Fred Haise

Fred Haise's autobiography co-written with Bill Moore. Like other works by astronauts, it is a relatively dry and regimented account. There are many abbreviations and details of interest to a pilot. The author kept a diary so the reader can find out who got food poisoning when, and how many pounds of thrust were generated by every engine on every plane that the author flew. The author's account of the Apollo 13 mission is probably what a typical reader is looking for. It is only a small fraction of the text. Nevertheless, if you are interested in this part of our history, Mr. Haise's story is a significant part of it.… (altro)

Astronaut Fred Haise talks about his days as a test pilot, his time with NASA, including the events of Apollo 13, and his subsequent career working on the space shuttle project and in the private sector.

I'm always a sucker for an astronaut memoir, and I've had a special fascination with the story of Apollo 13 for a very long time. I have to say, though, that this was... not quite what I was hoping it would be? Haise has a very just-the-facts approach, often going into lots of technical detail but not much of his personal perspective. Which is fine, and, indeed, probably more or less what you'd expect. NASA did not hire these people for the poetry in their souls, their propensity for getting touchy-feely, or their writing skills. There are reasons why, when it comes time to write their memoirs, most of these guys have teamed up with co-authors. A successful co-author, it seems to me, should be able to draw some good stories out of the subject of the memoir and help to present them in a way flows well and is engaging to read. And I can't help thinking Haise's co-author let him down a bit here, as a lot of this work does feel very dry, and sometimes a bit disjointed.

Still. Even the world's driest account of the Apollo 13 mission is inherently interesting, and all the more so when it's coming from someone who actually lived it. I have the utmost respect for Haise, and for everyone else involved in bringing that mission safely back home. Successes are of course wonderful, but how one deals with failure and unexpected crisis seems to me to be a much greater test of character. To see such a test passed so thoroughly is genuinely inspirational to me. Also, however they might choose to do it, I am always glad to see folks from the early days of the space program sharing their own accounts while they're still around to do so.

I will say that if you're interested in Apollo 13, you're probably much better off starting with Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger's Lost Moon (which was re-released as Apollo 13 after the movie version came out). That one is a great read, and it goes into a lot of detail about the mission, what went wrong, and everything it took to bring Lovell, Haise, and their crewmate Jack Swigert safely back to Earth. Then go ahead and follow that up with Haise's volume, if you like. I think his more concise account might work better if you come into it with a bit more background, anyway.… (altro)

Apollo 13 Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise discusses his early life, reveals his joy of flying as a test pilot, his disappointment at not walking on the moon, his excitement to be the first to fly the Space Shuttle Enterprise.

In between those spectacular career milestones, Fred talks about enlisting in the Naval Aviation Cadet Program where ground school gave him the confidence to fly and recounts his early flight experiences in various aircraft. Then it was on to the Oklahoma Air National Guard, studying aerodynamics, flying as a research pilot at NASA Flight Research Center.

Lured by the possibility of going to the moon, Fred submitted an application to become an astronaut and, in 1966, became one of the nineteen new astronauts that comprised NASA’s Group 5. First in his class to be assigned to a mission, he was the backup Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 8 as well as for Apollo 11.

But the flight of Apollo 13 is probably the one that readers will think of first when looking at his career.

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In this captivating memoir, Haise looks at his career, triumphs and disappointments, lessons learned in a NASA career that spanned two decades. This is must-reading for those interested in space exploration, NASA, and what it’s like to be an astronaut.

Readers will find an acronym list included in the book.

Highly recommended.… (altro)

I feel bad saying bad things about a book written by an astronaut, but this book was boring. In fact, lately I've been purposefully avoiding reading because it would mean picking this book back up again. Today I committed and finished the darn thing just to get to the other dozen books that need my attention.

The book does not have any real emotion or drama behind the narrative. This was written by a man looking death in the face on more than one instance and I was completely disinterested. The section on Apollo 13 reads like the written equivalent of a shrug. Haise also weaves a confusing memoir. At times it's hard to follow for whom or where he's working, and what he's doing. Many acronyms are not explained. Context is not provided on historical events that most folks reading this book were probably not alive to experience themselves.

For books about Apollo 13, I would suggest reading [Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13] or [Failure is Not an Option: Mission Control From Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond]. For books about Apollo astronauts, try [Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journey] or [A Man on the Moon].… (altro)