Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #186830 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 283 pages

Synopsis
In 1962, NASA awarded the right to meet the extraordinary challenge of building a lunar excursion module to a small company called Grumman from Long Island, New York. In this work Thomas J. Kelly gives a first-hand account of designing, building, testing and flying the Apollo lunar module. His account begins with the imaginative process of sketching solutions to a host of technical challenges with an emphasis on safety, reliability and maintainability. He catalogues numerous test failures, including propulsion-system leaks, ascent-engine instability, stress corrosion of the aluminium alloy parts, and battery problems, as well as their fixes under the ever-present constraints of budget and schedule. He also recaptures the anticipation of the first unmanned lunar module flight with Apollo 5 in 1968, the exhilaration of hearing Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong report that "The Eagle has landed", and the pride of having inadvertently provided a vital "lifeboat" for the crew of the disabled Apollo 13. From researching and writing the contract-winning proposal through six successful moon landings and returns, Kelly provides a look at the protean efforts of the nearly 7000 Grumman workers who together created the most important component of the first manned space flights.

Customer Reviews

Who built LM? Managers or Engineers?
I ordered this book with great excitemnet since it promised an eye witness account of one of the greatest engineering feat ever-designing and building a true Spacecraft. My first thoughts were how devoid of photos it was. There are as little as twelve, poorly printed images (many of them half pages) that have appeared in many other books. It could've been greatly improved by the mere inclusion of a few colour plates showing rarer photos, to which Kelly must have access. But once I started reading the book I realised that I was only going to get a managers interpretation of this exciting time-and this from LM chief engineer! There are lots of details about meetings and dressing downs for errors and more meetings and the appointment of this, that and every type of manager (together with a formularized description of each character as they're introduced 'he was an athletic man with a ready smile and incredible ability.......trite!). There is SO little detail on the development of systems or controls. Why was the a hand grip controller in the cabin and how did it work? Why a toggle switch that reduces vertical velocity by 1fps? What was the hassle with the '8'balls. What suggestions did Pete Conrad et al make to improve the design? Kelly doesn't even mention the develpment of the worlds first throttlable rocket engine-Grumman come up with a world first and there's no mention of it! There are some interesting anecdotes here, but by no means enough to satisfy even me (a non-engineer)-Kelly mentions chemical milling but doesn't go into details, he talks about the corrsion problems, but it's never enough.

My attitude to this book is probably a result of the high hopes I had for it. Rather than telling me about a technological marvel, it imprinted in my mind the endless list of managers and the apparent incompetance of Grummman when designing the LM. In order to learn as much as possible about the LM, this book should be read with the equally light weight 'Chariots for Apollo' where some of the gaps in the designing process are filled in.

Overall, a disappointing read and I think it's almost criminal that the true story of the making of the Lunar Lander will die by the ageing Grummanites. What a shame.

Fantastic insight into the creation and flying of LM
Kelly has put together a fantastic account of the atmosphere at Grumman during the design, manufacture and flying of the LMs from the Mercury era to Apollos 11, 13 and on. There are some great anecdotes about engineering and astronauts. Admittedly, there are not details on all of the systems such as guidance for example. I was surprised we didn't hear about the 'flying bedstead' that was used as a practice platform for lunar landing.

One aspect that comes out is that no engineer should ever necessarily be disheartened. At times the proejct was a disaster and NASA listed LM as a piece of 'rubbish' with fuel tanks that leaked like a sieve. After hard work at Grumman, and suggestions from NASA, the LMs performed almost flawlessly in flight.

Overall it's a fantastic look at LM development from the engineer who designed it and at a critical time, was switched to head of manufacture of the LMs.

An absorbing insight into the development of the Apollo LM
Having already read Chariots of Apollo, I was surprised that much more could be said on the spacecraft that actually landed, and took off from the moon.

Kelly was a senior manager at Grunnman - the manufacturer - and his stories show remarkable memory for detail on the challenging design,development and testing process.

This book concentrateson the design and manufacture rather than the performance of the vehicle. As such it is more suited to the Apollo enthusiast who has worn out Chaiken's definitive "A man on the moon".

I found it very absorbing and read it in only 3 sessions. The usual warning of TLAs (three letter acronyms) applies.