Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight

by Jan Barbree, John Glenn (Foreword by)

Overview

"Barbree offers an intimate portrait of a man grateful to have spent his life doing what he loved. . . . includes many never-before-seen photos." —Booklist

Here for the first time is the definitive story of Neil Armstrong's life of flight he shared for five decades with a trusted friend—Jay Barbree.

Working from fifty years of conversations he had with Neil, from notes, interviews, NASA spaceflight transcripts, and remembrances of those Armstrong trusted, Barbree tells the inside story of Neil Armstrong from the time he flew combat missions in the Korean War and then flew a rocket plane called the X-15 to the edge of space, to when he saved his Gemini 8 by flying the first emergency return from Earth orbit and then flew Apollo-Eleven to the moon's Sea of Tranquility. The book is full of never-before-seen photos and personal details written down for the first time, including what Armstrong really felt when he took that first step on the moon, what life in NASA was like, his relationships with the other astronauts, and what he felt the future of space exploration should be.

As the only reporter to have covered all 166 American astronaut flights and moon landing, Barbree brings us the most accurate account of his friend's life of flight.

"Much of Barbree's writing has a "you are there" immediacy, because he was present for many of the book's key events. . . . He is at his best when describing the visceral thrill of rocket flight, the lifeless majesty of the moon, and the visual splendor of Earth from space." ―The Washington Post

"Barbree's book reminds readers of all that led up to that first step." ―Associated Press

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466836341
Publisher:	Thomas Dunne Books
Publication date:	08/06/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	383
File size:	20 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

In the course of his 55-year career with NBC News, JAY BARBREE is the only reporter to have covered all 166 American astronaut flights and moon landings. He received an Emmy for his coverage of Neil Armstrong's first walk on the moon, broke the cause of the Challenger accident, and he still covers space for NBC's TV networks and NBCnews.com. Barbree was also the lead writer for the New York Times bestseller Moon Shot with astronauts Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton, and Neil Armstrong.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Foreword xv

Introduction xvii

1 A Wing and a Prayer 1

2 Test Flight, High Desert, and a Satellite or Three 13

3 Those Who Would Ride Rockets 26

4 The Moon Is Calling 42

5 Pasadena Overshoot 56

6 Training Days 64

7 Home Fire 77

8 The Gemini Twins Are Flying 88

9 Gemini 99

10 Gemini 8: The Docking 110

11 Gemini 8: The Emergency 120

12 Tragedies Ground Spaceflight 137

13 How to Land on the Moon 148

14 Hello Moon 160

15 The Misfits 180

16 Rehearsal Finals 191

17 The Launch 207

18 Outbound 225

19 The Landing 246

20 Moonwalk 260

21 The Return 278

22 Back Home 294

23 An American Tragedy 309

24 Space Shuttle and Beyond 320

25 Then, Now, and Tomorrow 335

Index 351

Editorial Reviews

NBC News space reporter Jay Barbree spent 50 years getting to know astronaut Neil Armstrong. In this biography, Barbree recalls Armstrong's historic moon landing in gripping detail.

Parade: included in Summer Books round-up

Sit back, put up your feet, and spend some time with Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight, by Jay Barbree, NBC's longtime space correspondent, who has covered the US manned spaceflight program for more than half a century. To be sure, this is not the definitive, footnote-packed Armstrong biography. Instead, this book has the feel of sitting down with Barbree at a barbeque for an extended conversation.

Christian Science Monitor: 1of the 10 Best Books of July

Much of Barbree's writing has a "you are there" immediacy, because he was present for many of the book's key events. During his more than half-century as space correspondent for NBC News, Barbree witnessed and reported on each and every launch of the U.S. human space program. He is at his best when describing the visceral thrill of rocket flight, the lifeless majesty of the moon, and the visual splendor of Earth from space. These poetic passages are made all the more poignant by his close brush with becoming an astronaut, as a finalist in NASA's failed-to-launch "Journalist in Space" program.” —The Washington Post

“Barbree's book reminds readers of all that led up to that first step.” —Associated Press

