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Review: Apollo 11 40th anniversary
BOOKS & ARTS
Living legacy of human endeavour As the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s landing nears, Mick O’Hare surveys the celebratory offerings ON THE face of it, the many books hitting the shelves for the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s moon landing are merely a response to our desire to learn more about the people involved and the place they visited as the birthday jollies get under way. But dig a little and you might feel, as I did, that they are responding to something deeper. With earthly problems that range from swine flu to crunched credit, there is increasingly a “why bother?” attitude to space exploration – one that has gathered momentum for a decade or more. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s autobiography, Magnificent Desolation, leads the field of new releases, and provides the antidote to those insisting we remain earthbound. Never one to talk down his own achievements or those of the Apollo programme, he has been known to engage in fisticuffs when his accomplishments have been questioned. That makes for good reading. But where Aldrin really scores with this, his second autobiography, is in the sections covering his descent into depression and alcoholism, and his eternal status as the “second man on the moon”. The candid portrayal of his earthly battles – often written with great humour – make this a cut above the rest. Reading between the lines, Aldrin’s depression set in almost immediately after the returnfrom-the-moon empties were flung into the trash. Let’s face it, what the hell do you do after walking on the moon? TV ads for lawnmowers, it seems. And so you begin to understand how “magnificent desolation” not only summed up his opinion of the 42 | NewScientist | 20 June 2009
moon but also his developing state of mind. Then came his affair, his arrest, his divorce and ultimately his alcoholism – an almost natural reaction to an upbringing by an authoritarian father, followed by rigid military service. Even here, though, Aldrin relieves the tension with gallows humour. When his psychiatrist questioned whether he was suicidal he played on his famous indecisiveness by replying no, “I couldn’t make up my mind how to do it”. Of his “second man” epithet, so many apocryphal stories abound regarding Aldrin’s desire – and that of his overbearing father – to be first on the moon and of his attempts to change the minds of NASA officials, that it’s been difficult to ascertain what might or might not be true. Aldrin refutes them all, if with a slight change of emphasis from his first autobiography in 1973, saying that being the “second man” only started to trouble him upon his return. Under standard NASA moon. And, more esoterically, he protocol, Aldrin – the junior crew was also the first man to take member – would have been first Christian communion there to leave the lunar module, but Neil (Armstrong did not). Intriguingly, Armstrong was chosen to do it. it is something he now regrets for Whatever the truth, and we its exclusivity – he was there, as must be prepared to believe the cliché goes, for all mankind, Aldrin’s account, it would be not just American Christians. impossible, after losing priority, To outsiders, Aldrin often for that not to become a keystone seemed difficult to warm to of one’s psyche – a psyche (his fellow astronauts are often described by Aldrin’s psychiatrist quoted as saying much the same); as inherently “selfish”. Aldrin is a somewhat self-aggrandising not entirely forthcoming over self-publicist with a personality whether this was a key factor in he seemed determined to stamp his subsequent depression and on the Apollo programme. Yet alcoholism, but it’s difficult to “Let’s face it, what the hell believe otherwise, especially in do you do after walking so ambitious a man. on the moon? TV ads for Yet Aldrin delights in telling us he was the first man to pee on the lawnmowers, it seems”
having read this book, I have more sympathy for his character and circumstances. His sense of humour was often concealed behind the persona he, or more pertinently, NASA, wished to project. And despite his Christian convictions, he wouldn’t stand for proselytising fools. Read the story about him decking the Biblewielding TV interviewer who was convinced Aldrin had never walked on the moon. As Jay Leno said: “Way to go Buzz!” Even his fellow astronauts were won over by the punch he threw. And, to a point, I was won over by his words. When reading autobiographies, I’ve often been disappointed to find that my heroes are either mundane or
For more reviews and to add your comments, visit www.NewScientist.com/books-art
dislikable. Pleasingly, Aldrin’s has the converse effect. Great holiday reading then, in contrast to Rick Stroud’s The Book of the Moon, a miscellany with attitude that’s great for dipping in and out of. Among the many chapters, you’ll find “Facts and Figures” for stats fans, “Gods and Myths” for the less rational, and “Astronauts, Cosmonauts and Lunar Exploration” for those who prefer their Aldrins to their Alignaks (Inuit moon god). Did you know the moon has an atmosphere? Not much of one, but it’s not the complete vacuum of legend. Or that its crust is much thicker on the far side than on the near side? If you learn everything in here you might even be able to
The only good snap of Neil Armstrong on the lunar surface. Why so shy?
