What is the main message of Rocket Men?

Explore the courage and determination of the Apollo 8 astronauts who took humanity's first journey to the moon.

How long does it take to read Rocket Men?

Reading time for Rocket Men varies, but it can be read in several hours. The Blinkist summary is condensed and can be read in just a few minutes.

Is Rocket Men a good book? Is it worth reading?

Rocket Men offers a gripping and inspiring account of an extraordinary mission. It's definitely worth reading!

Who is the author of Rocket Men?

The author of Rocket Men is Robert Kurson.

Rocket Men Summary of Key Ideas and Review

Name: Rocket Men
Rating: 4.5 (26 reviews)
Author: Robert Kurson

Introduction

What’s in it for me? Discover the passion and resolve behind the Apollo 8 mission.

The romance of the final frontier – space – is undeniable. Books have been written, films shot and graphic novels composed, and, in many of these science-fictional depictions, space travel seems like a cinch. More often than not, aliens pose more of a problem than costs and calculations.

But, in the real world, what humankind needs to achieve manned spaceflight is hard graft and strength of will.

That’s what the incredible story of Apollo 8 shows. The United States was locked in rivalry with the Soviet Union and falling rapidly behind in the Space Race. But they decided to gamble, to push themselves to the limit and to show that they had the capability to send the first manned mission to the moon’s orbit and back.

Every part of the mission came together just right, and, to this day, the success of Apollo 8 remains an inspiration. The astronauts and ground team never wavered in their dedication, despite the pressures of the audacious and ambitious four-month completion time frame.

What’s more, what began as a competition with the Russians gave humanity something much greater. We were able to understand our place in the universe and to see that, despite political rivalries on Earth, there’s far more that unites than divides us.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

what made the crew of Apollo 8 much better than the astronauts of Apollo 7;
why 69 miles from the moon’s surface is an ideal distance; and
the story of the most stressful publicity photo op of all time.

Key idea 1 of 8

The Space Race began as a rivalry between the two largest Allied powers, the Soviet Union and the United States.

Cast your mind back to 1946. The Second World War had come to an end. The Allied forces, led by the Soviet Union and the United States, had been victorious. But relations between the two countries hadn’t just deteriorated; they’d become distinctly sour. In that year, Joseph Stalin declared that the Soviet Union would soon surpass the West in science and technology, and an ideological battle began.

By the end of the 1950s, it was clear that Stalin had made no idle boast. The Soviet Union already had the upper hand.

The symbolic peak of the Soviet Union’s success was the launch of the famous Sputnik satellite into orbit. Though small, this technological step, taken in October 1957, was significant for humankind. But the technological clout of the Soviets gave many people pause. After all, rockets that were powerful enough to launch satellites into space would be powerful enough to launch missiles across the world.

To make matters worse, the United States was lagging behind. When they attempted to send their own satellite into space that same year, it was a massive failure. The rocket rose just a few feet above the launch pad before crashing back down and exploding.

And then, in April 1961, the Soviets confirmed their dominance. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became not just the first human to be fired into space; but they also achieved the very tricky task of getting him to orbit the Earth, and then to return safely again.

It was clear after Sputnik that if the Americans wanted to keep up, they would have to push themselves to the limit. Their efforts had mixed results.

To begin with, in September 1958, president Eisenhower created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Thanks to NASA, astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space when he flew the first mission of its Mercury program. Shephard’s mission was a success, but somewhat underwhelming when compared to the Soviet’s accomplishments. He had made it to space, and he had made it back, but he’d only managed to do it after Gagarin.

That same May, President John F. Kennedy stood before Congress and proclaimed that the United States would not stop. Its audacious goal was to send a man to the moon and bring him home safely before the end of the decade. This sounded impossible – but striving to achieve the impossible pushed the United States to catch up to the Soviet Union.

Key idea 2 of 8

A successful moon mission was regarded as a much-needed unifying event in a divided United States.

1968 must rank as one of the most significant years in history. Counter culture and progressive movements rocked the world. In the United States, many Americans were disturbed by their government’s actions abroad, while at home, racial tensions were bubbling over.

The Vietnam War had begun in the expectation that US forces would soon conquer Communist North Vietnam.

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Key idea 3 of 8

The Apollo 8 mission allowed NASA to work out what a landing on the moon would take.

A clear mission for the next stage of the NASA space program was formed. Apollo 8 would be launched from Earth and orbit the moon. What’s more, there would be astronauts on board.

Now, the orbiting part is critical. Down here on Earth, we are very familiar with the side of the moon that faces us. In fact, in 1609, the Italian scientist Galileo Galileo used his telescope to make detailed sketches of the moon’s surface. But no human had set eyes on the far side of the moon. Apollo 8 would make that happen.

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Key idea 4 of 8

Apollo 8 had a mere four months to prepare for launch.

Like all other scientific organizations, NASA prefers schedules that are methodical and well thought out. But such diligent scheduling had to be tossed out the window in Apollo 8’s case.

Time was of the essence. Throughout 1968, there had been indications that the Soviets would soon be capable of sending a man to the moon.

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Key idea 5 of 8

The Apollo 8 astronauts were the perfect crew for the mission.

Before Apollo 8 could be launched and fired toward the moon, it was clear that plenty of testing had to be done. NASA couldn’t risk another disaster.

And so, in October 1968, Apollo 7 was launched into Earth’s orbit. The idea was to test the systems that would later be used for Apollo 8. The mission achieved all its objectives, but it wasn’t entirely smooth sailing. Indeed, the astronauts not only encountered several technological difficulties while on board; they also came down with nasty head colds – all of which combined to create rocky communications with mission control. In fact, the astronaut’s attitudes got so bad after liftoff that the director of flight operations, Chris Kraft, viewed them as little more than insubordinate.

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Key idea 6 of 8

It was an extraordinary technical feat to get Apollo 8 to the moon and back.

In the Space Race, the prize was the moon. But the Americans knew they weren’t ready to land there just yet. But then engineer George Low struck upon a solution. They would attempt a simplified mission. They would get Apollo 8 to the moon’s orbit by December 1968, putting off the actual business of a lunar landing for another occasion.

Nonetheless, even this “simple” version was still going to be incredibly complicated. NASA’s calculations and planning had to be accurate and meticulous. Additionally, the astronauts would have to execute the designed procedures perfectly.

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Key idea 7 of 8

The astronauts received incredible support, both professionally and personally.

Getting to the moon’s orbit is no easy task. Although the astronauts were undoubtedly talented men, they could not have made it without the support of many, many others.

For starters, the support of the astronauts’ wives was unwavering and dedicated. Each astronaut had to spend a great deal of time away from his family, leaving their wives in charge of the important task of taking care of the kids.

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Key idea 8 of 8

The Apollo 8 mission gave us two moments that changed the way humanity thinks about Earth.

These days, the immediate political significance of the Apollo 8 success is lost on us. Sure, it put the United States ahead in the Space Race, but the Soviet Union no longer exists and the US government isn’t interested in space travel anymore. Apollo 8 might have been a resounding success from a scientific and technological perspective, but those are small fry now.

However, Apollo 8’s flight produced two enduring achievements that changed the way people think about Earth.

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