Bedtime Biography: Shoot for the Moon
The Space Race and the Extraordinary Voyage of Apollo 11
By James Donovan
Category: Biography & Memoir | Reading Duration: 40 min | Rating: 4.5/5 (50 ratings)
About the Book
Narrated by Oliver Mains Music by Federico Coderoni
Shoot for the Moon (2019) provides a riveting, wide-ranging account of the early space race. It guides you through the historic Apollo 11 mission which first landed humans on the moon, and sheds light on the legacy of the preceding missions that paved its way.
Who Should Read This?
- Anyone interested in the space race and the Cold War
- Science geeks interested in NASA’s early endeavors
- Future astronauts who need to do their homework
Introduction
Bedtime Biographies are best when listened to. Check out the audio version to get the full experience! The moon has fascinated humans for millennia. For thousands of years, people have stared up at the glowing white sphere illuminating the night’s sky, and wondered what secrets it holds.
Is there life up there? Is there water? Is it made of cheese? And for so long, that’s all they were able to do: stare and wonder from a great distance. All this changed on July 20, 1969. On this momentous day, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the lunar surface, and became the first humans to walk on the moon.
In this bedtime biography, we’ll share the story of how they got there. It’s a tale of ambition, politics, tragedy, and human endurance. So, why not sit back, relax, and listen to how humanity, finally, got to the moon.
Chapter 1: Chapter 1
On October 5, 1957, America woke up to some unsettling news. All across the nation, people sat down to breakfast, opened their newspapers, switched on their radios and televisions, and were shocked. The Soviet Union – America’s bitter rival in the Cold War – had launched Sputnik 1, the world’s first satellite. Americans gazed up to the heavens in horror as the shiny metal ball whizzed across the sky, miles above their heads.
Sputnik 1 wasn’t very sophisticated; it was a simple communication device shoved inside a tiny 184-pound steel ball. But it still terrified Americans. Weren’t they supposed to be the most technologically advanced nation in the world? That’s what they’d always been told. Was it a lie? As it orbited around the Earth, Sputnik 1 also passed over the United States seven times a day.
And sure, it was just a harmless communications device. But what about the future? Might the Russians not someday build a weaponized version? Was this a national security risk as well as a national humiliation? There was only one thing for it; America had to strike back. The space race had begun.
It didn’t take long for the US to get things ready. On December 6, just a few months after the launch of Sputnik 1, it scheduled the launch of its first satellite. A TV crew was invited to broadcast the event live – to capture this historic moment. Millions tuned in to see America fight back in the space race. The countdown began: five, four, three, two, one…. Liftoff!
Kind of. The rocket did lift off, but didn’t get far. At about four feet up, it exploded in a massive fireball. The little satellite fell from the burning rocket and rolled into some bushes. So much for the first US satellite in space. The press had a field day.
“Flopnik! ” and “Kaputnik” screamed the headlines. It was, once again, a total humiliation. The US had a lot to learn if it was ever going to catch up with the Soviets. The US finally managed to launch a satellite at the end of January, 1958. But by then the Russians were ready to go one step further.
In May, they sent Sputnik 3 into space. This was a much bigger, and much more sophisticated satellite. It carried lots of advanced research equipment designed to look into the nature of the earth’s upper atmosphere and space itself. After Sputnik 3, both countries began exchanging satellite launches. But they were shadowboxing. Both knew what the next big milestone would be: getting a human into space and, of course, getting him to earth safely.
Both the US and the Soviet Union were desperate to get there first. On December 17, 1958, the US announced its attempt to put a man in space. It was called Project Mercury. To run the project, they created a new organization: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. You probably know it by its initials: NASA.
Chapter 2: Chapter 2
To get a person into space, you need a big rocket. And back in the 1950s, building a rocket big and powerful enough wasn’t easy – as we’ve already learned, America’s first space rocket exploded in a massive ball of flames. To help them design a rocket that could get them to the stars, the Americans turned to a man who had recently been considered an enemy. His name was Wernher von Braun.
