Legends of Aviation: Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin

The Rocket Men Talk (in the dark)

http://tinyurl.com/m7u5my

Attending the Legacy of Apollo Panel of historians at NASA headquarters:

http://tinyurl.com/n3qxnc

Autographed Editions of Rocket Men

The following account of the first arrival of Europeans at York Island, is verbatim as it was related to me by aged and respected Delawares, Momeys, and Mahicaanni, (otherwise called Mohigans, Mahicanders,) near forty years ago. It is copies from notes and manuscripts taken on the spot. They say:

A long time ago, when there was no such thing known to the Indians as people with a white skin, (their expression,) some Indians who had been out a-fishing, and where the sea widens, espied at a great distance something remarkably large swimming, or floating on the water, and such as they had never seen before. They immediately returning to the shore apprised their countrymen of what they had seen, and pressed them to go out with them and discover what it might be. These together hurried out, and saw to their great surprise the phenomenon, but could not agree what it might be; some concluding it either to be an uncommon large fish, or other animal, while others were of opinion it must be some very large house. It was at length agreed among those who were spectators, that as this phenomenon moved towards the land, whether or not it was an animal, or anything that had life in it, it would be well to inform all the Indians on the inhabited islands of what they had seen, and put them on their guard.

Accordingly, they sent runners and watermen off to carry the news to their scattered chiefs, that these might send off in every direction for the warriors to come in. These arriving in numbers, and themselves viewing the strange appearance, and that it was actually moving towards them, (the entrance of the river or bay,) concluded it to be a large canoe or house, in which the great Mannitto (great or Supreme Being) himself was, and that he probably was coming to visit them. By this time the chiefs of the different tribes were assembled on York Island, and were counseling (or deliberating) on the manner they should receive their Mannitto on his arrival. Every step had been taken to be well provided with a plenty of meat for a sacrifice; the women were required to prepare the best of victuals; idols or images were examined and put in order; and a grand dance was supposed not only to be an agreeable entertainment for the Mannitto, but might, with the addition of a sacrifice, contribute towards appeasing him, in case he was angry with them. The conjurors were also set to work, to determine what the meaning of this phenomenon was, and what the result would be. Both to these, and to the chiefs and wise men of the nation, men, women, and children wre looking up for advice and protection. Between hope and fear, and in confusion, a dance commenced.

While in this situation fresh runners arrive declaring it a house of various colours, and crowded with living creatures. It now appears to be certain that it is the great Mannitto bringing them some kind of game, such as they had not before; but other runners soon after arriving, declare it a large house of various colours, full of people, yet of quite a different colour than they (the Indians) are of; that they were also dressed in a different manner from them, and that one in particular appeared altogether red, which must be the Mannitto himself. They are soon hailed from the vessel, though in a language they do not understand; yet they shout (or yell) in their way. Many are for running off to the woods, but are pressed by others to stay, in order not to give offence to their visiters, who could find them out, and might destroy them.

The house (or large canoe, as some will have it,) stops, and a smaller canoe comes ashore with the red man and some others in it; some stay by this canoe to guard it. The chiefs and wise men (or councilors) had composed a large circle, unto which the red-clothed man with two others approach. He salutes them with friendly countenance, both as to the colour of the skin (or these whites) as also to their manner of dress, yet most as to the habit of him who wore the red clothes, which shone with something they could not account for. He must be the great Mannitto (Supreme Being,) they thing, but why should he have a white skin?

