Simon - First man: the life of Neil A. Armstrong

Praise for First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong

To understand Armstrong on his own terms is to see a large truth of our time... [Hansens] mastery of detail is put to splendid use. The narrative of the moon mission is crisp and dramatic, the science clear. He deftly takes us back into those few days of global fascination with the adventure of the three distant voyagers and the tense uncertainty about how it would turn out.... I finished Hansens Apollo story with a wholly fresh sense of awe at the magnitude of NASAs achievement... a compelling and nuanced portrait of the astronaut.

James Tobin, Chicago Tribune

Neil Armstrongnaval aviator, research pilot, astronaut, American hero and larger-than-life icon. He may have thought it was one small step for [a] man, but it was one giant leap for the rest of us... First Man is primed to be one of the definitive reference works on the lunar program.

U.S. Navy Captain William Readdy, Aviation Week & Space Technology

Most of the astronauts books are about the adventure. Jim Hansens well-researched and documented book is about the adventurer. First Man is a compelling story of a modern-day Columbus which provides the rare opportunity to understand the personal qualities driving explorers. Quiet, complex, and deep, Armstrong, as fuel was running out, was the right man at the right time to take America and the world to the surface of the moon.

Eugene F. Kranz, author of Failure Is Not an Option

A powerful, unrelenting biography of a man who stands as a living testimony to everyday grit and determination... A must for astronaut buffs and history readers alike.

Publishers Weekly, starred review

A great read.

The Kansas City Star, Noteworthy Book of 2005

Ever since Apollo 11s one giant leap for mankind in 1969 the world has wondered who Neil Armstrong really is. Now, at last, Jim Hansen has stripped away the myths and mysteries to bring us face to face with the man himself. This definitive portrait offers many new and fascinating details about Armstrong and his life and about the momentous and unforgettable era of exploration in which he was lucky enoughand talented enoughto play a key role.

Andrew Chaikin, author of A Man on the Moon

This impressively documented and engagingly written biography will stand the test of time.

John Carver Edwards, Library Journal

Hansen does a fine job of retelling Armstrongs childhood and remarkable career in aviation. The NASA years have been covered in many other books, but Hansen manages to keep them fresh, benefiting from Armstrongs perspective.... As Hansen shows, the way Armstrong chooses to carry the heavy burden of history only proves once again that he has the right stuff.

Brian Hicks, The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)

Masterfully written... technically accurate, scholarly yet independent and accessible... Mission accomplished and a perfect touchdown.

Leonard David, Ad Astra, The Magazine of the National Space Society

Hansens research is staggeringly impressive.... A work that has great appeal for anyone interested in why we explore, who we are in this aerospace age, and what it was about the United States that could enable a little kid from Wapakoneta, Ohio, to take that one small step at Tranquility Base in the summer of 1969. A must read!!!

Richard P. Hallion, chief historian for the U.S. Air Force

Armstrong opened his entire life to Hansen.... Thanks to Hansen, future historians will know more about the man than the fact he was first.

Robert Pearlman, founder and editor of collectSpace.com

[A] taut, well-told tale of our nations race to the moon and the man who took the first step.

Doug Allyn, The Flint Journal

Let it be said at once that his book is an outstanding success.... Immaculately researched and packed with detail, but written in a way that will appeal to readers of all kinds.... This is an important book, and should be in every scientific library.

Sir Patrick Moore, London Times Educational Supplement

Jim Hansen has captured the essence of Neil Armstrong, not only as the first man on the Moon, but also as an outstanding aviator and astronaut. I was there for Neils other major space stephe recovered Gemini 8 from the ultimate end game with aggressive action, cool skill and creative judgement seldom performed in any aviation or space endeavor. Just 16 days after the deaths of the Gemini 9 crew, he probably saved the Moon. Jim Hansen has written an exceptional and accurate account of a unique period in aerospace history and the adventures of Neil Armstrong.

Dave Scott, Gemini VIII, Apollo 9, Commander, Apollo 15

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For Jennifer and Nathan

For most people around the world, receiving an email from Neil Armstrong was like getting a message from the Archangel Gabriel. The first time I received such a message from Neil was back in 2001, and I remember the tremendous excitement I felt when I saw his message pop up in my inbox. More than six hundred emails from Armstrong later, sent to me over the course of our ten-year association since I began work on his authorized biography, First Man , I still regard every message that he sent to me as extraordinarily special.

Of all the emails, letters, and communiqus I received from Neil, the one that I will always remember the most is the last one he ever sent me. It came to me at 3:53 P.M. on August 11, 2012, six days after his 82nd birthday and five days following a quadruple cardiopulmonary bypass surgery that had been performed on Neils heart at a hospital in suburban Cincinnati, where Neil lived with his wife, Carol. Earlier that day I had sent Neil a get well message via email, wishing him a speedy recovery and hoping to meet him for a round of golf. I wasnt sure what condition he was in at the time and thought that it could take many days before he got around to reading, let alone answering, any of his email. But I got an answer from him that afternoon. It read:

Hi Jim,

Many thanks for the note.

I had checked into my gastro doc to check out an apparent reflux problem. It seemed an unlikely connection (for several reasons) but it turned out to be the right thing to do. We did a nuclear stress test leading to an angiogram, leading to a quad bypass.

Recovery is going well but golf will be on the back burner for a while. Hope to be kicked out of the hospital in a day or so.

My best,

Neil

As anyone who was close to Neil could attest, his email message to me that afternoon, two weeks exactly to the hour that he would die on Saturday, August 25, was classic Neil Armstrong: succinct, right to the point, yet thoughtful and kind, and with a dollop of wry good humor.

What exactly happened in the hospital with Neils condition over the course of the next two weeks leading to his death may never be known outside a small circle of family and friends and the medical staff that attended to him. Heart surgery of any kind is truly major surgery; so much can go wrong, especially when the patient is 82 years old. Neils wife, Carol, and the rest of Neils family chose to keep the circumstances to themselves, just as Neil would have wanted it.

Shortly after his death, the family released the following statement:

We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures.