Submitted by Jon Freeman
There have been many great space missions throughout history – from Alan Shepard being the first American in space on the Freedom 7 spacecraft, to the Apollo 8 mission that flew around the moon, to Apollo 11 and the historical moon landing with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins. There have been many space missions throughout history that were successful. However, there have been many problems, mistakes, and disasters that happened on the journey to space flight and reaching the moon. Danger is an unavoidable part of space exploration.
In Disaster Strikes! bestselling author Jeffrey Kluger has written about twelve dangerous space missions that involved mishaps and at times major tragedies. It includes stories of missions run by both Americans and Russians during the height of the space race, complete with photos of the people and machines behind them, that led humankind to the moon and beyond. Readers will read the story about Gus Grissom almost drowning when his Liberty Bell 7 space capsule opened too soon after the splashdown in the ocean in 1961. Get detailed information on the space disasters you have heard of like the 1986 explosion of the Challenger space shuttle shortly after takeoff; and the 1970 Apollo 13 mission that was unable to land on the moon, but was able to get its crew back on earth alive.
You probably know about Neil Armstrong being the first human to set foot on the moon. But did you know that before that major historical event Neil Armstrong almost died in a disaster involving the Gemini 8 spacecraft in 1966. If it were not for the extremely quick thinking of mission commander Neil Armstrong, then he and the rest of Gemini 8’s crew would have all been killed in a disaster. This well researched book is worth a read for anyone curious to find out more about some of the most thrilling and dangerous space missions in history, and the mishaps and disasters that occurred in mankind’s quest to reach the moon and explore space.