A large hockhack [Their word for gourd, bottle, decanter.] is brought forward by one of the (supposed) Mannitto’s servants and from this a substance is poured out into a small cap (or glass) and handed to the Mannitto. The (expected) Mannitto drinks; has the glass filled again, and hands it to the chief next to him to drink. The chief receives the glass, but only smelleth at it, and passes it on to the next chief, who does the same. The glass thus passes through the circle without the contents being tasted by any one; and is upon the point of being returned again to the red-clothed man, when one of their number, a spirited man and great warrior jumps up—harangues the assembly on the impropriety of returning the glass with the contents in it; that the same was handed them by the Mannitto in order that they should drink it, as he himself had done before them; that this would please him; but to return what he had given to them might provoke him, and be the cause of their being destroyed by him. And that, since he believe it for the good of the nation that the contents offered them should be drank, and as no one was willing to drink it he would, let the consequence be what it would; and that it was better for one man to die, than a whole nation to be destroyed. He then took the glass and bidding the assembly a farewell, drank it off. Every eye was fixed on their resolute companion to see what an effect this would have upon him, and he soon beginning to stagger about, and at lost dropping to the ground, they bemoan him. He falls into a sleep, and they view him as expiring. He awakes again, jumps up, and declares that he never felt himself before so happy as after he had drank the cup. Wishes for more. His wish is granted; and the whole assembly soon join him, and become intoxicated.

The Delawares call this place (New-York Island) Mannahattanink or Mannahachtanink to this day. They have frequently told me that it derived its name from this general intoxication, and that the word comprehended the same as to say, the island or place of general intoxication.

College Park Aviation Museum - CSPAN - BookTV

Fox

NASA History Panel

When I was in my 20s and 30s, I fell in love with Zen Buddhism, which, in retrospect, was a perfectly Scandinavian thing to do, and one of the Zen meditations I learned was: Imagine a future, where all your dreams come true. Especially at times when things aren’t going well in your life, spending ten minutes each morning focusing on a tomorrow where every hope is realized can be nourishing and energizing, a powerful salve for wounded souls. So this is a focus meme I’ve used pretty regularly over the past twenty-five years, meaning thousands of times closing my eyes, and imagining a perfect world.

Now that Rocket Men hit the New York Times’ bestseller list the first week it went on sale, and is getting acclaim beyond what anyone ever could have ever guessed, nearly all of my professional dreams have in fact come true … and I can’t believe, after all those times of imagining what it would be like, how absolutely wrong I was in those meditative states.

It turns out that, when almost all your dreams come true, you only get to sleep about four hours a night, but on tour you have to be up and energetic and charming and focused and ready to deliver the right material in the right form on a moment’s notice for hour after hour to  nonstop all day. This means you flit back and forth, drunk with exhaustion and ferociously alert, on a personality seesaw, at the same time that you keep forgetting what time zone you’re in. The hotel phone rings, and a voice says, “We’re calling to make sure you’ll be ready for the show,” and you say, “What time is this show?” and the voice says, “It’s a 7:22 show” and you say, “But, what time is it now?” and the voice says, “It’s 7:12, your time,” and you say, “Oh no problem, I’ll be ready.”

Then, when you’re on these shows, and someone asks you, live on TV or the radio or for press, a question that doesn’t make any sense, or has nothing whatsoever to do with your book, you get to completely ignore them, and instead say, “You know, something that really interested me so much in doing the research for Rocket Men was, pigs in space.” And the host doesn’t care that you ignored the question, and the audience doesn’t care that you ignored the question, because it is a truth universally acknowledged that all Americans share the need for food, water, sleep, procreation, and the need to know everything they can about pigs in space. And if the host keeps asking you one difficult question after the next, you can ignore them all. You can say, “That’s an interesting topic. Another interesting topic is the three times while working for NASA that Neil Armstrong almost got himself killed.” And even after an hourlong show where you’ve ignored every single question and just said whatever you wanted to say, the host will sign off and turn to you with, “That was such a great interview!” and you’ll say, “I had an incredible time!”

When almost all your dreams come true, the reviews are so far beyond what you ever hoped that you become flummoxed, and mystified. You finish one and think: I can’t believe he said that. So you read it again and you see they’ve picked out some sentence from the book to highlight and you think: “But it’s just a sentence. why did they like that sentence?”  Meanwhile, of all the tens of thousands of things you loathe about your book, none of the critical reviews address any of them. They pick on you for things you never imagined were a problem, and still don’t think so, and no one knocks you where you think you deserve it, so you’re even more baffled.

