with engineers involved with the NASA space program and the Apollo moon landing project.

From the Preface: "A generation of men and women who had defined their lives to a large extent in terms of this nation's epochal departure from Earth's surface was taking its leave of the program they had built. Would they, or their work, be remembered? Would anyone care? As the historian for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, I had the responsibility of attempting-attempting, because the task could never be fully done-to capture the essence of their lives and careers. Those who worked "on the front lines" of what I have called, after William James, a "moral equivalent of war," have had their quirks and genius memorialized in the agency's lore. If our memory of the Apollo era neglected those ordinary people, that memory would be incomplete, and we would have done an injustice to the true nature of life over time. Thus, the lives and careers laid out on the pages that follow have been drawn from hours of conversation with a variety of people: they are my best approximation of the "average" NASA engineer of the Apollo age; some did remarkable things, while others just filled in the pieces. It soon became apparent, however, that even the most "average" of them were part of a story that was larger than the Apollo story itself, much less NASA's story. What happened to them over the course of their careers was part of the undertow of what happened to this country during the post-World War II era and the 1960s."

This profile is thus necessarily restricted to those engineers who, for whatever reason, preferred to work for NASA. Fifty-one engineers from NASA Headquarters and its seven principal installations 12 were selected for interviews at random from each of four groups: the "nominee" group and the three cohorts that comprised the "total population" of engineers who came to work for NASA between 1958 and 1970. None declined what was most often received as an opportunity to tell one's own story and thus surface from the depths of anonymity to which bureaucracy consigns most of its workers. The interviews clearly suggested that the career experiences of the "nominee" group were substantially similar to those of the "total population" other than what I have noted above, which is indicated by a fairly straightforward demographic analysis.

The chapters that follow do not necessarily incorporate the observations or reflections of every person interviewed on every single subject. Predictably, some engineers told good stories and others had few stories that they could or wanted to tell. Some simply had more interesting lives than others. Those whose comments were selected for inclusion were chosen because the experiences they related were relatively typical-that is, other engineers could have told of similar experiences. Occasionally an engineer's observations were selected precisely because they were atypical; in those instances the reader is alerted to the exceptional nature of what follows. All of the engineers we asked to interview not only agreed to talk with us, but were as open about their experiences as their apparent individual levels of personal reticence seemed to allow. Although none requested anonymity, pseudonyms have been used throughout the text that follows (however, actual place names are used).

More books from Progressive Management

Cover of the book Counterinsurgency in Somalia: Lessons Learned from the African Union Mission in Somalia, 2007-2013 - Insurgents, Harakat al-Shabaab, Somali Piracy, Evolution of AMISOM, U.S. Role, Lessons Learned by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 2018 Commerce Department Report on the Effect of Imports of Steel on the National Security: Analysis of Options for Proposed Global Quota or Tariff to Protect the American Steel Industry by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Guide to Managing an Emergency Service Infection Control Program: Bloodborne and Airborne Diseases, EMS Policies, Vehicles, Equipment, and Supply Considerations, Training, Patient Protection by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Strategic Culture and Strategic Studies: An Alternative Framework for Assessing al-Qaeda and the Global Jihad Movement - Osama bin Laden, AQAM, Sudan, Irregular Warfare, Islamic Terrorism by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Kazakhstan in Perspective: Orientation Guide and Kazakh Cultural Orientation: Geography, History, Economy, Security, Customs, Rural and Urban Life, Almaty, Astana, Caspian, Aral Sea, Khanate, Russian by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century U.S. Military Manuals: The Army In Multinational Operations Field Manual - FM 100-8 (Value-Added Professional Format Series) by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Medical Fundamentals for Modern Americans: Official Advice on Major Health and Wellness Issues with Quick Guide to Healthy Living by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Attack on the Pentagon: The Medical Response to 9/11 - New York World Trade Center Attack, Flight 93, Somerset, Pennsylvania, Environmental and Mental Health, Remarkable Stories, Wounded Warriors by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century Textbooks of Military Medicine - Medical Aspects Of Biological Warfare - Anthrax, Ricin, Smallpox, Viral Fevers, Plague, Biosafety, Biosecurity (Emergency War Surgery Series) by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Influencing Tomorrow: Study of Emerging Influence Techniques and Their Relevance to United States Information Operations - ISIS, ISIL, al-Qaeda, Islamic State, Terrorists, Russia, Information Warfare by Progressive Management
Cover of the book America's Two-Front War: The American Media Assault On Our Center of Gravity - Sustaining Public Support for Military Operations and War, Turning Public Against Military, Vietnam, Iraq, Terrorism by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Mission Command and the Starfish Organizational Models: A Comparison of Organizational Philosophies in a Decentralized Combat Environment - Auftragstaktik and History of the Waygal Valley by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Russia and Vladimir Putin: Studies and Reports on Politics, Economics, Security Strategy, New Eurasia, Threat Perception, Growing Russo-American Tensions, Crimea, Target: Ukraine, Corruption by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 2014 Report on Climate Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment, U.S. Global Change Research Program (Highlights) - Global Warming, Regional Impacts by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century FEMA Study Course: Hazardous Materials Planning Process (IS-340) - EPA Regulations, CERCLA, Superfund, HazMat Training by Progressive Management
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy