Pete Conrad, Apollo 12 Commander.

Book: Rocketman: Astronaut Pete Conrad’s Incredible Ride to the Moon and Beyond

Who? Charles “Pete” Conrad, Commander of Apollo 12 and third man on the moon. Gemini veteran and commander of Skylab.

Written by: Pete’s second wife, Nancy, and author Howard A. Klausner.

Style: Published after Conrad’s death in 1999, this is not his story in his words. Written in the third person, apparently using notes Conrad made himself.

Covers period: Entire life biography, including Gemini, Apollo and Skylab missions. Also covers Conrad’s (successful) attempt to fly a LearJet around the world, claiming a speed world record.

Pictures? Yes, black and white in the paperback edition and colour in the hardback. Some NASA photographs as well as ones from Conrad’s private collection. Fantastic photographs of the crew of Apollo 12.

REVIEW

I feel like I knew Conrad before I even picked up this book; his story and personality reverberate through Apollo history, so I was keen to read his story. In everything I have seen of him and read about him, he seems to have been one of the more outlandish, colourful characters of the astronaut programme. His personal motto was: “if you can’t be good, be colourful” – Conrad, however, was both.

The book, sadly, was not completed before Conrad’s unnecessary death in 1999 and is therefore written in the third person. It reads like a reflection, with the “present day” being his attempt to set a world record aboard a LearJet in 1996. From there, the narrative reflects back on Conrad’s childhood, Navy and astronaut career, with the final chapters written by his second wife, Nancy.

We accompany the precocious Conrad through his early years and struggles with undiagnosed dyslexia, through his obsession with flying and discovering how things work. The writing style is sometimes a little uncomfortable to read; in trying to evoke Conrad’s own voice, the writers have created an odd mismatch of technical details and personal reflection, with a continued use of several statements Conrad no doubt uttered often in his life. In particular, references to Skylab as “the / a bird” and “it’s all about the ride” begin to grate within the opening chapters; used with a frequency, no doubt, meant to give a feel for Conrad himself, but in the end irritatingly repetitive.

This is a small criticism, however, and I do admire how difficult this book must have been for Conrad’s surviving wife, Nancy, to write. In truth, I was a little worried about how the second wife would approach Conrad’s first marriage to Jane, who was his wife during the Apollo years. I can happily report, however, that the marriage to Jane and her role in Conrad’s career is given due consideration, as is his latter happiness with Nancy.

This primary concern is actually reflective of the overall problem with the book: Pete didn’t write this, and it wasn’t written by people who knew him during his astronaut career. It is here it fails; while Conrad no doubt told these stories and planned the book, it does miss a little of the personal thoughts and reflections of the most exciting period in his career.

The Apollo 12 mission, I feel, is not given due significance – a mere chapter, in actual fact. While the book explains this by writing that Conrad’s real love was his latter Skylab mission, Apollo 12 is nevertheless where most readers will know him from. However, the feeling evoked by the mission and Pete’s friendship with his Apollo 12 crewmates – Al Bean and Dick Gordon – is beautifully presented, and extremely enjoyable. A truly lovely insight into the friendship/rivalries of the astronaut group, and the book is the better for it.

The book is overwhelming Pete’s story as a whole, and his character does manage to shine through with various well-chosen anecdotes. I laughed aloud at the stories of his annoyance with the overly-thorough medical examinations required for wannabe astronauts, and sympathised with him when he witnessed the problems of his beloved Skylab. The introduction, by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, also increases this sense of Pete. I do, however, think Aldrin was chosen for his name – while he clearly remained friends with Conrad, I believe Bean or Gordon could have provided a more personal insight into the man they knew. Bean, in particular, is talked of overwhelmingly fondly throughout the book.

The book ends tragically, with Pete’s untimely death following a motorcycle accident; he died in July 1999, when doctors failed to notice internal bleeding. The book leaves one with the overwhelming feeling of wishing he were still around, though his character and memory is kept alive by his tree in the memorial plot for astronauts at NASA. In keeping with his motto, Conrad’s tree, rather than being decorated with the customary white, has coloured bulbs shining from it. A fitting tribute to one of Apollo’s great characters.

This biography is definitely worth reading, and any gripes with it stem mainly from a desire to know more of a man that is unfortunately no longer with us. It would have been wonderful if Conrad had been able to write the book himself, as he planned, but his wife and the accompanying writer do an excellent job of giving an image of the man. The language is sometimes a little flowery and repetitive, and more of the text should have been dedicated to Apollo 12, but all in all – a wonderful read.

Overall Rating: 4 / 5