Recommendations you can check.
Software engineer who writes the blog Made of Bugs about performance, debugging and understanding systems; previously at Anthropic, Stripe and Ksplice.
13 things
Sunburst and LuminaryBook Don Eyles
The only reason it isn't higher on this list is that the content is a bit specialized and narrowly focused on the landing and the software and adjacent topics; it's definitely one of my favorite books here.
His Apollo bibliography — the books and films about the Apollo program he recommends, roughly ordered by how strongly he recommends them.
2019-04-08·blog.nelhage.com ↗
How Apollo flew to the MoonBook W. David Woods
This is far and away the best general-audience technical documentation of the Apollo missions I've read.
His Apollo bibliography — the books and films about the Apollo program he recommends, roughly ordered by how strongly he recommends them.
2019-04-08·blog.nelhage.com ↗
This documentary was a solid telling of the story of that mission, and of the later-in-Apollo scientific goals and geological exploration that was achieved, as well as a wistful look back at the story of the last humans, to date, to set foot on the moon.
His Apollo bibliography — the books and films about the Apollo program he recommends, roughly ordered by how strongly he recommends them.
2019-04-08·blog.nelhage.com ↗
Failure Is Not An OptionBook Gene Kranz
This was the first book I read about the early space program, and I'd recommend it as a good entry point.
His Apollo bibliography — the books and films about the Apollo program he recommends, roughly ordered by how strongly he recommends them.
2019-04-08·blog.nelhage.com ↗
A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo AstronautsBook Andrew Chaikin
It's a solid, well-sourced ("based on hundreds of hours of in-depth interviews with each of the twenty-four moon voyagers, as well as those who contributed their brain power, training and teamwork on Earth"), general overview of the heart of the Apollo program. Also an excellent entry point.
His Apollo bibliography — the books and films about the Apollo program he recommends, roughly ordered by how strongly he recommends them.
2019-04-08·blog.nelhage.com ↗
From the Earth to the MoonOther
This is a 12-episode HBO miniseries largely based on the previous book. It's also an excellent work, and I'd highly recommend it.
His Apollo bibliography — the books and films about the Apollo program he recommends, roughly ordered by how strongly he recommends them.
2019-04-08·blog.nelhage.com ↗
Thirteen: The Apollo Flight That FailedBook Henry S. F. Cooper
This book covers the mission and the details of the recovery efforts and the incredible work by Mission Control and by the astronauts to get the crew home safely after a catastrophic failure no one had even begun to plan for.
His Apollo bibliography — the books and films about the Apollo program he recommends, roughly ordered by how strongly he recommends them.
2019-04-08·blog.nelhage.com ↗
Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of ApolloOther
I don't actually remember this one in much detail. However, as I mentioned above, Mission Control was the beating heart of Apollo and one of the most fascinating and critical components of the program, so I recommend it anyways.
His Apollo bibliography — the books and films about the Apollo program he recommends, roughly ordered by how strongly he recommends them.
2019-04-08·blog.nelhage.com ↗
Hidden FiguresBook Margot Lee Shetterly
The book and movie only tangentially touch on Apollo itself (although it does appear!), but they make the list because they are well worth the read / watch, and they tell an important story of yet another facet of the immense collaboration that was the space program, and the incredible diversity of people and backgrounds and stories and kinds of work that went into making it all work.
His Apollo bibliography — the books and films about the Apollo program he recommends, roughly ordered by how strongly he recommends them.
2019-04-08·blog.nelhage.com ↗
Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the MoonBook Jeffrey Kluger
This book tells the story of that decision, and of the work and the people who made that mission happen.
His Apollo bibliography — the books and films about the Apollo program he recommends, roughly ordered by how strongly he recommends them.
2019-04-08·blog.nelhage.com ↗
Apollo 11Other
It's well worth a watch, to see what it looked like at the time, but I also found it almost anticlimactic to watch: With the benefit of history there's no real uncertainty or tension about what will happen, and the format gives the viewer disappointingly little "behind-the-scenes" insight into just what it took to make the mission go off
His Apollo bibliography — the books and films about the Apollo program he recommends, roughly ordered by how strongly he recommends them.
2019-04-08·blog.nelhage.com ↗
First ManOther
I enjoyed it, and it got at more of Armstrong's personal story than I have seen elsewhere, but it was not especially memorable for me.
His Apollo bibliography — the books and films about the Apollo program he recommends, roughly ordered by how strongly he recommends them.
2019-04-08·blog.nelhage.com ↗
Digital ApolloBook David A. Mindell
I honestly don't recall that much from this book. I read it fairly early on in my Apollo exploration. I'd recommend Eyles' Sunburst and Luminary, above, as a better starting point if you're interested in the computers that flew Apollo.
His Apollo bibliography — the books and films about the Apollo program he recommends, roughly ordered by how strongly he recommends them.
2019-04-08·blog.nelhage.com ↗
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