First Man; The Life of Neil A. Armstrong

The format is approximately 5.5 inches by 8.25 inches. xv, 441, [5] pages. Illustrations. Occasional footnotes. Bibliography. Note on Sources. Index. The illustrated cover is creased and has some other wear and soiling. On July 20, 1969, the world stood still to watch thirty-eight-year-old American astronaut Neil A. Armstrong become the first person to step on the surface of another heavenly body. Perhaps no words in human history became better known than those few he uttered at that historic moment. In a penetrating exploration of American hero worship, Hansen addresses the complex legacy of the First Man, as an astronaut and an individual. James R. Hansen is a professor of history at Auburn University in Alabama. His book From the Ground Up won the History Book Award of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1988. For his work, The Wind and Beyond (NASA) - (six-volume series), he was awarded the Eugene Ferguson Prize for Outstanding Reference Work by the Society for the History of Technology in 2005. In the first and only definitive, authorized biography of the first man to walk on the moon, Hansen chronicles the life of Armstrong, from the heights of honor and recognition earned as a naval aviator, test pilot, and astronaut to the personal price Armstrong paid for his dedication to his vocation. First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong is the official biography of Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who became the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969. The book describes Armstrong's involvement in the United States space program, culminating with the fateful Apollo 11 mission, while also detailing his personal life and upbringing. The book has received a warm reception from several individuals associated with astronomy and the promotion of spaceflight. The writing process began in October 1999, when Hansen first wrote to Armstrong asking if he could author the book. At first, Armstrong told him that he was too busy, and the astronaut mentioned how he had already turned down several previous offers from well-known authors such as Stephen Ambrose and James A. Michener. Hansen persisted, sending a copy of the author's well-received biography, titled From the Ground Up, of seminal aviation pioneer Fred Weick. In 2002, Armstrong and Hansen completed a formal agreement. This edition was released loosely connected with the release of the associated motion picture. 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 fifty 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. In this "compelling and nuanced portrait" (Chicago Tribune) filled with revelations, Hansen vividly recreates Armstrong’s career in flying, from his seventy-eight combat missions as a naval aviator flying over North Korea to his formative trans-atmospheric flights in the rocket-powered X-15 to his piloting Gemini VIII to the first-ever docking in space. For a pilot who cared more about flying to the Moon than he did about walking on it, Hansen asserts, Armstrong’s storied vocation exacted a dear personal toll, paid in kind by his wife and children. For the near-fifty years since the Moon landing, rumors have swirled around Armstrong concerning his dreams of space travel, his religious beliefs, and his private life. A penetrating exploration of American hero worship, Hansen addresses the complex legacy of the First Man, as an astronaut and as an individual. "First Man burrows deep into Armstrong’s past and present.What emerges is an earnest and brave man" (Houston Chronicle) who will forever be known as history’s most famous space traveler. First Simon & Schus.…