And he was the expert in building rockets. Von Braun had made his name running the German rocket program in the Second World War. In this role, he built the first-ever long-range missile, the V-2 rocket. It was a devastating weapon: V-2s caused destruction across England and the Netherlands in the later years of the war. They were so sophisticated that Allied forces could do absolutely nothing to stop them. But Wernher von Braun had always had another plan in mind for his designs.
He longed to build rockets that could take humans into space. As the Second World War dragged on, it became very clear that Germany would be defeated. Von Braun and his rocket team needed an escape plan. To put it very bluntly, they were going to be out of a job. They decided the best plan was to sneak away and surrender to the US. First, they hid themselves away in the Bavarian Alps.
Then, on May 2, 1945, just a few days after Hitler’s suicide, one of von Braun’s team tied a white handkerchief to his bicycle handlebars and set off in search of some American troops. After zipping down the winding mountain roads, he soon found a small force of US soldiers. He approached them and demanded to see Dwight D. Eisenhower – the Supreme Allied Commander. The US soldiers were confused at this bizarre request: “You’re a nut! ” one of them laughed.
But after being informed that there was a team of rocket scientists up the mountain, the American soldiers agreed to hear more. The rocket team soon left the hideout, and discussions with American officers began. The Americans were quick to see the value of von Braun. Germany’s rocket technology was two decades ahead of America’s. This was the perfect chance to catch up. So Von Braun and his team were quickly whisked away to the US, along with technical blueprints and V-2 parts.
Now, as the decade drew to a close, it was time for this brilliant expat to serve his adopted country. With von Braun on board, NASA was able to build a capable rocket. But what about the flight plan? After all, how do you get a man into space – and then back again – safely? NASA turned to flight-research engineer Christopher Columbus Kraft Jr. and his flight-operations division to figure all this out.
Kraft realized that you’d need a mission-control center: a room where space-flights could be tracked and led from. If you’ve ever seen a Hollywood film about NASA, you’ll know what a mission-control center looks like. Kraft also created the role of flight director. This is the person who commands mission control and makes all final decisions. Kraft appointed himself as the first flight director. Finally, NASA needed a craft for the astronaut to sit in.
Von Braun and his team worked with aerospace engineer Max Faget to design it. After a lot of back and forth, they finally unveiled their spacecraft, a strange-looking, blunt-nosed object. It was soon dubbed the flying ashcan. Now they needed someone to fly in it. Finding the first astronauts wasn’t easy. No one had ever been an astronaut before.
There wasn’t a job description or playbook to follow. But very early on it became clear what type of person the astronauts needed to be. They’d have to be the best pilots around, and they’d have to be used to working under extreme pressure. They also needed to be okay with the risk of dying. No one really knew what space travel would be like, but one thing was certain: it was dangerous. Looking at all these criteria, one group of men stood out: test pilots.
Test pilots have to be great flyers, they have to work under lots of stress, and they risk their lives with every flight. It was natural for them to be the first astronauts. But being a test pilot wasn’t enough. Applicants needed to have 1,500 hours of flying time, a bachelor’s degree in engineering, and be in superb physical condition. They also had to be short enough to fit in the tiny capsule. Only those less than 5 feet 11 inches could apply.
There were just 110 men in the whole of America who met those requirements. Seventy of those applied. The applicants had to endure an exhaustive and exhausting selection process – there were interviews, psychological exams, fitness tests. Few made it through. In fact, only seven were selected. They were called the Mercury Seven.
Their names were Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Virgil Grissom, Walter Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Donald Slayton. No one expected all seven to survive Project Mercury. The astronauts were picked; the rockets and spacecraft were ready. The US was all set to put the first man into space. But it wasn’t to be. The Soviets got there first.
