Lost moon is the epic story of the disaster aboard Apollo
13. Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger co-author this memoir. They bring the story
to life with vivid detail of the disaster. Jim Lovell and the actions of his
crew made this flight one of NASA's best moments. It is an inspiring story of dedication and
perseverance in overcoming huge obstacles and succeeding. This is the only book
written by Jim Lovell.
Apollo 13 launched in April of 1970 headed for the moon.
This was the 5th mission to the moon by American astronauts. Only 55 hours
after their launch, there was an explosion on the ship. As the instruments
failed one by one, the fuel and oxygen started draining out of the ship.
Shortly after the explosion, the crew, forced to evacuate the ship, had to cram
into a small two man craft to survive. The small craft was only meant to keep
two men alive for two days at most. This
was yet another obstacle they had to endure. There was three men having to
survive in the craft and they were four days away from earth. The point of view
changes between the craft and NASA mission control throughout the disaster. In
order to survive they were faced with the reality of either perfectly
positioning the module through the atmosphere or dieing. The astronauts were able to safely crash down
in the ocean and were never able to succeed their mission to walk on the moon.
I highly recommend this book. Lost Moon is an excellent book
with great details about the disaster of Apollo 13. This was the first time the
details of the mission were shared in such great depth. The movie which was
seen by so many people, just gives an outline of the troubles the crew endured.
The memoir provides in depth details that makes the reader feel as though they
are on the mission with the crew. The reader also develops a connection with
the crew and their families, which keep the reader hoping for a positive
outcome in what could have been a tragic event.
Book Review by Nick T.