hold your own in an argument with Aldrin, although it might be worth genning up with Craig Nelson’s Rocket Men, too. Nelson delves into the lives of all three Apollo 11 astronauts. It is at once sympathetic to them, yet scathing when digging out their character defects. Armstrong, while widely admired by colleagues, is described variously as “fervently nonsocialising” through to “acidly pungent”. You quickly conclude that command module pilot Michael Collins was the affable one. He tried to foster camaraderie but came up against the enigma that was Armstrong
and the multiple issues we know moon. Some people have read made up Aldrin’s personality. great significance into that, given Yet Nelson goes way beyond Aldrin’s back story – the simple Apollo 11. He looks at the Soviet truth is that Armstrong hogged programme, from its early lead the camera. via Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin Piers Bizony’s One Giant Leap, through to its pursuit of NASA which also features this picture, during the 1960s. He takes the makes use of the seemingly whole story back to basics, from endless visual imagery of the its unplanned nativity in Germany Apollo era, but scores by adding during the second world war as the author’s thoughtful essay on the V2 rocket was being prepared Apollo. It is a coffee-table book to destroy the UK, right through with intellect and Bizony’s the cold war to the potential knowledge of Apollo shines as future in which Apollo 11 had much as the book’s glossy pages. failed and President Nixon was Bizony is also a joint author of intoning the astronauts’ epitaph Starman, the biography of in a eulogy penned in advance Gagarin, possibly the finest by speechwriter William Safire. spaceman life story ever written. What does Rocket Men tell us Andrew Chaikin’s Voices from about Aldrin’s “second man” the Moon picks up where Andrew dilemma? Eugene Cernan of Smith’s Moondust left off, giving Apollo 17 recalls Aldrin lobbying us the perspective of the men who hard among fellow astronauts “While admired by to be first, apparently irritating colleagues, Armstrong many. Significantly, Collins said is described as ‘fervently that after the final decision, nonsocialising’ ” Aldrin’s attitude took a turn towards “gloom and flew the Apollo missions. While introspection”. With Nelson’s impeccable research, his ability to visually more pleasing, however, tie the myriad strings of the space it adds little more than photos – race into a coherent whole and the admittedly fine ones – to Smith’s earlier work. But if you haven’t got power of the story itself, this and Magnificent Desolation should be a copy of Moondust and want something to adorn your home, at the top of your book list. that’s a good enough excuse to But of course, an anniversary buy Chaikin’s book. I’d discreetly such as this – especially one so photogenic – cannot pass without remove the pictures of Armstrong’s “one small step”, though, if Buzz its share of coffee-table books. were popping round for coffee. ■ Apollo: Through the eyes of the astronauts edited by Robert Magnificent Desolation by Buzz Aldrin Jacobs showcases each surviving astronaut’s favourite photographs with Ken Abraham, Bloomsbury/ Crown, £16.99/$27 from the missions. With such a The Book of the Moon by Rick Stroud, wealth to choose from they are, Walker/Doubleday, $26/£16.99 of course, superb. Rocket Men by Craig Nelson, My personal choices would be John Murray/Viking, £18.99/$27.95 commander James Lovell’s Apollo: Through the eyes of the secretary Martha Caballero astronauts edited by Robert Jacobs, wishing him luck before the Abrams, $24.95/£12.99 Apollo 13 mission, a tiny, distant One Giant Leap by Piers Bizony, Apollo 15 lunar module alone on Aurum, £16.99 the moon’s surface, and a filthy, unshaven Cernan after his second Voices from the Moon by Andrew Chaikin, Viking, $29.95 moonwalk. And Aldrin’s photo of the Apollo 11 landing site (pictured) is the only good picture that exists Mick O’Hare is production editor of Armstrong on the surface of the at New Scientist 20 June 2009 | NewScientist | 43
