James R. French's "FIRING A ROCKET"
A book review by Dennis D. McDonald
Beware the BFRC!
One of the iconic film images from American history is the Saturn 5 rocket lifting majestically from its launch pad as it propels the Apollo 11 astronauts into earth orbit and from there to the moon and back.
Did you ever wonder about the people involved in the development and testing of the rocket engines that propel them and their brethren into orbit and beyond?
If so, this is the book for you. Here we learn closeup history firsthand from one of the engineers involved in developing and testing the rocket engines that not only lifted the vast tonnage of space vehicles like the Saturn but could be started, restarted, and throttled not only in the vacuum of space but on the harsh and unforgiving surface of the earth’s moon.
Guess what? These people are smart, they make stupid mistakes, they have senses of humor, and they take amazing risks. They also believe in science, mathematics, and engineering. Is America still capable of producing such people? I certainly hope so.
It’s fun to read a book like this that gives us an insight into the daily labors of the men and women that made the US space program’s legendary accomplishments possible.
The people whose footsteps are now on the moon stood on many shoulders to get there. This book describes some of those shoulders.
A note for data enthusiasts: there are frequently long passages in this book that detail the different variables that need to be addressed and controlled in the development of an engine to perform appropriately in the earth’s atmosphere and in the vacuum of space and the moon. Keep in mind the state of computer technology in those days and how data collection and analysis were performed. While it is tempting for the reader to become lost in the midst of such detail, occasionally the author’s joy at mastering (taming?) the complexity of orchestrating the interplay of temperature, pressure, weight, thrust, materials, propellants, and human foibles does come through loud and clear.
Review copyright (c) 2019 by Dennis D. McDonald
