Andrew Chaikin's book tells the history of the moonlandings with an attempt to move beyond the technical story. It is based on a myriad of interviews with astronauts, ground crew, scientists and their partners. While many of these stories have been told previously, and there are only a certain number of anecdotes that can be told from a Space Race that was barely a decade long, there is still much of interest. Those who remain fascinated by space programmes in general and Apollo in particular would be advised to read Chaikin's book, even if you think you know the stories. What he does with the book is to rescue the humanity of the process, and place that at the front of what is essentially a techincal story.
He beings with the horror of Apollo 1's launchpad fire and the deaths of its three astronauts. It is a moment that shocked the world, and reshaped the space programme itself. In some respects it professionalised the Nasa machine, turning it into a safety conscious, self aware programme. The shock, and bad publicity, was both a spur and a warning. Chaikin's account of Apollo 1 links it to the growing awareness among Nasa and the astronauts themselves of the uniquenes of the moon landing process. While the accident of Apollo 13 had the world watching as the astronauts and mission control fought to bring the ship home, it was not an accident that led to a massive transformation. Apollo 1 personified the risks and costs of going to space.
But, Chaikin's theme really develops with a scientific issue that he places front and centre of the story - the question of geology. While going to the moon was always supposed to be about the science, in effect it was never about the science. The "contingency sample" that Neil Armstrong was badgered about by mission control in the first minutes of his landing was needed, because something had to be brought back. But the science was secondary, especially in the minds of the astronauts. This was transformed for Apollo 15 as key personnel fought to include proper geology training, and Apollo 15's crew were highly trained to know what to look for. In some ways Apollo 15 was the key mission. Forgotten in many regards today, Apollo 15's moon walkers looked at the landscape in a completely different way to their predecessors. Their ability to make informed guesses about rocks and materials was a significant step forward and transformative to the mission.
Arguments about whether or not humans are needed to explore were put to rest with Apollo 15. The final two missions took this to further extremes. Though it seems remarkable that the only true "scientist" to land on the moon did so with the final mission. Harrison "Jack" Schmitt's contribution was unique, and his inclusion was a massive boon for scientists even today.
Chaikin's account of the centrality of the geology to the moon flights is illuminating, because it is the one of the few ways in which human emotion becomes part of the story. The excitement of the astronauts on Apollo 8 to see Earthrise, is not really about exploration. It's about them comprehending the Nasa's achievement. The excitement of the latter moon walkers at a coloured rock, or the absence of volcanic debris, is telling because it comes from a shift away from the moon trips as being purely about achievement and more about exploration.
This then makes Chaikin's wider story - of the eventual budget cuts to the space programme even more tragic. As Apollo was really becoming something "for all mankind", it was stopped. Sadly Chaikin doesn't explore this enough. With Vietnam the backdrop, and protests demanding funding for social programmes, health and education, Chaikin could have used the opportunity to explore whether or not Apollo was a valid use of scant resources. It is interesting to know that Nixon considered cutting the programme after Apollo 11, the first landing, and almost chopped everything after Apollo 15. Happy to parade with the astronauts or invite them to dinner, he was also concerned to ensure that budget cuts didn't affect Vietnam, falling on the space programme instead. In fact the US could have gone to the moon, and provided healthcare and education for all. They didn't want to because that was not their priority. Cutting Apollo made it look like they cared. When in effect they didn't.
There are other absences in Chaikin's book. He doesn't enquire, even in passing, why no women or non-white people went to the moon - or were even considered. He also fails to explore some of the more personal stories. Duane Graveline, for instance, a doctor who was one of six scientists including Schmitt, selected for possible moon exploration, dropped out for "personal reasons". These reasons aren't discussed by Chaikin. It was actually because he was going through a divorce and that would tarnish Apollo's "all American" image. Graveline turned out to be a deeply flawed and unpleasant character - married six times, accused of violence, sexual abuse of minors and losing his medical license - so he was no loss at all. But Chaikin could have used this event to discuss more about the nature of Nasa's choices for missions and the pressures on the astronauts.
While the book centres on the astronauts and to a lesser extent their families and mission control, other figures are only there in passing. Many are not mentioned at all. Though we do learn about hundreds of workers losing their jobs as the budget cuts bite. Chaikin's focus on the Apollo astronauts and their voyages illuminates their individual careers, and their life after the moon. But it doesn't really help the reader understand Apollo within wider American society. There are hints of this though. Chaikin reports that Frank Bormann, commander of Apollo 8, which circled the moon in late 1968 received a telegram out of the blue on this return. The author, now doubt refering to Vietnam, to the Civil Rights movement and perhaps the growing counter-culture movements as well, simply saud "You saved 1968". Apollo in this sense was served to reassert US self-identity. To demonstrate that the nation was powerful and unassailable.
This is perhaps best illuminated by a comment that Chaikin makes right at the end of the book. He says that the Apollo missions were the "last great act undertaken by the United States out of a sense of optimism". This is, in fact, entirely inaccurate. Apollo was undertaken precisely because the US was in imperialist competition with the Soviet Union. This was why the cuts were made so quickly, why only a single scientist was sent to the moon, and why neither the US nor anyone else has returned. Apollo was undertaken with great cynicism. The despair of workers, scientists and astronauts was the result of that.
But read Andrew Chaikin's book for a different reason too. For the joy of the astronauts on the moon. For what they learnt about the moon. And most importantly because it reminds us that humanity can achieve a great deal. Let's hope that future generations can solve Earth bound problems and then take our questioning and inquisitive selves back to the moon.
Related Reviews
First on the Moon - A Voyage with Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin Aldrin
Wolfe - The Right Stuff
Shetterly - Hidden Figures
Collins - Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys
French & Burgess - In the Shadow of the Moon: A Challenging Journey to Tranquillity 1965-1969
Swift - Across the Airless Wilds
Rubenstein - Astrotopia: The Dangerous Religion of the Corporate Space Race
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