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Moon Lander: How We Developed the Apollo Lunar Module (Smithsonian History of Aviation and Spaceflight (Paperback)) Paperback – September 11, 2009

by Thomas J. Kelly (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 442 ratings
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Chief engineer Thomas J. Kelly gives a firsthand account of designing, building, testing, and flying the Apollo lunar module. It was, he writes, “an aerospace engineer’s dream job of the century.” Kelly’s account begins with the imaginative process of sketching solutions to a host of technical challenges with an emphasis on safety, reliability, and maintainability. He catalogs numerous test failures, including propulsion-system leaks, ascent-engine instability, stress corrosion of the aluminum alloy parts, and battery problems, as well as their fixes under the ever-present constraints of budget and schedule. He also recaptures the exhilaration of hearing Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong report that “The Eagle has landed,” and the pride of having inadvertently provided a vital “lifeboat” for the crew of the disabled Apollo 13.
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  1. Part of series
    Smithsonian History of Aviation and Spaceflight (Paperback)
  2. Print length
    304 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Smithsonian Books
  5. Publication date
    September 11, 2009
  6. Dimensions
    5.98 x 0.6 x 9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1588342735
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1588342737
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A highly personalized story . . . of the Apollo Lunar Module, built at Grumman by the author and his team.”—Choice

“It’s surprising that the man most responsible for the spindly Apollo lunar landers, Tom Kelly, hasn’t told his story years before. Lucid and engaging, he tells how his team at Grumman in Bethpage, Long Island, went from paper studies to delivering hardware that would help change history. Beyond historical interest, the book has lessons for anyone involved in a large project at the cutting edge of technology.”—IEEE Spectrum

 “. . . Written in an approachable style, and if you have even a passing interest in space exploration it will grip your interest. It constitutes an important primary source for the history of human exploration . . . This book is a flat-out good read.”—Meteoritics and Planetary Science

About the Author

The recipient of a Grumman Engineering Scholarship upon graduating from high school, Thomas J. Kelly worked for the company for more than forty years, retiring in 1992. Now an aerospace and computer consultant, he lives in Cutchogue, New York.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Smithsonian Books; Smithsonian History of Aviation and Spaceflight edition (September 11, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1588342735
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1588342737
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 0.6 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 442 ratings

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Thomas J. Kelly

Thomas J. Kelly

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
442 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Not Bob
5.0 out of 5 stars Building the Lunar Module
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2012
Verified Purchase
When the idea of landing a man on the Moon first developed in the early 1960s, no one really had any idea of how to go about doing it. After President Kennedy made it a national goal to do so in May 1961, NASA scrambled to figure out how to do it. Eventually, they chose Grumman to build the Moon landing vehicle.

Enter Tom Kelly, author of this book and an important leader at Grumman that designed and built the Lunar Module. Building the LM proved to be a difficult challenge for Kelly and his colleagues. No project like Apollo existed before. There were no precedents as to how to build a manned lunar lander. Everything had to be designed and built from scratch.

Throughout the book, Kelly describes various problems they faced designing and building the LM. For example, weight was always a big problem. The Saturn V could only carry so much payload and NASA set restrictions as to how heavy the LM could be. Kelly and his team had to scour the LM design searching for any place where ounces could be saved.

Eventually, Grumman was able to deliver the LMs to NASA. The first one was beset by problems, such as leaky fuel lines, and NASA criticized them for it. However, the problems would not last and Grumman was always able to deliver top-quality machines.

The latter part of the book describes the various missions the LM was involved with. Starting with the first unmanned test on Apollo 5 and the first manned flight on Apollo 9. The successes would continue to Apollo 11 and the first Moon landing. The LM proved to be critical on Apollo 13 when an explosion crippled the Command/Service Module leaving only the LM available for the crew to survive. After that, four more landings would round out successful LM flights.

I found this to be an interesting look at the management and engineering that went into building the Lunar Module. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves spaceflight and the Apollo Program especially.
4 people found this helpful
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Robert I. Hedges
4.0 out of 5 stars More Management Than Lunar Module
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2002
Verified Purchase
Tom Kelly's book is an interesting account of Grumman's participation in the Apollo program as the LM prime contractor. The book was interesting, but not really what I expected. It is really more of a personal account of Grumman/LM Management decisions and functioning than anything else.
I found it to be a bit shallow on technical matters, but still overall worthwhile as there is really quite a dearth of information on the LM out there. People who really want the be all, end all LM technical information are probably better off reading The NASA Mission Reports series compiled by Robert Godwin. (In particular the Apollo 9,11,and 13 volumes are most illuminating about LM functionality.)
Overall, I would say a good, personal effort, but probably best for people with a management bent, or after you have read everything else there is on Apollo.
6 people found this helpful
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Robert Karma
5.0 out of 5 stars Building an alien spacecraft to land men on the moon... the Lunar Lander by Grumman.
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2014
Verified Purchase
I learned about Thomas J. Kelly of the Grumman Iron Works through his character played by actor Matt Craven on the HBO Series From the Earth to the Moon. I saw a man dedicated to creating an unearthly vehicle to land man on the moon. The Lunar Modules has some growing pains but in the end they worked superbly for NASA and the astronauts who used the LMs to make it to the surface of the Moon. I found Kelly's well-thought out and insightful book to be an enjoyable read. Kelly did a good job of walking the reader through the alien world of government contracts. Grumman had been working with the Navy for a long time and would they be able to adjust to the way NASA did business. Grumman was a newcomer to the space race and now the US was embarking on the massive Project Apollo to make JFK's declaration that we would land men on the moon and safely return them to the earth by the end of the decade a reality. Kelly walks us through the battles, successes, setbacks, and other issues that faced Grumman throughout the build process for the LM. The LM functioned well with a few glitches but it really came into its own for the Apollo 13 mission. The LM was turned into a lifeboat that saved the crew so they could return home to earth and survive once they landed in the Pacific. Just an excellent and easy to read book that keeps you fascinated by and invested in these folks at Grumman.
11 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Hector Torres
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente!
Reviewed in Mexico on February 11, 2024
Verified Purchase
Un gran relato sobre el desarrollo del proyecto Apollo.
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Clovis
5.0 out of 5 stars Great storytelling
Reviewed in Brazil on July 15, 2022
Verified Purchase
Great storytelly on how the first moon landed was conceived, built and ultimately used on the moon
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Client A.
5.0 out of 5 stars Passionnant !
Reviewed in France on December 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
Livre en anglais mais à lire absolument si vous êtes passionné de conquête spatiale et de l’aventure lunaire. Jette un éclairage sur les défis que les industriels ont dû relever pour réussir cet exploit. Passionnant !
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Bobby D
5.0 out of 5 stars Great technical and human effort story.
Reviewed in Canada on January 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
Well written book describing the development of the moon lander. A mix of human efforts and engineering detail. Bought this for a friend recently and I have read this now three times myself.
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Sanjay C Mahagaokar
5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read Before You Die
Reviewed in India on February 2, 2020
Verified Purchase
Outstanding. It's a great exposition of many fine ideas, the systems deployed and how they evolved, the continuous race against time to meet deadlines, the unceremonious lashings from NASA to rectify a situation or a delay. We use so many of the systems developed by these organizations and their young engineers.

Very honestly written by a committed young engineer participating in Mankind's greatest adventure. Scattered with gems of technical wisdom for future engineers, it's a must read book. Kudos to Grumman for not hiding the mistakes they made as they went up the learning curve.

Tom Kelly, you have done a wonderful job and written a wonderful book. The least we the readers can do is say THANK YOU.
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