The Unbroken Chain: Apogee Books Space Series 20 Hardcover – October 1, 2001

Anyone who has ever read a book about the space program or watched any of the launches of the 1950's through the 1980's knows that Guenter Wendt was the last person to tuck the astronauts into their couches and shake their hands before shutting the hatch. The man was there and saw and heard it all.Guenter takes us on a journey from 1955 until his retirement in 1989. He spins tales about the astronauts and their ungoing "gotcha's", troubles with various contractor managers, monkey business with Ham and Enos, and the world's perception of the US Space Program during its hayday.Not since Gene Kranz wrote "Failure Is Not An Option" have we been treated to so many behind the scenes stories and anecdotes. We get to hear the stories of someone wanting to shoot the MR-1 launch vehicle with a 30.06 when it refused to take off, Alan Shepard's pad antics involving a German army helmet, feces throwing chimpanzees, and the ongoing battle to keep the entire pad area safe from all the toxic gas and explosives that surrounded that area.Guenter and Russ explain that one little break in "the chain" could have disasterous effects. This proved true during the Apollo 13 explosion in space as well as the Challenger launch disaster.Guenter is a man of great passion about his job, the space program in general, and the country he adopted back in 1955 when he became a US Citizen.This book is well worth reading. You won't be able to put it down until you've finished. The addition of a CD-ROM with many of Guenter's stories is a real asset to the book. You'll enjoy every minute of it.

Fans of the Tom Hanks/HBO series "From the Earth to the Moon" - particuarly the Apollo 7 episode - will recognize some of the stories from this wonderful book. "Unbroken Chain" combines a large collection of delightful stories from Wendt's long career the U.S. space program with a well-written, carefully researched description of the overall space program by his collaborator, Russell Still. In addition to stories about the astronauts, there are some very interesting tales about managers - good and bad - and how things got done on the front line. Not to be missed.

The man at the top of the launch tower, the supervisor, the captain of the pad - Guenter Wendt was the boss man around the actual launch vehicle. His unique perspective is well reflected in this collection of stories about the first days of the space age.In an astonishing odyssey, Guenter was there from the very first days of Mercury when they were still sending chimps up (and yes, he's got a few yarns about Ham and Enos) to the post-Challenger shuttle flights. His was the last face the crew saw before leaving earth and it must have given every astronaut the feeling that they were in safe hands.Guenter was a hard man in a difficult job and he made a few enemies along the way, but he did it all in the name of safety. He enforced the rules and it didn't matter who was breaking them, they got short shrift from the pad leader. As it should be.But he wasn't the unsmiling fuehrer some liked to portray him as. In this book his humour shines through on every page. He always had an eye for a practical joke and he could see the funny side of every situation.This is a memoir of the space program that is more concerned with the men than the machines and systems. It's not that he doesn't describe the hardware and the missions, it's that he has a different take on it, a perspective focused up close and personal, rather than the view from Mission Control or one of the prime contractors in Long Island or California. He was there talking to the astronauts as their final straps were tightened and they reached out to clasp his hand before the hatch was sealed.You know, I never get tired of hearing the grand story of Apollo, and Guenter's book fills in one of the empty corners very nicely. Not a book for those who love jargon and hardware and the voices of the heroes as they guide their craft through the void. Nor a book about goals and objectives and milestones and missions. No, this is a book about people, written by someone who cared.

I cannot heap enough praise on this book. I have seen virtually every NASA documentary on the early space missions and yet this book revealed so much that I was unaware of. It is an honest account of Guenter's time at NASA - he's honest about those he liked - and those he did not. It is often humorous, but also serious when warranted. I honestly read this cover-to-cover without setting it down. Finally, I would put forth that a movie should be made from this book. I've looked back at many documentaries, and by and large, Guenter is only VERY briefly shown - blink and you would miss it. Given his contribution to the US Space Program, I feel that this needs to be rectified and one way to do this is to read, and appreciate, his biography.

Great reading for an insiders view of the Space Program. Great story from front to finish!

Historical significance