Wally Funk's Race for Space
The Extraordinary Story of a Female Aviation Pioneer
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Wally Funk's Race for Space
Buy for $16.35
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Sue Nelson
-
By:
-
Sue Nelson
About this listen
In 1961, Wally Funk was among the Mercury 13, the first group of American pilots to pass the ‘Women in Space’ programme. Wally sailed through a series of rigorous physical and mental tests, her scores beating many of the male candidates, including those of John Glenn, the first American in orbit. But just one week before she was due to enter the final phase of training, the programme was abruptly cancelled. A combination of politics and prejudice meant that none of the women ever flew into space. Undeterred, Wally went on to become one of America’s first female aviation inspectors and civilian flight instructors, though her dream of being an astronaut never dimmed.
In this offbeat odyssey, journalist and fellow space buff Sue Nelson travels with Wally, now approaching her 80th birthday, as she races to make her giant leap - before it’s too late. Covering their travels across the United States and Europe - taking in NASA’s mission control in Houston and Spaceport America in New Mexico, where Wally’s ride to space awaits - this is a uniquely intimate and entertaining portrait of a true aviation trailblazer.
©2018 Sue Nelson (P)2018 Audible, LtdListeners also enjoyed...
-
Willful Misconduct
- The Tragic Story of Pan American Flight 806
- By: William Norris
- Narrated by: Tom Beyer
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4
In 1974, Pan American Flight 806 was hoping to land safely in Pago Pago, Samoa, but instead plummeted at 140 miles per hour into the jungle floor. The 101 passengers and crew members all survived this devastating crash. Unfortunately, only four of them escaped the wreckage before the ensuing fire that followed and lived to tell their story. After the disaster, Pan American was found guilty of "willful misconduct" after the longest and most expensive trial in aviation history.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great story if air crash court cases is your thing
- By David Carroll on 06-30-21
By: William Norris
-
The Lemon Tree
- By: Sandy Tolan
- Narrated by: Sandy Tolan
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 690
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 595
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 595
In 1967, not long after the Six-Day War, three young Arab men ventured into the town of Ramle, in what is now Jewish Israel. They were cousins, on a pilgrimage to see their childhood homes; their families had been driven out of Palestine nearly 20 years earlier. One cousin had a door slammed in his face, and another found his old house had been converted into a school. But the third, Bashir Al-Khairi, was met at the door by a young woman called Dalia, who invited them in.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Steeping The Lemon Tree
- By Faithfull Fan on 04-11-18
By: Sandy Tolan
-
The Last American Hero
- The Remarkable Life of John Glenn
- By: Alice L. George
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 20
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
On February 20, 1962, John Glenn became a national star. That morning at Cape Canaveral, the small-town boy from Ohio took his place atop a rocket and soared into space. The Last American Hero is a stunning examination of the layers that formed the man: a hero of the Cold War, a two-time astronaut, a veteran senator, a devoted husband and father, and much more.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Real Life Hero
- By Elliott Locklair on 12-11-21
By: Alice L. George
-
The Mercury 13
- The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight
- By: Martha Ackmann
- Narrated by: Julie Eickhoff
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 67
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
For fans of The Astronaut Wives Club, The Mercury 13 reveals the little-known true story of the remarkable women who trained for NASA space flight. In 1961, just as NASA launched its first man into space, a group of women underwent secret testing in the hopes of becoming America’s first female astronauts. They passed the same battery of tests at the legendary Lovelace Foundation as did the Mercury 7 astronauts, but they were summarily dismissed by the boys’ club at NASA and on Capitol Hill.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing story
- By Chilli Dog on 01-26-15
By: Martha Ackmann
-
Betty Greene
- Wings to Serve (Christian Heroes: Then & Now)
- By: Janet Benge, Geoff Benge
- Narrated by: Rebecca Gallagher
- Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 48
Betty Greene coaxed her Grumman seaplane to two thousand feet..... Suddenly, silence—total silence. The plane engine had stopped! Her passengers gasped, but Betty knew she must remain calm. They had only a slim chance for survival: the twisting jungle river below them.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Soaring Story
- By Irene Turner on 01-22-23
By: Janet Benge, and others
-
Rocket Men
- The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Ray Porter, Robert Kurson
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,580
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,329
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,324
By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the moon by President Kennedy's end-of-decade deadline and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch, sending the first men in history to the moon - in just four months.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Men Who Saved 1968
- By Gillian on 04-04-18
By: Robert Kurson
-
Willful Misconduct
- The Tragic Story of Pan American Flight 806
- By: William Norris
- Narrated by: Tom Beyer
