Moondust

In Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth

By: Andrew Smith

Narrated by: Matt Jamie

In time for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing comes this edition of journalist Andrew Smith’s book, now updated with a new Afterword, that tells the fascinating story of 12 astronauts who ventured to space, and his interviews with nine of the surviving men.

“Smith’s book succeeds…because he bungee-cords together so many intriguing digressions.” (New York Times)

The Apollo lunar missions of the 1960s and 1970s have been called the last optimistic acts of the 20th century. Twelve astronauts made this greatest of all journeys and were indelibly marked by it, for better or for worse. Journalist Andrew Smith tracks down the nine surviving members of this elite group to find their answers to the question "Where do you go after you've been to the Moon?"

A thrilling blend of history, reportage, and memoir, Moondust rekindles the hopeful excitement of an incandescent hour in America's past when anything seemed possible as it captures the bittersweet heroism of those who risked everything to hurl themselves out of the known world - and who were never again quite able to accept its familiar bounds.

©2009 Andrew Smith (P)2019 HarperAudio

Great read/listen

I'm the same age as the author and my earliest memories are of the enthusiasm regarding NASA and space exploration, I also remember how it slowly died, culminating with a depressing visit to Cape Canaveral just before the Apollo/Soyuz mission. It was obvious something incredible had happened there, and was now no more and never to be repeated.

I learned a good bit about the Apollo crews and how the experience of going to the moon altered all of them, in particular the men who made the landings. How could such an experience not effect them? The lunar landings were an incredible feat of learning, engineering and talent and this book tells the tale nicely.

Thoughtful granular overview of Apollo team

Detailed reflections not only on each man but of the context of his personal universe. Equally insightful cultural perspectives.

Having spent a day with Borman and a few encounters with Buzz in Beverly Hills, Smith captures the essence of his characters quite well.

Well worth the effort.

Unexpectedly entertaining!

The author does a great job of capturing the different ways extraordinary men coped with their extraordinary moment. Delightful!

What a mistake

I’m seeing these great reviews and obviously I am listening to something else. The mindless yammering on and on was intolerable. The brief gems here and there were not enough to keep my interest.