“Sit back, put up your feet, and spend some time with Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight, by Jay Barbree, NBC's longtime space correspondent, who has covered the US manned spaceflight program for more than half a century. To be sure, this is not the definitive, footnote-packed Armstrong biography. Instead, this book has the feel of sitting down with Barbree at a barbeque for an extended conversation.” —Christian Science Monitor: 1of the 10 Best Books of July

“NBC News space reporter Jay Barbree spent 50 years getting to know astronaut Neil Armstrong. In this biography, Barbree recalls Armstrong's historic moon landing in gripping detail.” —Parade: included in Summer Books round-up

“His richly detailed profile of Armstrong…covers Armstrong's life and career with intimacy, humor and heart, from his days as a U.S. Navy pilot through his training for the NASA space program, and ultimately into the commander's seat of Apollo 11. Space hounds and history buffs will dig it, for sure, but even casual readers will be riveted by its comprehensive portrait of a real-life cosmic cowboy who broke the bonds of Earth and put the first American footprint where it had never been before.” —American Profile

“With a foreword by John Glenn NBC News space correspondent Barbree got very up-close to the former Navy combat pilot and astronaut, who died in 2012. Notoriously private, Armstrong opened up to the author to reveal his innermost thoughts, telling "what he really felt when he took that first step on the moon, and what life in NASA was like.” —VFW Magazine

“Barbree's tone is warm, and he has a boyish enthusiasm for both tricky missions carried out deftly and for near misses barely avoided, both of which figure heavily in Armstrong's professional life.” —The Columbus Dispatch

“...intimate and definitive...a celebration of Armstrong's life and times.” —Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“An eye-opening and entertaining tale of the race to the moon.” —Publishers Weekly

“Veteran news correspondent Barbree offers an intimate view into the life of Neil Armstrong (1930-2012), his friend as well as a national hero and very private person. The author paints a detailed and colorful picture of his subject and an unbiased depiction of the period in which he lived, while also demonstrating reverence for Armstrong as confidant.” —Library Journal, starred review

“A wholly admiring assessment of Armstrong the aviator and Armstrong the man.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Emerging clearly in Barbree's narrative are Armstrong's humility and integrity - bedrock values that remained with him throughout his life.” —Aerospace America

“This is a great book and does much to preserve Neil's legacy.” —Jim Lovell, NASA astronaut and commander of Apollo 13 mission

“You'll find the Neil Armstrong I knew in these pages.” —Gene Cernan, NASA astronaut and the last man on the moon

From the Publisher

2014-05-21
A longtime NBC News space correspondent looks back on the aviation career of the first man to set foot on the moon.Given his starring role in one of history’s most magnificent achievements, shouldn’t Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) be a bigger deal? FollowingApollo 11’strailblazing 1969 flight, Armstrong worked a couple of years for NASA, then taught for a few more at the University of Cincinnati. Except for a brief, high-profile role investigating the causes of theChallengerdisaster and an occasional speaking engagement, he assiduously avoided the spotlight, never cashing in on his fame. By the time of his death, he easily passed unrecognized in public. Barbree (“Live From Cape Canaveral”: Covering the Space Race, From Sputnik to Today, 2007, etc.), who covered every American manned space flight and became especially friendly with Armstrong, nevertheless barely pierces the habitual Armstrong reserve. Except for occasional tidbits of personal information—the astronaut’s friendship with John Glenn, the premature death of his daughter, the fire that razed his home—this account focuses primarily on Armstrong the pilot, particularly his coolness in tight spots: ejecting from a shot-up fighter plane in Korea, recovering from a “stuck thruster” in orbitaboardGemini 8, ejecting from the lunar lander training module just before it crashed, and famously guiding theEagleto touchdown in the Sea of Tranquility with fuel running dangerously low. These moments take up the bulk of Barbree’s amiable account. He supplies useful context by examining the origins and development of NASA’s manned flight program, including a good deal of information about astronaut training. The author insists that Armstrong never regarded himself as special and never lobbied to be first on the moon; he saw himself merely as next in line to take what turned out to be “a ‘Lindbergh’ step in flight.”A wholly admiring assessment of Armstrong the aviator and Armstrong the man.

Kirkus Reviews