Ron Evans? Who? A biography of one of the least-known astronauts, Geoffrey Bowman's A Long Voyage to the Moon tells Evans' story through those who knew him. A surprisingly different viewpoint for those who thought they already knew everything about the space age. #NetGalley

As a huge fan of the space program & astronaut biographies/autobiographies I was really pleased to have the opportunity to read this excellent addition to the Outward Odyssey series.
Evan was the Command Pilot of the last Apollo mission to the moon and while he might not have set foot on the lunar surface this tale of who he was and how he got there sheds so much light on what a vital role he played in lunar history.
His early death means we'll never get to hear his recollections of the journey but in Bowman's book he shines through and this is as good as any autobiography

A fantastic read! As command module pilot of Apollo 17, the last crewed flight to the moon, Ron Evans combined precision flying and painstaking geological observation with moments of delight and enthusiasm. On his way to the launchpad, he literally jumped for joy in his spacesuit. Emerging from the command module to conduct his crucial spacewalk, he exclaimed, “Hot diggity dog!” and waved a greeting to his family. As a patriotic American in charge of command module America, Evans was nicknamed “Captain America” by his fellow crew members.

Born in 1933 in St. Francis, Kansas, Evans distinguished himself academically and athletically in school, earned degrees in electrical engineering and aeronautical engineering, and became a naval aviator and a combat flight instructor. He was one of the few astronauts who served in combat during the Vietnam War, flying more than a hundred missions off the deck of the USS Ticonderoga, the same aircraft carrier that would recover him and his fellow astronauts after the splashdown of Apollo 17.

Evans’s astronaut career spans the Apollo missions and beyond. He served on the support crews for 1, 7, and 11 and on the Apollo 14 backup crew before being selected for Apollo 17 and flying on the final moon mission in 1972. He next trained with Soviet cosmonauts as backup command module pilot for the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission and carried out early work on the space shuttle program. Evans then left NASA to pursue a business career. He died suddenly in 1990 at the age of fifty-six.

I love astronaut stories and this did not disappoint. Going all the way to the moon and not walking on it seems so unfortunate, but Ron Evans was so upbeat, so pleased to be part of the Apollo program. Fascinating life!

An extremely boring rendition, in minute detail, of the life of someone who became an astronaut. It is like sitting through someone’s vacation slideshow. I couldn’t wade through enough chapters to get to the point where he became an astronaut, let alone his trip to the Moon!

As a person that fangirls over space, a bit like Ron Evans himself I really enjoyed this book so much. Space travel and everything about Apollo really interest me and the way this book is written kind of transforms Ron Evans into an out of this world character. Ron is relatable, humble and wonderfully human. Reading this book gave me so much joy so thank you!

I received an advance copy of, A Long Voyage to the Moon, by Geoffrey Bowman. Captain America is a true hero. This is a great story about one mans life.

The Command Module pilots are often the forgotten men of the Apollo space flights. History had largely consigned their role to little more than taxi drivers for the moonwalkers. This is a fascinating .ook at the .ife and career of the last pilot Ron Evans