First Man by James R Hansen

First Man by James R Hansen

Soon to be a major motion picture, this is the first--and only--definitive authorized account of Neil Armstrong, the man whose one small step changed history--now available at a great value

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 VI 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.

James R. Hansen is professor emeritus of history at Auburn University in Alabama. An expert in aerospace history and the history of science and technology, Hansen has published a dozen books and numerous articles covering a wide variety of topics, including the early days of aviation, the history of aerospace engineering, NASA, the Moon landings, the Space Shuttle program, and China's role in space. In 1995 NASA nominated his book Spaceflight Revolution for a Pulitzer Prize. His book First Man, which is the only authorized biography of Neil Armstrong, spent three weeks as a New York Times Best Seller in 2005 and 2018 and garnered a number of major book awards. Translations of First Man have been published in more than twenty languages. A Universal Studios film adaptation of the book hit the silver screen in October 2018, with Academy Award winner (La La Land ) Damien Chazelle directing the film and actor Ryan Gosling starring as Armstrong. Hansen served as coproducer for the film.

Over the years Hansen has served on a number of important advisory boards and panels, including the Research Advisory Board for the National Air and Space Museum, Editorial Advisory Board for the Smithsonian Institution Press, and Advisory Board for the Archives of Aerospace Exploration at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He also is a past vice president of the Virginia Air and Space Museum in Hampton, Virginia. For the past ten years he has served on the National Air and Space Museum Trophy Selection Board. His experience as an academic and public speaker has been wide-ranging both topically and geographically; he frequently serves as keynote speaker, panelist, and lecturer on a wide variety of topics in the history of science and technology.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781476727813
ISBN 10	1476727813
Title	First Man
Author	James R Hansen
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Simon & Schuster
Year published	2012-11-27
Number of pages	770
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable