Gemini - by Jeffrey Kluger (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From the bestselling author of Apollo 13 comes the thrilling untold story of the pioneering Gemini program that was instrumental in getting Americans on the moon.

Without Gemini, there would be no Apollo.

After we first launched Americans into space but before we touched down on the moon's surface, there was the Gemini program. It was no easy jump from manned missions in low-Earth orbit to a successful moon landing, and the ten-flight, twenty-month celestial story of the Gemini program is an extraordinary one. There was unavoidable darkness in the program--the deaths and near-deaths that defined it, and the blood feud with the Soviet Union that animated it.

But there were undeniable and previously inconceivable successes. With a war raging in Vietnam and lawmakers calling for cuts on NASA's budget, the success of the Gemini program--or the space program in general--was never guaranteed. Yet against all odds, the remarkable scientists and astronauts behind the project persevered, and their efforts paid off. Later, with the knowledge gained from the Gemini flights, NASA would launch the legendary Apollo program.

Told with Jeffrey Kluger's signature cinematic storytelling and in-depth research and interviews, Gemini is an edge-of-your-seat narrative chronicling the history of the least appreciated--and most groundbreaking--space program in American history. Finally, Gemini's story will be told, and finally, we'll learn the truth of how we landed on the moon.

Review Quotes

"A superbly written and thoroughly researched story of early spaceflight that isn't just for space buffs but for every reader who loves tales of true adventure. You can almost smell the hydrazine fumes as you turn the pages of Jeffrey Kruger's amazing story of America's second spacecraft that ultimately gave us the moon." --Homer Hickam, bestselling author of Rocket Boys

"Long before my twin brother Mark and I flew in space, it was Gemini, another twin, that taught NASA how to get there -- and back. In Gemini, Jeff Kluger brings to life the grit, danger, and brilliance behind a program that turned theory into skill and astronauts into moonwalkers. This is essential history, told with the kind of precision only Jeff can deliver -- and every space traveler or fan of space should read." --Scott Kelly, Retired US Navy Captain and former NASA astronaut

"Jeffrey Kluger--the best author ever at capturing both the technical and human aspects of space travel--tells the amazing and, up until now, untold story of the Gemini program, the program that developed the technology, experiences, and people needed to successfully land the first humans on the moon... A must read not only for space enthusiasts, but also for any person seeking inspiration from the greatest adventure ever accomplished by humanity." --Mike Massimino, Columbia University professor and former NASA astronaut

About the Author