ePub All-American Boys by Walter Cunningham in History

Review

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Astro as humans faults and strengths. Good and poor programs. Pecking order.Mystery getting assignmentsBy Thomas EricksonI've read almost all the astronaut books. Walter Cunningham's The All American Boys is a good book breaking the myth the American public had about the astronauts as super human can do anything heroes.Walt shows the astronauts as human beings that did have big egos and loved to fly. We learn there were many opportunities for the Astros to have numerous sexual affairs if they wanted to. There were plenty of good looking woman who wanted an "Astro" in bed....almost a trophy game. "Deke" Slayton cautions to be discrete and not bring shame to NASA or you maybe looking for another job. Many married Astros did have extramarital relations while many Astros stayed faithful to their wives.We learn almost all the Astros were not rich with the exception of Alan Shepard through business deals and contacts becomes a millionaire. However the Astros had many; many perks such as the Life magazine contract; corvette cars; low cost housing loans; use of NASA jets for transportation; etc. Also many Astros got to meet many presidents; kings; queens; other politicians; dignitaries and entertainers. Many complimentary tickets.We learn about the hardships the Astro's wives had with their husband spaceman not being home allot. Many of the wives took care of their homes and raised their families;while Dad worked;worked; worked. A lot of tension. Eventually divorces started.Walt shows the tragic rush; rush; and sloppy workmanship that lent to the fire of Apollo 1 and loss of 3 good friends. He shows their lives lost helped NASA and its contractors get on the ball to produce one of the greatest flying machines of all time.We see the cutthroat antics of the Astros trying to get a flight....any flight and the pecking order of the senior Mercury Astros first; Gemini Astros second then Apollo and the bottom of the barrel the scientist/astros. Military rank had little to do with it. There was vast favoritism and sometimes an illogical positioning of Astros to go on a flight. Walt shows many more qualified Astros got pushed back. Some like Scott Carpenter were deliberately kept off flights due to his perceived mistakes on Arora 7. We see poor Gordon Cooper who did excellent work on his Mercury and Gemini flights deliberately not given an Appolo flight because of his free spirited antics and not working as a "team member".The book reads very well and Walter Cunningham was able be to get across his point of the Astros as human beings not some superhero superstars. Walter made one flight in Apollo 7 helping to resurrect the Apollo program from its ashes of destruction of the loss of Apollo 1. We see him working hard to get another flight but because of internal politics he never got one. He gets an assignment to Skylab and is doing great getting it started. Unfortunately for him Pete Conrad who was senior to him bumps him out of the top spot.Walt shows us some of the start up of the shuttle program and the fantastic heat deflecting properties of the shuttle tiles.Other Astronaughts and Cosmonauts are mentioned.Walt gets discouraged and realises its time to do something else in life and put up his space shoes. Both his wife Lo and him are happy to leave NASA. He leaves not bitter but proud of his accomplishments and proud of the men he worked for and with. Eight years at NASA was enough.He explains while he was in NASA there was not a black Astro or a women Astro. NASA was NOT racist or prejudice but wanted the very best people. Most of the pilots and scientists were routinely rejected. No favorite group quotas given. Later he says blacks and women will have more opportunities for them to get the qualifications plus politically he sees changes happening with edicts telling NASA to hire black and women Astros ; but its going to take time. Walter was definitely not a racist or sexist but a realist.A good book putting out the real Astronaut not the super hero myth. He didn't sugar coat the book but told it INMO from the heart. Thanks for your space contributions Walt Cunningham.33 of 33 people found the following review helpful. An Insider Speaks About ApolloBy Robert I. HedgesI have to admit that my favorite of the astronaut books is Mike Collins' "Carrying the Fire"; but I think "The All-American Boys" has to be second. This book is essentially the personal observations and reflections from within the Gemini and (mostly) Apollo programs; and as an external bystander from the early days of the Shuttle until now. What I like about the book is Cunningham's candor; a trait he was always know for within the program; and willingness to discuss the less glamorous; and less appreciated aspects of an astronaut's life in the 1960s.Generally this type of book is fairly sanitized; and results in a glossy; picture perfect view of the Apollo program and its participants. Here Cunningham tells the story without pulling any punches. He attempts to give everyone their due; but in the end if he has negative information to convey he doesn't shirk from it. Others may disagree with his opinions (I do in a few instances: for example; I think he is unduly hard on Armstrong and Scott for their handling of their Gemini thruster problem); but he makes it clear at the outset that these are his views; and not the official party line. Many come out better than their average perceptions in the public (mostly because so many of these names are now generally forgotten); guys like Bill Anders and Rusty Schweickart; who really did some of the early pioneering that allowed the Apollo 11 and subsequent successes. Certainly the depiction of Conrad and Bean is very sympathetic; and reinforces their good guy personas with more detail devoted to their contributions than they normally get. Many come out worse; in some cases much; much worse. Many (but not all) of the Mercury 7 come across as self important; pompous windbags. I was particularly annoyed by Wally Schirra during the Apollo 7 mission. I had actually believed the position that Cunningham takes; namely that he and Eisele were trying largely to be team players while Wally was the one with the "Bull Moose Complex" (Cunningham's words) and temper that made the mission so agonizing for everyone; especially the ground controllers. Certainly Chris Kraft comes out as a very competent; but egotistical manager; and it still seems unfair that especially Cunningham's career was cut short largely through Kraft's efforts when he was really being painted with the same brush as Wally. (Donn Eisele also got a bit testy with the controllers; but Cunningham always showed restraint and deference. That has been established in numerous sources other than his own book.)Cunningham does not pretend to be perfect; and admits to shortcomings; while giving credit where it is due. He makes no bones about it; for instance; that he thinks Armstrong and Scott mishandled the Gemini thruster situation; by jumping to quickly to an emergency measure that scrubbed the remainder of the mission too quickly (I disagree); but also goes on to say that nobody could have flown the Apollo 11 landing better than Armstrong (I agree). Likewise he says that Scott's Apollo 15 landing was the best scientific exploration of the moon in the entire series. This dichotomy explains in a nutshell why I liked the book: Cunningham is unafraid to critique a performance; yet will turn around and give the same person kudos for other events. In other words; he recognizes and addresses the fundamental truth that each human has individual strengths and weaknesses.Particularly illuminating are his views on post-Apollo NASA; a giant bureaucracy that is slow to do anything and serves more as a political rather than a technical organization; especially under Dan Goldin in the Clinton years. The International Space Station; vis-a-vis Russian participation; particularly; is held up for scrutiny as the debacle it has become. Also discussed are institutional safety problems in the agency that led to the Challenger and Columbia accidents (Did we learn nothing from Apollo 1?); and the political appointment of astronauts based on politically correct social theories rather than professional competence.In summary; this book; along with "Carrying the Fire" are the two books by Apollo astronauts that actually show insight into the program from the inside. Read them both; they will greatly expand your understanding of what made Apollo great.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The insights into the Apollo 1 disaster; the Apollo ...By Jeffery UlmerThe insights into the Apollo 1 disaster; the Apollo 7 mission (and the rather unfair treatment of Cunningham and Eisele in the aftermath); and life as an astronaut in the 60s are all very worthwhile. After this; the book degenerates into an extended; repetitive; and cynical gripe session about NASA since the early 70s; a belittling of the Apollo-Soyuz mission (which seems to have irritated Cunningham to an inordinate degree); and later NASA administration.