Failure Is Not an Option
Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
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Failure Is Not an Option
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Narrated by:
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Danny Campbell
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By:
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Gene Kranz
About this listen
Gene Kranz was present at the creation of America's manned space program and was a key player in it for three decades. As a flight director in NASA's Mission Control, Kranz witnessed firsthand the making of history. He participated in the space program from the early days of the Mercury program to the last Apollo mission, and beyond. He endured the disastrous first years when rockets blew up and the United States seemed to fall further behind the Soviet Union in the space race. He helped to launch Alan Shepard and John Glenn, then assumed the flight director's role in the Gemini program, which he guided to fruition. With his teammates, he accepted the challenge to carry out President John F. Kennedy's commitment to land a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s.
Kranz was flight director for both Apollo 11, the mission in which Neil Armstrong fulfilled President Kennedy's pledge, and Apollo 13. He headed the Tiger Team that had to figure out how to bring the three Apollo 13 astronauts safely back to Earth. (In the film Apollo 13, Kranz was played by the actor Ed Harris, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance.)
In Failure Is Not an Option, Gene Kranz recounts these thrilling historic events and offers new information about the famous flights. What appeared as nearly flawless missions to the moon were, in fact, a series of hair-raising near misses. When the space technology failed, as it sometimes did, the controllers' only recourse was to rely on their skills and those of their teammates. Kranz takes us inside Mission Control and introduces us to some of the whiz kids - still in their twenties, only a few years out of college - who had to figure it all out as they went along, creating a great and daring enterprise. He reveals behind-the-scenes details to demonstrate the leadership, discipline, trust, and teamwork that made the space program a success.
©2009 Gene Kranz (P)2011 TantorCritic Reviews
What listeners say about Failure Is Not an Option
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 13-03-2023
Loved!!
A fantastic in depth story of the Apollo program. Brought me to tears numerous times. Will def listen to many times in the future
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Beau
- 05-09-2018
Makes you wish you were American
I've always been happy to have been born in Australia, that is until this book. Hearing about the obstacles they overcame and horrors they witnessed in the pursuit of furthering mankinds reach in our universe is truly inspiring and makes me wish I was part of the adventure.
If you like having goosebumps then definitely worth a read
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Glenn
- 20-10-2020
Great insight into the Apollo program
How anyone could doubt man went to the moon after listening to this is amazing. The men who gave their lives to help others succeed in getting to the moon, what a amazing story . Gene Kranz, congratulations to you and everyone at mission control
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jspaull
- 05-05-2017
Excellent
Such a great account of the first space generation . There is so much detail in this book it's a must read for any space nerd like me . I am in awe once again of the levels of professionalism these guys operated with . The fearlessness of the astronauts and the impossible situations they conquered . There should be a course in mental toughness developed around this . Thank you for sharing this incredible story !
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 27-02-2019
Informative and Inspiring
This is a "must-listen". It is very informative, offering a unique perspective of the events of the time, from the guy who was actually in the drivers seat. You know how some books you just can't put down, you have to keep on reading? Well, this audiobook is in that category for me.
It is well narrated, although it would have even better if Gene Kranz himself had narrated the book.
Highly recommended!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JPD
- 12-11-2020
Great story and eye opening into Mission Control
Really enjoyed this book and the story. Showing real pressure situations and environments with massive risks. Enjoyable story if interested in the Space program from someone who was there and fully involved
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Justin
- 08-07-2023
Amazing
Highly recommend.
Actually felt the emotion from Gene’s words so well performed.
Off to watch Apollo 13 again.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Mint Swindle
- 21-11-2018
Could not stop listening
Without doubt the most captivating audio book I have listened to. The events are well known, but the feelings instilled in the listener by the story telling abilities of the author and the narrator were breathtaking. I hung on every word, laughed, sat slack-jawed in disbelief, and cried. Just amazing. I wish I could forget it and listen again anew.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jay Taylor
- 02-07-2019
Essential Space Material
Fantastic and entertaining book. The only thing that'd make it better is if Gene himself narrated it. Very personal book and not so much an overview of the space program but Gene being such a high profile player knew and talks about all the big names and small names of the space program but in a more personal way and it has some insider kind of information
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Styff
- 07-09-2019
Worth reading despite its flaws
It's a great first hand account of all the highs and lows of the early NASA years. I've heard the author interviewed before and I liked the way he spoke, however his eloquent speaking voice doesn't translate well to writing. I didn't enjoy the way he wrote the book. The cadence of the sentences, the very limited set of adjectives he uses, it really bugged me. But after a few hours I built up a tolerance to the writing style and just enjoyed the amazing story.
It's an amazing part of history, viewed first hand. Well worth it, despite the annoying way it's written.
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