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4
In 1974, Pan American Flight 806 was hoping to land safely in Pago Pago, Samoa, but instead plummeted at 140 miles per hour into the jungle floor. The 101 passengers and crew members all survived this devastating crash. Unfortunately, only four of them escaped the wreckage before the ensuing fire that followed and lived to tell their story. After the disaster, Pan American was found guilty of "willful misconduct" after the longest and most expensive trial in aviation history.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great story if air crash court cases is your thing
- By David Carroll on 06-30-21
By: William Norris
-
The Lemon Tree
- By: Sandy Tolan
- Narrated by: Sandy Tolan
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 690
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 595
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 595
In 1967, not long after the Six-Day War, three young Arab men ventured into the town of Ramle, in what is now Jewish Israel. They were cousins, on a pilgrimage to see their childhood homes; their families had been driven out of Palestine nearly 20 years earlier. One cousin had a door slammed in his face, and another found his old house had been converted into a school. But the third, Bashir Al-Khairi, was met at the door by a young woman called Dalia, who invited them in.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Steeping The Lemon Tree
- By Faithfull Fan on 04-11-18
By: Sandy Tolan
-
The Last American Hero
- The Remarkable Life of John Glenn
- By: Alice L. George
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 20
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
On February 20, 1962, John Glenn became a national star. That morning at Cape Canaveral, the small-town boy from Ohio took his place atop a rocket and soared into space. The Last American Hero is a stunning examination of the layers that formed the man: a hero of the Cold War, a two-time astronaut, a veteran senator, a devoted husband and father, and much more.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Real Life Hero
- By Elliott Locklair on 12-11-21
By: Alice L. George
-
The Mercury 13
- The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight
- By: Martha Ackmann
- Narrated by: Julie Eickhoff
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 67
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
For fans of The Astronaut Wives Club, The Mercury 13 reveals the little-known true story of the remarkable women who trained for NASA space flight. In 1961, just as NASA launched its first man into space, a group of women underwent secret testing in the hopes of becoming America’s first female astronauts. They passed the same battery of tests at the legendary Lovelace Foundation as did the Mercury 7 astronauts, but they were summarily dismissed by the boys’ club at NASA and on Capitol Hill.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing story
- By Chilli Dog on 01-26-15
By: Martha Ackmann
-
Betty Greene
- Wings to Serve (Christian Heroes: Then & Now)
- By: Janet Benge, Geoff Benge
- Narrated by: Rebecca Gallagher
- Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 48
Betty Greene coaxed her Grumman seaplane to two thousand feet..... Suddenly, silence—total silence. The plane engine had stopped! Her passengers gasped, but Betty knew she must remain calm. They had only a slim chance for survival: the twisting jungle river below them.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Soaring Story
- By Irene Turner on 01-22-23
By: Janet Benge, and others
-
Rocket Men
- The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Ray Porter, Robert Kurson
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,580
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,329
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,324
By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the moon by President Kennedy's end-of-decade deadline and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch, sending the first men in history to the moon - in just four months.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Men Who Saved 1968
- By Gillian on 04-04-18
By: Robert Kurson
-
Spaceman
- An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe
- By: Mike Massimino
- Narrated by: Mike Massimino
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 4,177
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,882
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3,875
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to find yourself strapped to a giant rocket that's about to go from zero to 17,500 miles per hour? Or to look back on Earth from outer space and see the surprisingly precise line between day and night? Or to stand in front of the Hubble Space Telescope, wondering if the emergency repair you're about to make will inadvertently ruin humankind's chance to unlock the universe's secrets? Mike Massimino has been there, and in Spaceman he puts you inside the suit.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Likable guy, great storyteller
- By Joy Woller on 10-09-16
By: Mike Massimino
-
The Right Stuff
- By: Tom Wolfe
- Narrated by: Dennis Quaid
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,645
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,123
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,098
Millions of words have poured forth about man's trip to the moon, but until now few people have had a sense of the most engrossing side of the adventure: namely, what went on in the minds of the astronauts themselves - in space, on the moon, and even during certain odysseys on earth. It is this, the inner life of the astronauts, that Tom Wolfe describes with his almost uncanny empathetic powers that made The Right Stuff a classic.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Righteous Book, Righteous Narrator, Righteous MEN!