Again. On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin blasted off from the steppes of southern Kazakhstan. Squeezed into his tiny spaceship, Vostok 1, Gagarin traveled past Earth’s atmosphere and into orbit. He made it through one complete orbit before coming back to Earth, unharmed. It was devastating for NASA, especially for the Mercury pilots. Astronaut Alan Shepherd was supposed to be the first man in space, now he would have to settle for being second.
He was furious. The USSR had claimed another stunning victory. Once again, there was no doubt who was leading the space race. But the Americans kept at it. On May 5, 1961, Shepard lifted off to become the first American to reach space. He reached a height of 116 miles, lasted 15 minutes, and was a complete success.
The mission was broadcast live on television to 45 million Americans. The audience was enthralled, watching Shepherd blast off ignited a public passion for space exploration. There would be five more piloted Mercury missions over the following two years – all successful. But the Americans had already got their sights set on the next goal.
Chapter 3: Chapter 3
Just three weeks after Alan Shepard’s mission, US President John Kennedy announced an ambitious new plan to Congress. He told the assembled senators and representatives that the Americans were going to land a man on the moon, and get him home again. And they were going to do this by the end of the decade. Everyone in the chamber knew: this was a very ambitious goal.
At the time, NASA was struggling to find the power to launch a 2,500-pound craft into space. The President was asking them to find a way to launch something 100 times as heavy. To achieve this, NASA would have to design the most advanced rockets and spacecraft ever known. They’d need to create whole new factories and transportation methods. And they’d have to find an army of new experts to design and run the whole thing. All of this would cost a lot.
In 1962 Congress approved a staggering 1. 62-billion-dollar budget for NASA. The politicians and the public were excited about getting to the moon. Now, all NASA needed was a plan to make it happen. That plan was called Project Gemini. Practically everything about Project Gemini was more sophisticated than Project Mercury.
The rockets were more powerful – they were capable of launching spacecraft into orbit and beyond. Gemini's spacecraft was also much more impressive than Mercury's. It was 18 feet long, 10 feet wide, and weighed between 7,100 and 8,350 pounds. Crucially, it had space for two astronauts. And, once in space, the spacecraft did more than just sit in orbit. Rocket thrusters on it meant the astronauts could maneuver the vehicle around in space.
The spacecraft also had a basic onboard computer, the Gemini Guidance Computer. Designed by IBM and weighing in at 58 pounds, the machine could store an incredible 4,096 words. It was used mostly for guidance and navigation. To operate all this new gear, a new intake of astronauts was needed. They arrived in two groups. The first, known as the New Nine, was announced on September 17, 1962, and included Neil Armstrong, Tom Stafford, and Ed White.
The next year, on October 18, NASA announced a second group of fourteen trainees. Among them were Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins. No Project Gemini mission actually got to the moon. But that wasn’t the point. The aim of Gemini was to test the technology and procedures for later missions. NASA sent up twelve Gemini missions in total.
Each one tested a different range of features. Astronauts tested how maneuverable the spacecraft was, how long people could stay in space, and even whether astronauts could walk in space. Gemini missions also tested the moon mission’s biggest unknowns. How were the astronauts going to land on the lunar surface? And how were they going to get back from it? NASA designed a smaller craft called a “bug” to solve this issue.
When it was time for astronauts to land on the moon, they’d leave the main craft, climb into the bug, and jet off to the surface. When it was time to leave the moon, the bug would simply lift off and redock with the main spacecraft. Simple. Well, not quite. It was a rather complicated process, and it was totally new. NASA needed to launch many Gemini missions just to test whether it was actually possible.
The final test was Gemini 8, piloted by Neil Armstrong and David Scott. First, an unmanned “bug” craft was sent into space. Then Gemini 8 was launched. Armstrong and Scott were tasked with linking up and docking with the bug drifting aimlessly in orbit. Things didn’t go completely to plan. The docking was successful, but then the two craft began spinning uncontrollably.
The astronauts inside Gemini 8 suffered extreme g-forces as the craft spun around and around at ever greater speed. Scott passed out. But Armstrong stayed conscious. Facing extreme discomfort and the limit of what he could endure, he used his skill to wrestle the craft back under control. Disaster was just avoided. Had Armstrong failed, the two would have spun off into space, and been lost forever.
