Apollo 13

View other editions of Apollo 13.
View books by Jim Lovell, Jeffrey Klugar.

All She Ever Wanted - Rated
very readable

Great!!! - Rated
An outstanding account of the events of that week in April 1970. If you enjoyed the film, you'll love this book!

Triumphant teamwork - Rated
I was too small to remember much of the feelings around the world when the news broke that Apollo 13 had had an explosion onboard, and the crew's safety was in doubt. By all accounts the whole world seemed to hold its collective breath until the command module splashed down.

In this book the inside anxiety of the crew, as well as all at mission control and their contractors is conveyed. It is really a story of how everyone---hundreds, if not thousands of people---pulled together to save the lives of three men, left drifting in space with dangerously low resources. The inventiveness of solving each problem is amazing; and the problems kept mounting. Carbondioxide poisoning, skewed trajectories, no navigation computers, potentially damaged rockets, doubtful heatshield. At each stage the team worked the problem as best they could with inventiveness and true grit; never giving up. The explanation of the accident's cause is as intriguing as the tale itself (glossed over in the film), and serves as warning to all who work on safety critical system.

It is a true American tale---a success in failure, as it showed how America could "organize and measure the best of [thier] energies and skills" as Kennedy said at Rice University.

This collaborative effort between the commander of Apollo 13, Jim Lovell, and Jeff Kluger makes for a terrific read and captures the feeling of the times wonderfully. A tale which is now part of American history.

Excellent - Rated
Terrific story to tell, great book and well presented. If you saw the Tom Hanks film then this book adds in some of the details and characters that were 'repackaged' for the Hollywood film version. The photos in the middle of the wrecked ship stop you and make you think how lucky these guys were.

Great book, I left my original copy on a flight in China last month and so had to order another... even though I had finished it I know this is one I will come back to again!

Great and informative book. - Rated
As one very pleased with the movie, and the topic of space in general, I found this book a really good read, and can only complement the authors. They did an outstanding job. This book contains all the details you ever wanted to know about this historical flight.