- By Gillian on 02-08-18
By: Tom Wolfe
-
The Six
- The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts
- By: Loren Grush
- Narrated by: Inés del Castillo
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 92
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 83
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 83
When NASA sent astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s the agency excluded women from the corps, arguing that only military test pilots—made up exclusively of men—had the right stuff. It was an era in which women were steered away from jobs in science and deemed unqualified for space flight. Eventually, though, NASA recognized its blunder and opened the application process to a wider array of hopefuls, regardless of race or gender. From a candidate pool of 8,000 six elite women were selected in 1978—Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid, and Rhea Seddon.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The mysogeny of NASA, and the Press in the 60s, 70s, 80s...
- By Carol Boerner on 02-09-24
By: Loren Grush
-
The Girls of Atomic City
- The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II
- By: Denise Kiernan
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,913
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,623
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,612
At the height of World War II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was home to 75,000 residents, consuming more electricity than New York City. But to most of the world, the town did not exist. Thousands of civilians - many of them young women from small towns across the South - were recruited to this secret city, enticed by solid wages and the promise of war-ending work. Kept very much in the dark, few would ever guess the true nature of the tasks they performed each day in the hulking factories in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Important story of this secret city
- By CBlox on 11-14-13
By: Denise Kiernan
-
Packing for Mars
- The Curious Science of Life in the Void
- By: Mary Roach
- Narrated by: Sandra Burr
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 4,549
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,484
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 3,477
Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can’t walk for a year? Have sex? Smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour?
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Everything You Always Wanted to Know - and More
- By Roy on 09-22-10
By: Mary Roach
-
Apollo 8
- The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon
- By: Jeffrey Kluger
- Narrated by: Brian Troxell
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,709
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,558
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,557
In August 1968 NASA made a bold decision: In just 16 weeks, the United States would launch humankind's first flight to the moon. Only the year before, three astronauts had burned to death in their spacecraft, and since then the Apollo program had suffered one setback after another. Meanwhile, the Russians were winning the space race, the Cold War was getting hotter by the month, and President Kennedy's promise to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade seemed sure to be broken.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great history of NASA and Apollo 8: a must listen
- By J on 11-17-17
By: Jeffrey Kluger
-
Endurance
- A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery
- By: Scott Kelly
- Narrated by: Scott Kelly
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,451
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,128
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3,119
A stunning memoir from the astronaut who spent a record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station - a candid account of his remarkable voyage, of the journeys off the planet that preceded it, and of his colorful formative years. A natural storyteller and modern-day hero, Kelly has a message of hope for the future that will inspire for generations to come. Here, in his personal story, we see the triumph of the human imagination, the strength of the human will, and the boundless wonder of the galaxy.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Great insights with bad audio quality
- By Marc Freudenberg on 11-27-17
By: Scott Kelly
-
Magnificent Desolation
- The Long Journey Home from the Moon
- By: Buzz Aldrin, Ken Abraham
- Narrated by: Patrick Egan
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 244
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 178
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 180
The flight of Apollo 11 made Aldrin one of the most famous persons on our planet, yet few people know the rest of this true American hero's story. In Magnificent Desolation, Aldrin not only gives us a harrowing first-person account of the lunar landing that came within seconds of failure and the ultimate insider's view of life as one of the superstars of America's space program, he also opens up with remarkable candor about his more personal trials - and eventual triumphs - back on Earth.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Disappointing
- By Thomas on 12-09-09
By: Buzz Aldrin, and others
-
Fly Girls
- How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History
- By: Keith O'Brien
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,312
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,158
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,155
Between the world wars, no sport was more popular, or more dangerous, than airplane racing. Thousands of fans flocked to multi-day events, and cities vied with one another to host them. The pilots themselves were hailed as dashing heroes who cheerfully stared death in the face. Fly Girls recounts how a cadre of women banded together to break the original glass ceiling: the entrenched prejudice that conspired to keep them out of the sky.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
