Riassunto
On 20 July 1969, the world stood still to watch 38-year-old astronaut Neil Armstrong become the first person ever to walk on the Moon. Perhaps no words in recent human history became better known than those few he uttered at that historic moment.
Upon his return to Earth, Armstrong was honoured and celebrated for his achievement. But he was also misunderstood. As authorised biographer James Hansen reveals in this fascinating and important book, it was the act of flying that had driven Armstrong rather than the pull of the destination, from his distinguished career as a fighter pilot in the Korean War right through to his most famous mission.
Drawing on flight logs, family and Nasa archives and over 125 original interviews with key participants, FIRST MAN vividly re-creates Armstrong's life and career in flying, from the heights of honour earned as a naval aviator, test pilot and astronaut, to the dear personal price paid by Armstrong and, even more so, by his wife and children, for his dedication to his vocation. It is a unique portrait of a great but reluctant hero.
Recensione
‘The man was a fine engineer, a good pilot – although there is some dispute about that – patriotic, cool, courageous and hard-working, just the sort of guy you want next to you when the chips are down
Sunday Times 13/11
Although he was the first man to set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong has always been the least public of the Apollo 11 astronauts. He has seldom given inter vews, or lent his name to merchandising tat, or haunted the same professional old-boy circuit as his former colleagues. But at 75, he’s finally decided to break his silence - or to have it broken for him by his official biographer, James R.Hansen’
Sunday Telegraph 11/12
‘This is the first full-length biography of him. The author, a professor of history at Auburn University, Alabama, is well qualified to write it, and let it be said at once that his book is an outstanding success. It has been immaculately researched and is packed with detail, but written in a way that will appeal to readers of all kinds...this is an important book, and should be in every scientific library. There is a black-and-white photographic section, and references extensive enough to satisfy any historian. The author is to be warmly congratulated – and so too are the publishers – for keeping the price down to an acceptable £20.’
Sir Patrick Moore, Times Higher Education Supplement 20/1
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