When almost all your dreams come true, all of your friends outside the book business think your New York Times’ review is wonderful and spectacular and glorious, while all your friends inside publishing think that the Times’ critic, with his constipated, whining prose, has some nerve complaining about Rocket Men, and we should find that little bitch, and kill him. And this is true even when the friend outside publishing and the friend inside are married to each other.

When almost all your dreams come true, your father writes a letter to his local paper insisting they give your book the attention it deserves, since it is destined to affect public policy. And you think, oh what a sweet daddy he is, I hope the editor doesn’t think he’s a nut. And then, two weeks later, the Washington Post tells the Augustine committee consulting President Obama on the future of NASA that they absolutely need to learn about Apollo 11, as the conclusion to their glowing review of Rocket Men. And you’re both giddy, and appalled.

And finally, when almost all your dreams come true, you spend a lot of time with tears in your eyes.

Every time I talk at a military academy or base, I start off dreading that the audience will be be gimlet-eyed and blasé, youths slouched in boredom and impossible to reach. But in fact, every time, the exact opposite happens - the hardcore military pilots are the most enthusiastic audience ever, fans who are super fans. It’s even visible in economic fundamentals: A young aviator, buying three hardcovers at $85 while being paid military grade, is making a serious commitment. Yet, every time this happens, I’m startled all over again, even though I’ve seen it time after time at Wright-Pat, and the Citadel, and numerous base-adjacent flight museums. And it was at Pax River that I finally understood.

When you first meet someone, and the talk goes something like: “You love Korean barbecue? … Bertolucci? … Russian icons? … I can’t believe it! Me too!” - a pretty terrific bond can begin. A form of Communion. And this is what happens with young flyers hearing the stories of their great and brave professional ancestors, their overriding passion pulling them together and making them a part of a remarkable history, that very rare group of men and women who share the exhilarating dream of flying the world’s greatest aircraft. When you’re that age, and you feel that enthusiasm, and you’re engulfed in that mass of focused attention … why, it’s almost like being in love.

]]> http://www.craignelson.us/2009/07/21/the-rising-light-at-patuxent/feed/ http://www.craignelson.us/2009/07/20/anniversary-blurb-update/ http://www.craignelson.us/2009/07/20/anniversary-blurb-update/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:20:55 +0000 Craig Nelson http://www.craignelson.us/?p=344 “Spectacular.” — Vanity Fair.

“The Apollo 11 mission has found its historian. Craig Nelson’s Rocket Men supplies a superb survey of the Cold War origins of the space race — and a scintillating, suspenseful and surprising ‘you are there’ account of the ups and downs of the astronauts assigned to the 30-story-high Saturn V spaceship. Forty years later, when the space program has lost its luster, Rocket Men, at least temporarily, returns us to a time of grand dreams and great American achievement.” — NPR.

“Rocket Men places Apollo 11 in a broader narrative of American engineering genius, and captures the drama and chaos of July 1969 and the almost unbearable tension of the moon landing, [the latter] described so vividly that the engrossed reader isn’t sure that Armstrong and crewmate Buzz Aldrin are going to make it.” — The Washington Post.

“Compelling … rich in stories and first-person descriptions … poignant and thought-provoking.  In many ways, Nelson’s task in presenting this history is as daunting as NASA’s original challenge. But he rises to the occasion with meticulous research, skillful storytelling rich in detail, and a narrative arc as stimulating and disciplined as Apollo 11’s own trajectory.” — The Dallas Morning News.

A broad and often entertaining account … a fact-junkie’s dream … plenty of ­historical perspective [and] an often ­gripping narrative.” — The Wall Street Journal.

“Exquisitely controlled … full of heart-pounding detail … His book is that rare combination of a definitive history and a great read. When the centennial of mankind’s giant leap is celebrated, readers will be hard pressed to find anything better.” — The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“From the swamp to the stars, a masterful tale of Apollo 11. While not slighting the skill, bravery and hard work of the astronauts themselves, Rocket Men is a love letter to [NASA’s engineering] nerds. Nelson has the ability to turn an elegant phrase, an observant eye and a knack for crisp characterization, to not lose the story amid the torrent of technical arcana. He’s an author enthralled with the tale he’s telling, and more often than not has command of his material — and what material.” — The Austin American-Statesman.

“The definitive history of the moon landing … Rocket Men captures not only the historical richness behind the Apollo 11 mission but also the breadth, depth and humanity of the teams that achieved it. — The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

“It was glorious. I know — I was there, kneeling, unable to breathe, before a television screen, watching Armstrong step off Eagle onto the regolith. I read Rocket Men in the same mood of boyhood wonder. So should you.” — The Times [London].

“Inspirational history … vivid recreation … lucid insights … the definitive account of a watershed in American history.” — Kirkus (starred review).

“Epic … momentous … extensively researched [with] nail-biting detail … an exciting read.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review).

“Magnificent … [a] songwriter summed it up perfectly, ‘To all the unknown heroes, sing out to every shore / What makes one step a giant leap is all the steps before.’ Nelson brightly illuminates those steps.” — Booklist (starred review).

“A surprisingly good read … a comprehensive, contextual and highly personalized overview … The cumulative effect of Nelson’s research is that by the time the booster rockets have fallen away and Apollo 11 is hurtling toward outer space, the reader is fully invested in the story and in the hundreds of thousands of people who had made it possible. You’re holding your breath as Armstrong maneuvers the LM safely between lunar boulders and you’re cheering with the Mission Control staff as Armstrong utters the words we know by heart: ‘Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.’” — The Houston Chronicle.

“An engaging contribution … Rocket Men never goes for long without executing some nice writerly flourish. Among Nelson’s achievements is the restoration of a certain grandeur to the moon itself.” — The New York Times.

“Rocket Men revives the epic sense felt by those watching Armstrong on television that night, an audience that Nelson puts at anywhere from 600 million to 1 billion. Best of all, thanks to Nelson’s breezy style, “Rocket Men” makes for fascinating, even entertaining reading.” — The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“When John F. Kennedy in May 1961, told the nation, ‘I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth,’ it was by no means certain that the United States would be the first nation to do so. Craig Nelson’s Rocket Men, published on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, is a fitting tribute to that achievement. … The range of voices in the selections Nelson quotes, from German scientists with still-haphazard English, to fact-spouting engineers, to laconic test pilots, gives this sky-gazing book its solidly grounded air.  Nelson has a novelist’s skill at weaving a compelling narrative and deftly sketches his leading characters … [it is] history that Nelson’s book eloquently captures.” — The San Francisco Chronicle.
“A punchy, popular history. Gripping, geekily detailed accounts of what it was like to ride a Saturn V or walk on another planet are interspersed with an equally lively take on the cold war strategising behind the mission. This whizzy history of Apollo 11 is particularly good at unpicking the tangle of motives behind President John F Kennedy’s 1961 decision to send a man to the moon ‘before this decade is out.’ Yet Rocket Men also illustrates how Apollo managed to be about more than cold war power-play – about more, even, than the conquest of space. Even as the astronauts hurled themselves outwards into space, they looked back to where they had come from.” — The Financial Times.

“With Nelson’s impeccable research, his ability to tie the myriad strings of the space race into a coherent whole and the power of the story itself, Rocket Men should be at the top of your book list.” — New Scientist.

“Anyone with an ounce of poetry in their soul would have to concede that reaching the moon really was a giant leap for mankind. For the sheer drama, majesty and improbability of it all, it’s a story that will be told time and time again. But rarely as well as this.” – The Business Post [Dublin].

“I grew up thinking man was destined to go to the moon. After reading Craig Nelson’s Rocket Men, I now know how tenuous, scary, and human the space program actually was. This book gives us hope that America can once again find a way to accomplish the seemingly impossible.” — Nathaniel Philbrick, author of Mayflower and In the Heart of the Sea.

“As a boy in 1969, I was fascinated when man landed on the moon.  Now, forty years later, Craig Nelson has brought this gripping story to life. Relive the excitement in Rocket Men.”  — James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers, Flyboys and The Imperial Cruise.