For women, and dads
- By Cecilia Avanelle on 08-08-18
By: Keith O'Brien
-
Rocket Girl
- The Story of Mary Sherman Morgan, America's First Female Rocket Scientist
- By: George D. Morgan, Ashley Stroupe
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 27
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 26
In 1938, a young German rocket enthusiast named Wernher von Braun had dreams of building a rocket that could fly him to the moon. In Ray, North Dakota, a young farm girl named Mary Sherman was attending high school. In an age when girls rarely dreamed of a career in science, Mary wanted to be a chemist. A decade later, the dreams of these two disparate individuals would coalesce in ways neither could have imagined.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Engaging and thought provoking
- By pbkrc39288 on 06-20-24
By: George D. Morgan, and others
-
Carrying the Fire
- An Astronaut's Journeys
- By: Michael Collins, Charles A. Lindbergh - foreword
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 20 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,272
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,130
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,126
In Carrying the Fire, Michael Collins conveys, in a very personal way, the drama, beauty, and humor of the adventure of reaching the moon. He also traces his development from his first flight experiences in the air force, through his days as a test pilot, to his Apollo 11 spacewalk, presenting an evocative description of the joys of flight as well as a new perspective on time, light, and movement from someone who has seen the fragile Earth from the other side of the moon.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One of the Best Astro books
- By Ronald on 11-13-17
By: Michael Collins, and others
-
Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8
- The First Manned Mission to Another World
- By: Robert Zimmerman
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
It was Christmas Eve 1968. And the astronauts of Apollo 8 - Commander Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders - were participants in a mission that took them faster (24,000 mph) and farther from the Earth (240,000 miles) than any human had ever traveled. Apollo 8 was the mission that broke humanity's absolute bond to the Earth: it was the first manned vehicle to leave the Earth's orbit. Confined within a tiny spaceship, the astronauts were aided in their journey by a computer less powerful than one of today's handheld calculators.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Right (& Real) Stuff!
- By Tom on 01-22-20
By: Robert Zimmerman
Related to this topic
-
Sally Ride
- America's First Woman in Space
- By: Lynn Sherr
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 13 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 142
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 130
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 130
A member of the first astronaut class to include women, NASA chose her for the seventh shuttle mission, inspiring several generations of women. After a second flight, Ride served on the panels investigating the Challenger explosion and the Columbia disintegration that killed all aboard. In both instances, she faulted NASA's rush to meet mission deadlines and its organizational failures. She also cofounded a company promoting science and education for children, especially girls.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Captivating
- By Jean on 06-12-14
By: Lynn Sherr
-
First Man
- The Life of Neil A. Armstrong
- By: James R. Hansen
- Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 829
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 752
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 750
When Apollo 11 touched down on the Moon’s surface in 1969, the first man on the Moon became a legend. In First Man, author James R. Hansen explores the life of Neil Armstrong. Based on over 50 hours of interviews with the intensely private Armstrong, who also gave Hansen exclusive access to private documents and family sources, this "magnificent panorama of the second half of the American twentieth century" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) is an unparalleled biography of an American icon.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not really 'unabridged'
- By A Reader on 06-06-18
By: James R. Hansen
-
Rocket Men
- The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Ray Porter, Robert Kurson
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,580
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,329
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,324
By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the moon by President Kennedy's end-of-decade deadline and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch, sending the first men in history to the moon - in just four months.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Men Who Saved 1968
- By Gillian on 04-04-18
By: Robert Kurson
-
Riding Rockets
- The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut
- By: Mike Mullane
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 216
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 193
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 193
In 1978, the first group of space shuttle astronauts was introduced to the world - 29 men and six women who would carry NASA through the most tumultuous years of the space shuttle program. Among them was USAF Colonel Mike Mullane, who, in his memoir Riding Rockets, strips the heroic veneer from the astronaut corps and paints them as they are - human.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Not for the young...