Despite the mishap, Gemini 8 had proven that docking between two craft was possible. The last hurdle had been overcome, now it was time to launch the real moon mission. NASA called the moon mission Project Apollo.
Chapter 4: Chapter 4
Apollo 1 was due to launch on February 21, 1967. Before launch day, NASA demanded lots and lots of tests and rehearsals to ensure the mission would be safe and secure. With four weeks to go before liftoff, NASA scheduled a takeoff rehearsal. At 1:00 p.
m. on January 27, NASA engineers strapped astronauts Virgil Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee into their seats. They sealed the spacecraft’s hatches, pressurized the capsule, and pumped in pure oxygen. The astronauts began running through the huge preflight checklist, while ground crews labored to fix some minor technical issues. It should have been routine. But, it all went wrong.
At 6:30 p. m. , ground control noticed a surge in voltage. Over the radio, they heard an astronaut shout, “We’ve got a fire in the cockpit! ” There was commotion in the cockpit, and then everything went silent. The fire was caused by an electrical short circuit which had ignited the capsule’s pure-oxygen atmosphere.
The astronauts never stood a chance. It was a tragic day for NASA and America as a whole. It took nine months after the Apollo 1 disaster before manned spaceflight started again. The first Apollo missions after the Apollo 1 disaster were designed to test all the equipment and procedures. They came thick and fast: Apollo 7 was the first manned Apollo mission, and tested the spacecraft’s flight behavior in Earth’s orbit. Apollo 8 was the first manned flight to the moon.
The astronauts didn’t land, but they orbited the moon for 20 hours. Apollo 10 was a full dress rehearsal for a manned moon landing, and tested the lunar module by sending it, unmanned, down to the lunar surface. Next up was the real thing: Apollo 11 – humanity’s first attempted moon landing. Astronauts Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, and Neil Armstrong were chosen to man Apollo 11. The quiet and highly respected Armstrong was chosen to lead the mission and be the first earthling to step onto the lunar surface. Being the first humans to land on the moon was an incredible honor, but it required a lot of training.
Collins, Aldrin, and Armstrong had to prepare harder than any astronaut in history. They trained 14 hours a day, six days a week. They spent countless hours practicing every single maneuver they’d make in every phase of the mission. They memorized how to use hundreds of switches, toggles, gauges, dials, lights, and levers. They prepared for hundreds of potential problems and critical situations, from fuel leaks to dead engines. Aldrin and Armstrong were picked to go to the moon’s surface.
To prepare for this stage of the mission, the two practiced redocking their lunar module with the Apollo spacecraft in an aircraft hangar. NASA created full-sized replicas of the craft and hung them from the roof using cables. Aldrin and Armstrong spent hours maneuvering these replicas until they got it perfect. By the day of launch, July 16, 1969, they were more than ready.
At 4:15 a. m. , Deke Slayton, Director of Flight Crew Operations, walked to the crew’s quarters. He knocked on their bedroom doors and said, “It’s a beautiful day, you’re GO.
Chapter 5: Chapter 5
On the morning of July 16, the astronauts ate breakfast and headed to the suit room. Their urine-collection devices were installed and their oxygen supplies and spacesuits fitted. Finally, their plastic bubble helmets were locked into place. They stepped into an elevator, which took them up the huge launch tower.
Then they crossed a bridge and entered the Apollo spacecraft. Ground crew buckled them in, and the door was shut. The astronauts then busied themselves preparing the spacecraft for the mission. A couple of hours later, the countdown began. It went perfectly. At T minus nine seconds, the Saturn’s huge first-stage engines ignited.
Just a few seconds later, at 9:32 a. m. , the launch tower’s arms detached from the rocket, and the 6. 5-million-pound machine blasted off into the sky. At 40 miles up, almost three minutes into the flight, the astronauts were jerked forward as the rocket’s first stage ended. Seconds later, the Saturn’s second stage took over, carrying them to an altitude of 110 miles before detaching itself.
