Marvin Rubenstein

Apollo Memories: A historical look back at the early days of manned spaceflight from the viewpoint of a Chicago teenager, in the context of the turbulent 60's Marvin Rubenstein

My book is a historical piece, taking place in the 1960's, which molds my developing interest in aerospace through grammar school, high school, up to July 20th 1969 when Astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin first stepped onto the moon. It combines the history of manned space flight (incorporating information of both the American and Soviet programs) with similar accomplishments in aviation being conducted at Edwards Air Force Base. It's told through the perspective of a teenager (and his friend) growing up in Chicago in a turbulent time who avidly followed each development and goal achieved on the path to the moon. It also describes how his early interest developed and events of his life which contributed to this experience. The book also contains some commentary regarding the expectations of that time, my disappointment in the depth of our achievements and the current lack of interest by many. It culminates in our week-long trip to Cape Kennedy for the Apollo 11 launch. As the first college students fully accredited by NASA, we represented the College Press Wire Network which provided stories to 1200 campus newspapers. Having unprecedented access, we attended the astronaut walkout, viewed the launch from the VIP site and took many intimate tours of the launch facilities. In addition, we met many astronauts, officials and attended all the press conferences that were held.