Gene Kranz was present at the creation of America’s manned space program and was a key player in it for three decades. As a flight director in NASA’s Mission Control, Kranz witnessed firsthand the making of history. He participated in the space program from the early days of the Mercury program to the last Apollo mission, and beyond. He endured the disastrous first years when rockets blew up and the United States seemed to fall further behind the Soviet Union in the space race. He helped to launch Alan Shepard and John Glenn, then assumed the flight director’s role in the Gemini program, which he guided to fruition. With his teammates, he accepted the challenge to carry out President John F. Kennedy’s commitment to land a man on the Moon before the end of the 1960s.
Kranz was flight director for both Apollo 11, the mission in which Neil Armstrong fulfilled President Kennedy’s pledge, and Apollo 13. He headed the Tiger Team that had to figure out how to bring the three Apollo 13 astronauts safely back to Earth. (In the film Apollo 13, Kranz was played by the actor Ed Harris, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance.)
In Failure Is Not an Option, Gene Kranz recounts these thrilling historic events and offers new information about the famous flights. What appeared as nearly flawless missions to the Moon were, in fact, a series of hair-raising near misses. When the space technology failed, as it sometimes did, the controllers’ only recourse was to rely on their skills and those of their teammates. Kranz takes us inside Mission Control and introduces us to some of the whiz kids—still in their twenties, only a few years out of college—who had to figure it all out as they went along, creating a great and daring enterprise. He reveals behind-the-scenes details to demonstrate the leadership, discipline, trust, and teamwork that made the space program a success.
Finally, Kranz reflects on what has happened to the space program and offers his own bold suggestions about what we ought to be doing in space now.
This is a fascinating firsthand account written by a veteran mission controller of one of America’s greatest achievements.
«FIASCO» — это откровенный и захватывающий дневник человека, знающего закулисную сторону финансовых джунглей 1990-х годов, история молодого сотрудника Morgan Stanley, постигающего премудрости той беспощадной паутины эфемерных ценных бумаг, в которой миллиарды долларов пропадают столь невероятным и непостижимым образом, что мало кто может в этом разобраться.
Фрэнк Партной мастерски рисует мир не знающих снисхождения хитроумных зазывал, которые убеждают не подозревающих о подвохе людей покупать производные бумаги. Порой эти господа шутливо сравнивают свои творения со средствами массового уничтожения. Клиентам остается лишь осознать, что их бессовестно «кинули»: против искушенного игрока у них нет ни единого шанса.
Эта книга написана с юмором и наполнена яркими персонажами. Она должна послужить предостережением всякому, кто имеет паи в фондах, акции и даже страховой полис.
Книга рассчитана на широкий круг читателей.
A shocking true-crime tale of money, power, and sex from the world's most popular thriller writer.
Jeffrey Epstein rose from humble origins to the rarefied heights of New York City's financial elite. A college dropout with an instinct for numbers – and for people – Epstein amassed his wealth through a combination of access and skill. But even after he had it all, Epstein wanted more. And that unceasing desire – especially a taste for young girls – resulted in his stunning fall from grace.
From Epstein himself to the girls he employed as masseuses at his home to the cops investigating the appalling charges against him, Filthy Rich examines all sides of a case that scandalized one of America's richest communities. An explosive true story, Filthy Rich is a riveting account of wealth, power, and the influence they bring to bear on the American justice system.
The best-selling author describes his teenage son's valiant but unsuccessful battle against bone cancer and relates the mystical and miraculous events that led the author to an understanding of the undying quality of the human spirit.