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Post by Glom on May 24, 2011 2:37:15 GMT -4
Next book.
I'm so far up to the launch scrub for Gemini 9. Cernan has been particularly good at covering the family aspect of it. Also, his recount of the anticipation was very good. He didn't make the condom size joke though that Collins did.
Initially, he was a lot less modest than Collins was when talking about his early career. It made me want to start hitting him. But that then contrasted nicely with his attitude when he gets selected and goes from Mr Cock of the Walk to not quite believing he is one of them.
I also like the sound of his house.
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Post by Count Zero on May 24, 2011 5:16:52 GMT -4
Good book! I also liked the candor with which he describes the program's effect on his marriage. Throughout his career you see how his cockyness gets him into trouble. It's pretty clear that, in retrospect, he would never have given his younger self the breaks that he got.
I really like how he ended the book.
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Post by ka9q on May 24, 2011 6:14:27 GMT -4
Didn't Cernan crash a helicopter while hotdogging? And that made Jim McDivitt strongly opposed to his selection as A17 CDR?
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Post by Count Zero on May 24, 2011 6:19:25 GMT -4
Thank you Captain Spoiler! <facepalm>
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Post by ka9q on May 24, 2011 12:35:07 GMT -4
Sorry! All this stuff did happen 40 years ago. And I was actually kind of doubting that Cernan would even want to mention it.
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Post by echnaton on May 24, 2011 12:45:35 GMT -4
Cernan presents himself as a "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" kind of guy and I don't doubt it. It cost him much in his relationships but he gained much in his career. It a matter of skills and priorities and Cernan was certainly blessed with many skills and the drive to use them.
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Post by banjomd on May 25, 2011 8:25:17 GMT -4
I always enjoy reading his recounting of the Gemini EVA. Good book choices, Glom!
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Post by Glom on May 25, 2011 19:01:09 GMT -4
I'm traumatised from reading the bit on the EVA. I think I need a dramm.
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Post by Kiwi on May 25, 2011 22:43:25 GMT -4
Gene Cernan is one of the most eloquent of the Apollo astronauts, along with Mike Collins. I have always enjoyed listening to him.
It sounds a little like he might have taken a bit of a gamble on commanding Apollo 17. From the commentary track on the DVD of Al Reinert's film "For All Mankind":
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Post by ka9q on May 26, 2011 2:57:12 GMT -4
Unlike Collins, who told Deke Slayton prior to Apollo 11 that it would be his last flight. He might well have had the chance to command one of the later missions if he'd stayed on, but he decided he and his family already had enough.
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Post by echnaton on May 26, 2011 9:13:17 GMT -4
In the book, he discusses the disbelief on Slayton's face when he declined an invitation to walk on the moon. He was the second astronaut to say "no" to Slayton. Ultimately his gamble paid off and he got the assignment he wanted.
Cernan is a stark contrast to Collins. Even after the A17 flight, he choose career over his family life by taking an assignment to work as a liaison to the Soviet space program, which involved a lot of travel to Russia. That was too much for his wife.
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Post by banjomd on May 26, 2011 9:51:01 GMT -4
I'm traumatised from reading the bit on the EVA. I think I need a dramm. Ha, an appropriate response! (paraphrasing: "Tom if we don't get the hatch closed and the cabin repressurized, I'm gonna die!")
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Post by Obviousman on May 26, 2011 11:07:39 GMT -4
Not a popular opinion, but I think he is a little full of himself. Then again, so is Chuck Yeager and I consider both to be American heroes.
IMO, just because a guy has a big ego does not mean he doesn't do things to warrant that ego. Let's face it, successful fighter pilots for the most part have egos that wouldn't fit in a pickup truck.
How do you know when a fighter pilot is in the room? He'll tell you.
How many fighter pilots does it take to change a light bulb? One - he just holds the bulb and the world revolves around him.
A woman runs into a police station, saying she was raped by a man. The police ask if she can give a description of the assailant. She says she can't describe him because it was too dark, but she knew he was a fighter pilot. They ask how she could know such a thing when she couldn't identify him? Well, she says, he had a big watch and a little dick, and he told me how good he was.
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Post by banjomd on May 26, 2011 11:38:54 GMT -4
"Who's the best pilot you ever saw?. . . You're looking at him, babe!" ;D
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Post by echnaton on May 26, 2011 12:01:47 GMT -4
Not a popular opinion, but I think he is a little full of himself. Then again, so is Chuck Yeager and I consider both to be American heroes. People that accomplish remarkable things often do so because of a single minded focus and at the expense of the more routine parts of life. Its one of those be careful who you marry things, the dedicated and ambitious hot shot pilot stands a chance of being just as dedicated and ambitious in other aspects of his career. The same is true in business, only the possible payoff of financial reward is greater than with government service.
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