astronomy

Rocket Men (book)

Rocket Men (book) is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Rocket Men (book) rather than just read about it. In short: Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon is a 2018 nonfiction book by Robert Kurson recounting NASA's 1968 Apollo 8 mission, which was the first crewed spacecraft to reach the Moon and return safely to Earth. The book is Kurson's fourth, and it debuted on the New York Times bestseller list.

Key takeaways

Rocket Men (book) belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Rocket Men (book) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Rocket Men (book) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon is a 2018 nonfiction book by Robert Kurson recounting NASA's 1968 Apollo 8 mission, which was the first crewed spacecraft to reach the Moon and return safely to Earth. The book is Kurson's fourth, and it debuted on the New York Times bestseller list.

Background Kurson drew on hundreds of hours of one-on-one interviews with NASA staff, industry experts, astronauts (including all three Apollo 8 astronauts) and their families as source material for the book.

Synopsis Rocket Men is an account of the Apollo 8 mission with focus on Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders, the three astronauts who flew the mission. The book also places an emphasis on the astronauts' families during the mission. From The Washington Post:

"'Rocket Men' opens in summer 1968, with the space race in high gear. The Soviet Union had already put the world’s first satellite, Sputnik, as well as the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into Earth’s orbit. The Soviets were projected to reach the moon by the end of the year, months ahead of the United States." The book includes chapters dedicated to each astronaut, the Space Race itself, and background and chronological progress of the mission including critical maneuvers and mission setbacks. It is set against the backdrop of 1968, considered by many to be among the most divisive and violent years in American history.

Reception The book reached #7 on the New York Times bestseller list and has received positive reviews from critics. The USA Today called Rocket Men a "first-rate account of this remarkable spaceflight" and added, "There are many pieces to the Apollo 8 story, but Kurson brings them together effortlessly." The New York Times called the book "gripping" and "a riveting introduction to the [Apollo 8] flight" in which "Kurson details the mission in crisp, suspenseful scenes." Writing for The Washington Post, Mary Roach compared the book to Alfred Lansing's 1959 book Endurance and Jon Krakauer's 1997 Into Thin Air, and called Kurson's writing style "as close to a movie as writing gets." The film rights to Rocket Men were secured by Makeready prior to the book's publication.

References

External links Official website Discussion on Rocket Men with Kurson and astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders, April 5, 2018, C-SPAN Q&A interview with Kurson on Rocket Men, May 6, 2018, C-SPAN Presentation by Kurson on Rocket Men, June 10, 2018, C-SPAN Washington Journal interview with Kurson on Rocket Men, December 16, 2018, C-SPAN

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Rocket Men (book)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Rocket Men (book) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Rocket Men (book) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Rocket Men (book) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Rocket Men (book)

In research: Rocket Men (book) appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Rocket Men (book) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Rocket Men (book) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2018 non-fiction books, Apollo 8, Astronomy books, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Rocket Men (book) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Rocket Men (book) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Rocket Men (book) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Rocket Men (book) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rocket Men (book) in simple terms?

Why does Rocket Men (book) matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Rocket Men (book)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Rocket Men (book).