Living legacy of human endeavour As the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s landing nears, Mick O’Hare surveys the celebratory offerings ON THE face of it, the many books hitting the shelves for the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s moon landing are merely a response to our desire to learn more about the people involved and the place they visited as the birthday jollies get under way. But dig a little and you might feel, as I did, that they are responding to something deeper. With earthly problems that range from swine flu to crunched credit, there is increasingly a “why bother?” attitude to space exploration – one that has gathered momentum for a decade or more. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s autobiography, Magnificent Desolation, leads the field of new releases, and provides the antidote to those insisting we remain earthbound. Never one to talk down his own achievements or those of the Apollo programme, he has been known to engage in fisticuffs when his accomplishments have been questioned. That makes for good reading. But where Aldrin really scores with this, his second autobiography, is in the sections covering his descent into depression and alcoholism, and his eternal status as the “second man on the moon”. The candid portrayal of his earthly battles – often written with great humour – make this a cut above the rest. Reading between the lines, Aldrin’s depression set in almost immediately after the returnfrom-the-moon empties were flung into the trash. Let’s face it, what the hell do you do after walking on the moon? TV ads for lawnmowers, it seems. And so you begin to understand how “magnificent desolation” not only summed up his opinion of the 42 | NewScientist | 20 June 2009
moon but also his developing state of mind. Then came his affair, his arrest, his divorce and ultimately his alcoholism – an almost natural reaction to an upbringing by an authoritarian father, followed by rigid military service. Even here, though, Aldrin relieves the tension with gallows humour. When his psychiatrist questioned whether he was suicidal he played on his famous indecisiveness by replying no, “I couldn’t make up my mind how to do it”. Of his “second man” epithet, so many apocryphal stories abound regarding Aldrin’s desire – and that of his overbearing father – to be first on the moon and of his attempts to change the minds of NASA officials, that it’s been difficult to ascertain what might or might not be true. Aldrin refutes them all, if with a slight change of emphasis from his first autobiography in 1973, saying that being the “second man” only started to trouble him upon his return. Under standard NASA moon. And, more esoterically, he protocol, Aldrin – the junior crew was also the first man to take member – would have been first Christian communion there to leave the lunar module, but Neil (Armstrong did not). Intriguingly, Armstrong was chosen to do it. it is something he now regrets for Whatever the truth, and we its exclusivity – he was there, as must be prepared to believe the cliché goes, for all mankind, Aldrin’s account, it would be not just American Christians. impossible, after losing priority, To outsiders, Aldrin often for that not to become a keystone seemed difficult to warm to of one’s psyche – a psyche (his fellow astronauts are often described by Aldrin’s psychiatrist quoted as saying much the same); as inherently “selfish”. Aldrin is a somewhat self-aggrandising not entirely forthcoming over self-publicist with a personality whether this was a key factor in he seemed determined to stamp his subsequent depression and on the Apollo programme. Yet alcoholism, but it’s difficult to “Let’s face it, what the hell believe otherwise, especially in do you do after walking so ambitious a man. on the moon? TV ads for Yet Aldrin delights in telling us he was the first man to pee on the lawnmowers, it seems”
having read this book, I have more sympathy for his character and circumstances. His sense of humour was often concealed behind the persona he, or more pertinently, NASA, wished to project. And despite his Christian convictions, he wouldn’t stand for proselytising fools. Read the story about him decking the Biblewielding TV interviewer who was convinced Aldrin had never walked on the moon. As Jay Leno said: “Way to go Buzz!” Even his fellow astronauts were won over by the punch he threw. And, to a point, I was won over by his words. When reading autobiographies, I’ve often been disappointed to find that my heroes are either mundane or
For more reviews and to add your comments, visit www.NewScientist.com/books-art
dislikable. Pleasingly, Aldrin’s has the converse effect. Great holiday reading then, in contrast to Rick Stroud’s The Book of the Moon, a miscellany with attitude that’s great for dipping in and out of. Among the many chapters, you’ll find “Facts and Figures” for stats fans, “Gods and Myths” for the less rational, and “Astronauts, Cosmonauts and Lunar Exploration” for those who prefer their Aldrins to their Alignaks (Inuit moon god). Did you know the moon has an atmosphere? Not much of one, but it’s not the complete vacuum of legend. Or that its crust is much thicker on the far side than on the near side? If you learn everything in here you might even be able to
The only good snap of Neil Armstrong on the lunar surface. Why so shy?
