First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong (Signed)

Simon & Schuster, 2005-10-17. First Edition. Hardcover. Like New. 6x1x9. Signed. Inscribed by James R. Hansen on title page. Hardcover and dust jacket. Dust jacket in protective mylar cover. Good binding and cover. Clean, unmarked pages. xi, 769 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm. *Autographed by author.* <br> On July 20, 1969, the world stood still to watch 38-year-old American astronaut Neil A. Armstrong become the first person ever to step on the surface of another heavenly body. Upon his return to Earth, Armstrong was celebrated for his monumental achievement. He was also--as NASA historian Hansen reveals in this authorized biography--misunderstood. Armstrong's accomplishments as an engineer, a test pilot, and an astronaut have long been a matter of record, but Hansen's access to private documents and unpublished sources and his interviews with more than 125 subjects (including more than fifty hours with Armstrong himself) yield the first in-depth analysis of this elusive, reluctant hero. Hansen recreates Armstrong's flying career, from his combat missions over North Korea to his transatmospheric flights in the rocket-powered X-15 to the first-ever docking in space. For a pilot who cared more about flying to the Moon than he did about walking on it, Hansen asserts, Armstrong's storied vocation exacted a dear personal toll, paid in kind by his wife and children.