Finally, the third stage carried them the remaining few miles into orbit. Apollo 11 was in space. Next stop: the moon! The astronauts swung around the earth a couple of times before launching the craft moonward. As they traveled through space, Michael Collins continuously rotated the craft in a barbecue roll. This stopped one side from being constantly roasted in the hot sun.
The danger of launch was over. For a time, the crew could relax. They took off their bulky spacesuits and prepared dinner. Their meal consisted of food packets rehydrated with hot water. Their first meal was chicken salad, shrimp cocktail, and applesauce. With no gravity in space, eating – like almost every other task – was challenging.
And with no sunset to indicate night and day, the crew relied on watches and their own body rhythms to figure out when to sleep. They closed the window blinds, zipped themselves up inside sleeping bags, and loosely tethered themselves to the craft, dozing in mid-air. It would be three days before they arrived at the moon. At 5:21 p. m. on July 19, Apollo 11 arrived at the moon.
The crew entered lunar orbit and began to prepare the Eagle, the lunar lander. Around 9:30 a. m. the next morning, Aldrin and Armstrong suited up. They entered the Eagle and sealed the hatch. An hour later the radio sounded with the crackly voice of mission control: “Apollo 11, Houston.
We’re go for undocking. ” Inside the mothership, Collins flipped a switch. The Eagle detached, and the two ships drifted apart. Aldrin and Armstrong began their descent. After five minutes, several alarms began to sound. The onboard computer showed alarm code 1201.
Armstrong and Aldrin looked at each other; neither knew about this alarm. Would they have to abort? They faced an anxious wait of half a minute before mission control told them it was safe to continue. The alarm wasn’t vital; they could go on descending. Aldrin read out crucial data, like speed of descent and altitude, and Armstrong took manual control of the lunar module. They descended slowly.
When they were 60 feet from the surface, a cloud of dust kicked up, obscuring their vision. Armstrong could barely tell where the ground was. Neither astronaut felt the touchdown, but they had suddenly stopped moving. They radioed Houston and requested permission to go outside early. Houston agreed. It took over three hours for Aldrin and Armstrong to suit up, ready their equipment, and depressurize the cabin.
Then, at 9:39 p. m. , they pulled open the hatch. Grabbing the outside ladder, Armstrong lowered himself down. Halfway, he activated a TV camera and installed it on the Eagle. Those black-and-white images were broadcast live to over 530 million people.
He paused on the last rung of the ladder. Then, at 9:56 p. m. on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped cautiously onto the moon. With the world listening, he famously said, “That’s one small step for man . .
. one giant leap for mankind. " He walked about, examining the ground and describing the moon’s surface as coated in a very fine powder. After 20 minutes, Aldrin joined him, and the two admired the strange, barren landscape. Walking 30 feet away from the Eagle, the two men erected an American flag. Aldrin and Armstrong spent the remaining hour of their moonwalk taking photographs, collecting rock samples, and setting up experiments.
Then it was back to the Eagle to de-suit and get some rest. Finally, it was time to leave the moon and rejoin the mothership orbiting above. Safely united, all three then set off on the journey home. On July 24, Apollo 11’s spacecraft entered Earth’s atmosphere at the correct angle and began plummeting to the ground.
The craft’s parachute opened at the right altitude, and it drifted down into the Pacific Ocean – 13 miles from their primary recovery ship. The men from the moon were home, and they had made history. You’ve reached the end of this Bedtime Biography.
The End
Thank you for listening. Why not pause listening now so you can stay in a relaxed state? And if you’re off to bed now, I wish you a good night’s sleep.
About the Author
James Donovan is an American author specializing in popular history. His previous best-selling books include A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn – the Last Great Battle of the American West (2008) and The Blood of Heroes: The 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo – and the Sacrifice That Forged a Nation (2012). He lives in Dallas, Texas.