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Title: Thirteen

Subtitle: The Apollo Flight That Failed

Author: Henry Cooper

Narrator: J. Paul Guimont

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-26-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 840 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

On the evening of April 13, 1970, the three astronauts aboard Apollo 13 were just hours from the third lunar landing in history. But as they soared through space, two hundred thousand miles from earth, an explosion badly damaged their spacecraft. With compromised engines and failing life-support systems, the crew was in incomparably grave danger. Faced with below-freezing temperatures, a seriously ill crew member, and a dwindling water supply, a safe return seemed unlikely.

Thirteen is the shocking, miraculous, and entirely true story of how the astronauts and ground crew guided Apollo 13 to a safe landing on earth. Expanding on dispatches written for the New Yorker, Henry S. F. Cooper Jr. brings listeners unparalleled detail on the moment-by-moment developments of one of NASA's most dramatic missions.

Members Reviews:

Very technical

This is, quite literally, a detailed description of the events that happened between liftoff and splashdown. It's not a story about how the astronauts prepared, how they felt during the flight, or things NASA improved upon afterwards. That's something I happen to like in a book, but not all will.

The author has an odd obsession with comparing space events to boating terms and procedures.

Good level of detail

A good telling of the story, quite detailed but stops abruptly. Could have done with a chapter on the post mission actions. Given it was written in 1972 this may not have actually been possible.

Succinct and compelling

Any additional comments?

In his focus on the Houston ground team as well as the three Apollo astronauts in their broken space ship, Cooper builds a steady drum beat of drama steeped in engineering rigor. This really happened. Cooper's dive into it began immediately after the event. He was a staff writer for "The New Yorker" magazine which turned over a whole issue to this story in 1972. So it was originally a very very long magazine piece. Audible prepared this recording in 2014. J. Paul Guimont reflects the solid integrity of the men -- it was all men -- and the determined, icy nail-biting push to bring the astronauts home. He understands the rhythm of the book.

It is hard to listen in modern times without recalling Ron Howard's "Apollo 13". I was surprised how much of Cooper's story made a way to the script. But the movie brought in the lead-up and the families, and had to condense and shift and dramatize, and it also had James Lovell's own story to fill in and correct some events. But in the 20 years between Cooper and Lovell there was no other authority for the story of "Apollo 13."

Henry S.F. Cooper's ancestor was James Fennimore. Cooperstown, the baseball hall-of-fame place, is not coincidentally named. It isn't relevant but perhaps there is some authority and weight Cooper brings to the story. I felt in good hands.

I enjoyed the book and the details provided

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I really enjoyed the book because it provided details that I didn't know about. Specifically about the reason the oxygen container malfunctioned and why it took them so long on re-entry.