hold your own in an argument with Aldrin, although it might be worth genning up with Craig Nelson’s Rocket Men, too. Nelson delves into the lives of all three Apollo 11 astronauts. It is at once sympathetic to them, yet scathing when digging out their character defects. Armstrong, while widely admired by colleagues, is described variously as “fervently nonsocialising” through to “acidly pungent”. You quickly conclude that command module pilot Michael Collins was the affable one. He tried to foster camaraderie but came up against the enigma that was Armstrong
and the multiple issues we know moon. Some people have read made up Aldrin’s personality. great significance into that, given Yet Nelson goes way beyond Aldrin’s back story – the simple Apollo 11. He looks at the Soviet truth is that Armstrong hogged programme, from its early lead the camera. via Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin Piers Bizony’s One Giant Leap, through to its pursuit of NASA which also features this picture, during the 1960s. He takes the makes use of the seemingly whole story back to basics, from endless visual imagery of the its unplanned nativity in Germany Apollo era, but scores by adding during the second world war as the author’s thoughtful essay on the V2 rocket was being prepared Apollo. It is a coffee-table book to destroy the UK, right through with intellect and Bizony’s the cold war to the potential knowledge of Apollo shines as future in which Apollo 11 had much as the book’s glossy pages. failed and President Nixon was Bizony is also a joint author of intoning the astronauts’ epitaph Starman, the biography of in a eulogy penned in advance Gagarin, possibly the finest by speechwriter William Safire. spaceman life story ever written. What does Rocket Men tell us Andrew Chaikin’s Voices from about Aldrin’s “second man” the Moon picks up where Andrew dilemma? Eugene Cernan of Smith’s Moondust left off, giving Apollo 17 recalls Aldrin lobbying us the perspective of the men who hard among fellow astronauts “While admired by to be first, apparently irritating colleagues, Armstrong many. Significantly, Collins said is described as ‘fervently that after the final decision, nonsocialising’ ” Aldrin’s attitude took a turn towards “gloom and flew the Apollo missions. While introspection”. With Nelson’s impeccable research, his ability to visually more pleasing, however, tie the myriad strings of the space it adds little more than photos – race into a coherent whole and the admittedly fine ones – to Smith’s earlier work. But if you haven’t got power of the story itself, this and Magnificent Desolation should be a copy of Moondust and want something to adorn your home, at the top of your book list. that’s a good enough excuse to But of course, an anniversary buy Chaikin’s book. I’d discreetly such as this – especially one so photogenic – cannot pass without remove the pictures of Armstrong’s “one small step”, though, if Buzz its share of coffee-table books. were popping round for coffee. ■ Apollo: Through the eyes of the astronauts edited by Robert Magnificent Desolation by Buzz Aldrin Jacobs showcases each surviving astronaut’s favourite photographs with Ken Abraham, Bloomsbury/ Crown, £16.99/$27 from the missions. With such a The Book of the Moon by Rick Stroud, wealth to choose from they are, Walker/Doubleday, $26/£16.99 of course, superb. Rocket Men by Craig Nelson, My personal choices would be John Murray/Viking, £18.99/$27.95 commander James Lovell’s Apollo: Through the eyes of the secretary Martha Caballero astronauts edited by Robert Jacobs, wishing him luck before the Abrams, $24.95/£12.99 Apollo 13 mission, a tiny, distant One Giant Leap by Piers Bizony, Apollo 15 lunar module alone on Aurum, £16.99 the moon’s surface, and a filthy, unshaven Cernan after his second Voices from the Moon by Andrew Chaikin, Viking, $29.95 moonwalk. And Aldrin’s photo of the Apollo 11 landing site (pictured) is the only good picture that exists Mick O’Hare is production editor of Armstrong on the surface of the at New Scientist 20 June 2009 | NewScientist | 43