Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond

Gene Kranz

Feb 2001 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

This New York Times bestselling memoir of a veteran NASA flight director tells riveting stories from the early days of the Mercury program through Apollo 11 (the moon landing) and Apollo 13, for both of which Kranz was flight director.

Gene Kranz was present at the creation of America’s manned space program and was a key player in it for three decades. As a flight director in NASA’s Mission Control, Kranz witnessed firsthand the making of history. He participated in the space program from the early days of the Mercury program to the last Apollo mission, and beyond. He endured the disastrous first years when rockets blew up and the United States seemed to fall further behind the Soviet Union in the space race. He helped to launch Alan Shepard and John Glenn, then assumed the flight director’s role in the Gemini program, which he guided to fruition. With his teammates, he accepted the challenge to carry out President John F. Kennedy’s commitment to land a man on the Moon before the end of the 1960s.

Kranz recounts these thrilling historic events and offers new information about the famous flights. What appeared as nearly flawless missions to the Moon were, in fact, a series of hair-raising near misses. When the space technology failed, as it sometimes did, the controllers’ only recourse was to rely on their skills and those of their teammates. He reveals behind-the-scenes details to demonstrate the leadership, discipline, trust, and teamwork that made the space program a success.

A fascinating firsthand account by a veteran mission controller of one of America’s greatest achievements, Failure Is Not an Option reflects on what has happened to the space program and offers his own bold suggestions about what we ought to be doing in space now.

Ratings and reviews

Gene Kranz is a true American hero who was part of an amazing culture and team that led us to the Moon and back. His writing style gives you a glimpse of the man behind the legend. He is very honest of his own shortcomings and gives a lot of credit to his team. He is someone I would have loved to work for. For people like me who are fascinated by the courage and boldness of the Apollo era, this is a must read.

Let me begin by saying that this book is probably mistaken for a recount based solely on the infamous Apollo 13 situation. Rather, the main focus of this book is early spaceflight, focusing on the nearly-forgotten programs of Mercury and Gemini. Kranz's relation of the history of the space program is interesting to say the least, but to fully understand the significance of what he's talking about requires a moderate base of knowledge on the early space program in the first place. On a lighter note, Kranz's perspective on the inside of Mission Control makes an enlightening and amusing story. He spends a reasonable amount of time discussing the small jokes and pranks that accompany every sort of endeavor. He has serious messages as well. Kranz does give rather vivid descriptions of the Apollo 1 fire, the severity of the Apollo 13 problem, and a number of other issues that have long been downplayed or forgotten with time, such as the leaking and eventual sinking of the Liberty Bell 7 capsule. Overall, it's a good book, but again, I'd recommend having a bit of background before leaping into it.

I bought this book on a complete whim while visiting the NASA Air and Space museum. I'm so glad I did- and truthfully, I judged the book by it's cover because the title just won me over. I enjoyed the way Mr. Kranz made very difficult concepts easy for lay people like me to understand. But what really made me fall in love with his book was the inert themes about leadership, teamwork, and perseverance. Highly recommended.

About the author

Eugene F. Kranz joined the NASA Space Task Group in 1960 and was Assistant Flight Director for Project Mercury (the original manned space missions). He continued as Flight Director for the Apollo 11 lunar landing. He is a co-recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work leading the Apollo 13 teams. Failure Is Not an Option is his first book. He lives with his family near Houston, Texas.