- By Collecting Warehouse on 11-14-18
By: Mike Mullane
-
Sully
- My Search for What Really Matters
- By: Chesley B. Sullenberger, Jeffrey Zaslow
- Narrated by: Michael McConnohie, Chesley B. Sullenberger
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 779
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 710
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 707
On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed a remarkable emergency landing when Captain "Sully" Sullenberger skillfully glided US Airways flight 1549 onto the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 passengers and crew. His cool actions not only averted tragedy but made him a hero and an inspiration worldwide. His story is now a major motion picture from director/producer Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks, Laura Linney, and Aaron Eckhart.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Really Dull.
- By Nick on 09-14-16
By: Chesley B. Sullenberger, and others
-
The Mercury 13
- The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight
- By: Martha Ackmann
- Narrated by: Julie Eickhoff
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 67
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
For fans of The Astronaut Wives Club, The Mercury 13 reveals the little-known true story of the remarkable women who trained for NASA space flight. In 1961, just as NASA launched its first man into space, a group of women underwent secret testing in the hopes of becoming America’s first female astronauts. They passed the same battery of tests at the legendary Lovelace Foundation as did the Mercury 7 astronauts, but they were summarily dismissed by the boys’ club at NASA and on Capitol Hill.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing story
- By Chilli Dog on 01-26-15
By: Martha Ackmann
-
Sally Ride
- America's First Woman in Space
- By: Lynn Sherr
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 13 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 142
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 130
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 130
A member of the first astronaut class to include women, NASA chose her for the seventh shuttle mission, inspiring several generations of women. After a second flight, Ride served on the panels investigating the Challenger explosion and the Columbia disintegration that killed all aboard. In both instances, she faulted NASA's rush to meet mission deadlines and its organizational failures. She also cofounded a company promoting science and education for children, especially girls.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Captivating
- By Jean on 06-12-14
By: Lynn Sherr
-
First Man
- The Life of Neil A. Armstrong
- By: James R. Hansen
- Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 829
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 752
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 750
When Apollo 11 touched down on the Moon’s surface in 1969, the first man on the Moon became a legend. In First Man, author James R. Hansen explores the life of Neil Armstrong. Based on over 50 hours of interviews with the intensely private Armstrong, who also gave Hansen exclusive access to private documents and family sources, this "magnificent panorama of the second half of the American twentieth century" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) is an unparalleled biography of an American icon.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not really 'unabridged'
- By A Reader on 06-06-18
By: James R. Hansen
-
Rocket Men
- The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Ray Porter, Robert Kurson
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,580
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,329
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,324
By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the moon by President Kennedy's end-of-decade deadline and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch, sending the first men in history to the moon - in just four months.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Men Who Saved 1968
- By Gillian on 04-04-18
By: Robert Kurson
-
Riding Rockets
- The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut
- By: Mike Mullane
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 216
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 193
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 193
In 1978, the first group of space shuttle astronauts was introduced to the world - 29 men and six women who would carry NASA through the most tumultuous years of the space shuttle program. Among them was USAF Colonel Mike Mullane, who, in his memoir Riding Rockets, strips the heroic veneer from the astronaut corps and paints them as they are - human.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Not for the young...
- By Collecting Warehouse on 11-14-18
By: Mike Mullane
-
Sully
- My Search for What Really Matters
- By: Chesley B. Sullenberger, Jeffrey Zaslow
- Narrated by: Michael McConnohie, Chesley B. Sullenberger
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 779
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 710
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 707
On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed a remarkable emergency landing when Captain "Sully" Sullenberger skillfully glided US Airways flight 1549 onto the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 passengers and crew. His cool actions not only averted tragedy but made him a hero and an inspiration worldwide. His story is now a major motion picture from director/producer Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks, Laura Linney, and Aaron Eckhart.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Really Dull.
- By Nick on 09-14-16
By: Chesley B. Sullenberger, and others
-
The Mercury 13
- The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight
- By: Martha Ackmann
- Narrated by: Julie Eickhoff
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 67
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
For fans of The Astronaut Wives Club, The Mercury 13 reveals the little-known true story of the remarkable women who trained for NASA space flight. In 1961, just as NASA launched its first man into space, a group of women underwent secret testing in the hopes of becoming America’s first female astronauts. They passed the same battery of tests at the legendary Lovelace Foundation as did the Mercury 7 astronauts, but they were summarily dismissed by the boys’ club at NASA and on Capitol Hill.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing story
- By Chilli Dog on 01-26-15
By: Martha Ackmann
-
Why Planes Crash
- An Accident Investigator's Fight for Safe Skies
- By: David Soucie, Ozzie Cheek
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 294
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 266
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 263
Boarding an airplane strikes at least a small sense of fear into most people. Even though we all have heard that the odds of being struck by lightning are greater than the odds of perishing in a plane crash, it still doesn't feel that way. Airplane crashes might be rare, but they do happen, and they’re usually fatal. David Soucie insists that most of these deaths could be prevented. He’s worked as a pilot, a mechanic, an FAA inspector, and an aviation executive. He’s seen death up close and personal - deaths of colleagues and friends that might have been prevented if he had approved certain safety measures in the aircrafts they were handling.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Me, Me, Me
- By WakeNCAgent on 09-13-19
By: David Soucie, and others
-
Apollo 8
- The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon
- By: Jeffrey Kluger
- Narrated by: Brian Troxell
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,709
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,558
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,557
In August 1968 NASA made a bold decision: In just 16 weeks, the United States would launch humankind's first flight to the moon. Only the year before, three astronauts had burned to death in their spacecraft, and since then the Apollo program had suffered one setback after another. Meanwhile, the Russians were winning the space race, the Cold War was getting hotter by the month, and President Kennedy's promise to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade seemed sure to be broken.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great history of NASA and Apollo 8: a must listen
- By J on 11-17-17
By: Jeffrey Kluger
-
The Last Man On the Moon
- By: Eugene Cernan
- Narrated by: Eugene Cernan
- Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 301
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 264
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 262
This is the story of a unique American hero who came of age as an astronaut during the few dramatic years when man reached the moon. Cernan's career spanned the entire Apollo program, from the tragic fire that killed three of his comrades on Apollo 1, through the moment when he left man's last footprint on the moon as commander of Apollo 17.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Yet Another Perspective
- By Shellbin on 12-28-12
By: Eugene Cernan
-
Chasing Space
- An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances
- By: Leland Melvin
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 220
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 187
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 185
Leland Melvin is the only person in human history to catch a pass in the National Football League and in space. Though his path from the gridiron to the heavens was riddled with setbacks and injury, Leland persevered to reach the stars. While training with NASA, Melvin suffered a severe injury that left him deaf. Leland was relegated to earthbound assignments but chose to remain and support his astronaut family. His loyalty paid off. Recovering partial hearing, he earned his eligibility for space travel.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Must Listen to for any Space Enthusiast!
- By B.A. Lopez on 01-11-20
By: Leland Melvin
-
The Right Stuff
- By: Tom Wolfe
- Narrated by: Dennis Quaid
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,645
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,123
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,098
Millions of words have poured forth about man's trip to the moon, but until now few people have had a sense of the most engrossing side of the adventure: namely, what went on in the minds of the astronauts themselves - in space, on the moon, and even during certain odysseys on earth. It is this, the inner life of the astronauts, that Tom Wolfe describes with his almost uncanny empathetic powers that made The Right Stuff a classic.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Righteous Book, Righteous Narrator, Righteous MEN!
- By Gillian on 02-08-18
By: Tom Wolfe
-
Moon Shot
- The Inside Story of Man's Greatest Adventure
- By: Dan Parry
- Narrated by: John Chancer
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 209
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 183
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 182
‘It didn’t matter that they were now three miles beyond their target site, that communications were dropping out and that they were running low on fuel. All that mattered to Neil as he searched for a safe spot to land was that boulders littered the surface below. “Thirty seconds,” called mission control. In truth, the flight controllers were now no more than spectators, just like everybody else. No more needed to be said. It was down to Armstrong
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wow.
- By Shellbin on 02-04-12
By: Dan Parry
-
Inside Marine One
- Four U.S. Presidents, One Proud Marine, and the World's Most Amazing Helicopter
- By: Lee Kelley, Ray L'Heureux
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 78
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 71
Inside Marine One is Colonel L'Heureux's inspiring story of a young man who dreamed of flying, trained, studied, and worked hard to become the pilot who ended up serving four US Presidents - George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. It's also a personal guided tour inside the world's most famous helicopter by a man who knows that flying machine better than any other. Inside Marine One is a great American success story of a young boy who dreamed big, worked hard, and finally flew the President of the United States as his number one passenger.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A great book
- By John A. on 01-05-23
By: Lee Kelley, and others
-
Bird Dream
- Adventures at the Extremes of Human Flight
- By: Matt Higgins
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
Human flight is one of the last great challenges on Earth. Not like how the Wright brothers flew, but how we fly in our dreams. This is the goal of the Wingsuit Landing Project: to soar through the sky at speeds up to one hundred miles per hour and to land without the aid of a parachute. This project is the creation of 37-year-old Jeb Corliss, Jr., a Southern Californian who seeks to emulate a mode of flight more like a flying squirrel than bird or plane.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Good read
- By Jowly on 04-22-15
By: Matt Higgins
-
Flight 232
- A Story of Disaster and Survival
- By: Laurence Gonzales
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 488
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 431
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 428
As hundreds of rescue workers waited on the ground, United Airlines Flight 232 wallowed drunkenly over the bluffs northwest of Sioux City. The plane slammed onto the runway and burst into a vast fireball. The rescuers didn't move at first: nobody could possibly survive that crash. And then people began emerging from the summer corn that lined the runways. Miraculously, 184 of 296 passengers lived. No one has ever attempted the complete reconstruction of a crash of this magnitude.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Therapeutic
- By Quiltedwings on 05-07-15
-
Fly Girls
- How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History
- By: Keith O'Brien
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,312
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,158
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,155
Between the world wars, no sport was more popular, or more dangerous, than airplane racing. Thousands of fans flocked to multi-day events, and cities vied with one another to host them. The pilots themselves were hailed as dashing heroes who cheerfully stared death in the face. Fly Girls recounts how a cadre of women banded together to break the original glass ceiling: the entrenched prejudice that conspired to keep them out of the sky.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
For women, and dads
- By Cecilia Avanelle on 08-08-18
By: Keith O'Brien
-
The Girls of Atomic City
- The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II
- By: Denise Kiernan
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,913
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,623
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,612
At the height of World War II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was home to 75,000 residents, consuming more electricity than New York City. But to most of the world, the town did not exist. Thousands of civilians - many of them young women from small towns across the South - were recruited to this secret city, enticed by solid wages and the promise of war-ending work. Kept very much in the dark, few would ever guess the true nature of the tasks they performed each day in the hulking factories in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Important story of this secret city
- By CBlox on 11-14-13
By: Denise Kiernan
-
Rise of the Rocket Girls
- The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars
- By: Nathalia Holt
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,076
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 981
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 984
In the 1940s and '50s, when the newly minted Jet Propulsion Laboratory needed quick-thinking mathematicians to calculate velocities and plot trajectories, they didn't turn to male graduates. Rather, they recruited an elite group of young women who, with only pencil, paper, and mathematical prowess, transformed rocket design, helped bring about the first American satellites, and made the exploration of the solar system possible.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Struggles In Space Exploration
- By Sara on 06-11-16
By: Nathalia Holt
What listeners say about Wally Funk's Race for Space
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Katherine Wilson
- 10-20-18
Incredible and inspiring
If you’re looking for some motivation...this is a must read! I loved every minute of this book. Being a female in the men’s working world myself I appreciate women like Wally because if it was not for her and other women who paved the way, I would not be in the job I am today in the military. I am also a lover of aviation with my husband. (He even enjoyed listening too!) Being raised in it because of my dad it brings more appreciation of the aviation history and space history as well. I imagine that when I am Wally’s age... I will most likely have the same enthusiastic “glass is half full” look on life. This is incredibly inspiring to me also because of the challenges we face and to never give up on your dreams... Wally doesn’t give up!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!