Book Review: “Earthrise” by Apollo 14 Astronaut Ed Mitchell

Earthrise: My Adventures as an Apollo 14 Astronaut by Edgar Mitchell and Ellen Mahoney
Earthrise: My Adventures as an Apollo 14 Astronaut by Edgar Mitchell and Ellen Mahoney

To date only 12 humans have ever set foot on the surface of the Moon. Ed Mitchell is one of them… and this is the story of how he got there and what it was like when he did. (Now that’s a claim not many authors can make!)

Earthrise: My Adventures as an Apollo 14 Astronaut tells the story of Apollo 14 Lunar Module pilot Edgar D. Mitchell, in his own words, from his upbringing on a family ranch in New Mexico to his days as a Navy pilot and eventually as an astronaut in the Apollo program, culminating in his historic voyage to the Moon with Alan Shepard and Stu Roosa in February 1971.

“Edgar Mitchell obtained a cosmic perspective on life that so few of us will ever achieve.”
— Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Ed Mitchell on the lunar surface with the Modularized Equipment Transporter (MET), the first wheeled vehicle used on the Moon. (NASA)
Ed Mitchell on the lunar surface on Feb. 6, 1971, with the Modularized Equipment Transporter (MET), the first wheeled vehicle used on the Moon. (NASA)

Although written for younger readers ages ten and up, Earthrise is a fascinating account of Mitchell’s life and personal experiences up to and including his time as an astronaut. It may not delve too deeply into the science of a Saturn V or the mechanics of lunar orbital insertion, but that doesn’t take away from the story of what it was like to go from farmboy to pilot to lunar explorer… all within just a few decades.

It’s like Ed is with you and your family in your living room after a hearty home-cooked dinner, and your kids ask him to tell them about what it was like to go to the Moon. And then, with a smile, he does.

If you’re a fan of NASA or the Apollo program or just space exploration in general, or perhaps just enjoy accounts of the lives of previous generations of Americans, check out Earthrise. There will unfortunately one day come a time when no humans are alive who have set foot on another world… their stories, while we still share our time with them, are to be treasured.

Earthrise is available for purchase now in hardcover and Kindle format on Amazon here.

“Earthrise provides a great picture of the space program.”
— Fred Haise, Apollo 13 Lunar Module Pilot

Earthrise: My Adventures as an Apollo 14 Astronaut is published by Chicago Review Press and distributed by Independent Publishers Group.

2 Comments

  1. Jeff Barani says:

    Still a book of interest but and it’s pity no available in French… for now !!
    Jeff Barani from Vence (French Riviera)

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