Product Description

CD-ROM and Book. Wendt's autobiography is a ground shaking, fumes in your nostrils documentary of the glory days of manned spaceflight. It is described in graphic detail by the one man who worked side by side with every astronaut that left the Cape bound for space. Because of his unique perspective from the launch pad, his story is filled with important accounts and rich anecdotes, many of which have never been published until now. From the altitude chamber, to the simulators, to the white room itself, follow The Unbroken Chain to the moon and beyond.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #894493 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Review
"A good read from an unusual perspective..." -- Spaceflight, January 2001.

About the Author
Guenter Wendt and Russell Stil

Customer Reviews

Interesting if slightly disjointed space history
Mr Wendt is , of course ,well known to us space buffs (or anorak/junkies) as "The Pad Fuhrer" of the pioneering days of manned spaceflight.

This book is a good compliment to the other recent crop of space biog`s , for example , from the likes of Craft , Krantz, etc but I felt that it didn`t have the same impact as some other of these types of books that I`ve digested in the last couple of years. The feeling left was one of "and another thing...." , rather than one of a comfortable flow. Nonetheless , the author shows himself to have been very much his own man , and not a person afraid of rubbing others up the wrong way if he felt that his own high standards were being compromised.

It`s a shame that the book just bundles into the space history theme without telling us anything much about the author`s background other than that he co-pilotted a JU-88 in WW2. I had assumed that Guenter Wendt was a "prisoner of peace" along with Von Braun , Debus et al but apparently not.

It is interesting that amongst his recollections he finds no reason to criticise Scott Carpenter`s at least questionable Mercury flight . He`s disdainful of Chris Kraft and gives the picture of Buzz Aldrin being a superior-minded egotist . The depth of the book is such that these snap-shot vignettes do not go into as much detail as , perhaps , one would have preferred.

This is a book published by Apogee , who also issue Robert Godwin`s excellent mission report series , and , in common with them there`s a good CD Rom with the book on which the author takes us around the pads on which he worked. This disc does , however , substantiallly duplicate many of the anecdotes in the book and I wish I`d watched it after rather than before I read it!. Unless I`m very much mistaken , Robert Godwin is originator of the disc - another good one , Robert. Your "black book" must be worth a fortune!!

Overall , I certaily don`t regret buying the book , but it`s not the best , at least text-wise , of it`s kind. Worth having, though.

I vonder vere Guenter Vent!
Another account of the US space missions but from the unusual viewpoint of the leader of the launch pad. Jokey and popular with the astronauts, Guenter Wendt was one of the last people the astronauts would see as they were locked into their spacecraft.

There is very little of his pre-program background in the book and it is refreshing in a space-related biography to jump straight into his involvement in the daring Mercury missions. His anecdotal style makes for an easy read, with technical matters explained succinctly. Gemini and Apollo are covered next but don't expect too much detail of the spaceflights themselves as the author concentrates on the launches.

There are plenty of photos - about 40 black and white, plus 30 colour - including several of practical jokes with astronauts.

Added value comes from the included CD-ROM, which offers recent videos of Guenter at several locations at Cape Canaveral - some of the abandoned launch pads, etc. - telling various, often humorous, stories from NASA's heyday.

A Masterpiece on Teamwork!
The Unbroken Chain was written to honor all the thousands of unsung hero's of the US Space Program (focusing on the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs). As Pad Leader, Guenter Wendt had a unique perspective of the astronauts as well as the result of all the hard work from the countless individuals who understood the importance of an unbroken chain of excellence.

Guenter Wendt is tough as nails when he needs to be and kind and gentle when that was the need. He writes eloquently about what the Unbroken Chain meant:

"The chain contained hundreds of thousands of links. There were so many that we could not identify them all. Was it fair of us to expect to discover and replace every weak link before a tragedy occurred? It certainly was our goal, but everyone secretly worried that each launch brought us closer to the loss of a crew...I suspect before every launch, hundreds of people lay awake in their beds, hoping and praying that the links they were responsible for would not fail. It was a nightmare we all endured."

This book has it all. From deeply sad stories such as the Apollo 1 fire, to nail biting stories such as Apollo 13. There are also hilarious stories of pranks that were used to break the tensions of the incredibly high pressure jobs these people had to do.

More than another book on the space program, this book is about the importance true team work. The commitment and dedication of the people who worked on the Mercury, Gemini and Space programs set an incredibly high standard of excellence. They made mistakes, but took responsibility for them and moved on. Much could be learned by today's managers from this book. I have read a lot of books on the importance of people and how to get the best out of them. This book carries many of the secrets of how to create a stellar team.

Well written, extremely insightful and honest, this book is a masterpiece that deserves a place on the bookshelf of any serious space buff as well as any corporate manager who wants to see teamwork at its very best! Highly recommended!

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