Apollo 13

History

First published: 1994
Print length: 390 pagesHoughton Mifflin, 2006

Description

Jim Lovell recounts the failed Apollo 13 lunar-landing mission, which he commanded and which was intended to become the Apollo program’s third crewed Moon landing. Near the Moon, an oxygen-tank explosion cripples the spacecraft’s power and propulsion systems, forcing the landing to be aborted and placing Lovell and his crewmates in grave danger. Their survival comes to depend on adapting the lunar module’s systems so that it can serve as an emergency lifeboat. Lost Moon follows the mission’s sudden transformation from planned exploration to desperate return, centering the astronauts’ effort to stay alive after a catastrophic accident in space.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Direct · Journalistic · Technical

Pace

Fast

Tone

Earnest · Hopeful · Suspenseful · Tense

Structure

Chronological nonfiction

Focus

Character · Information · Plot

Emotional intensity

5 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 3 / 5
Ideas: 3 / 5
Structure: 2 / 5
Background knowledge: 2 / 5

Themes

AmbitionCommunitySurvivalTechnology and societyWork

About Jim Lovell

Jim Lovell was an American astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot, and mechanical engineer whose writing grew directly from his experience in the early space program. He was among the first three people to orbit the Moon as command module pilot of Apollo 8 and later commanded the Apollo 13 mission. His book Apollo 13 brings a commander’s practical perspective to the oxygen-tank explosion that forced the crew to abandon the planned landing and adapt the lunar module as a lifeboat for the return to Earth.

About Jeffrey Kluger

Jeffrey Kluger is a journalist and nonfiction author whose work turns complicated scientific and technical subjects into direct, character-led narratives. A senior writer at Time, he draws on reporting, historical research, and personal testimony to explain large events through the people managing them. Apollo 13 follows Jim Lovell and his crew as a lunar mission becomes a tightly paced survival effort, with engineering problems shaping the story’s momentum. Splendid Solution applies a similar narrative approach to Jonas Salk and the campaign against polio, placing medical research within its human and historical setting.

Book details

For the print edition listed above.

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Language: English
ISBN: 9780618619580

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