The Unbroken Chain: Apogee Books Space Series 20 [With CDROM] [Hardcover]

German born, with a rich accent that remains to the present, as a McDonnell and later North American Rockwell employee Guenter Wendt held responsibility for capsule test, checkout, and launch operations at America's spaceport at Cape Canaveral, Florida. In that capacity he crossed paths with every astronaut and many of NASA's senior officials in a career that ended with his retirement in 1989. This memoir, co-written with Russell Still, is filled with dozens of such stories about those interactions-some classic, many never revealed before, a few embarrassing, even more humorous-about the astronauts, technicians, engineers and other officials Wendt interacted with for three decades.

Wendt describes in this book a relentless pursuit of excellence, safety, and security both for his team and the mission under his care. Astronauts respectfully called him "Pad Fuhrer," a term not always used with affection. Wendt's emphasis on successfully completing the mission, ensuring the safety of the astronauts, and creatively sidestepping bureaucracy earned the admiration of many. His determined approach to the work, and the way in which he took personal responsibility for what happened on his launch pad became legendary along Florida' Space Coast. Many astronauts recall how Wendt strapped them into their capsules, shook their hands, offered words of support, and closed the hatch, the last person seen before their trip into space. In those moments, they were thankful for his abrasive attention to detail and his forceful leadership on the launch pad.

Wendt's memoir is replete with good-natured stories, and some that are not so good-natured, many of which are the stuff of legend. It should come as no surprise to anyone that many astronauts had a wild, devil-may-care side to their personalities. From Gus Grissom's sexual peccadilloes to Alan Shepard's practical jokes to John Glenn's stuffed shirt persona that wasn't, Wendt adds several wild new chapters to the antics of the astronauts.

Seriously, the one thing that strikes me about several books out about the early days of the space race are the long hours, dedication, and committment that many engineers, scientists, technicians, and astronauts put in to reach the nation's goal of getting to the moon before 1970. Guenter described in detail the operations of the former McDonnell Corporation, and more companies today NEED to be organized the way James McDonnell (Mr. Mac) was back in the old days where things got DONE. The old McDonnell Corporation ran efficiently, and with very little (if any) beaurocratic "B.S." Mr. Mac would appoint someone in McDonnell to have full authority over one area and make decisions independently (this was Guenter Wendt), and he gave that single person control over the budget (the petty cash fund was sometimes used for sandwiches and coffee when Guenter and his crew were working late nights). Mr. Mac put QUITE A BIT OF TRUST IN HIS EMPLOYEES!! Mr. Mac would send them to school (Guenter took engineering classes in St. Louis), and Mr. Mac would even invite the astronauts over to his home for dinner (Guenter did the same thing - astronauts would go out on his boat or sleep on his couch). Mr. Mac was a man who treated his employees with respect and trust. He helped them learn and invested in them.

It was great to read a different story from a man involved in the early days of space flight. Guenter Wendt was a good leader, he would jump through hoops to get things done (such as the flag at the back entrance of the cape), and I loved the story about the painting that went on at Edwards AFB. There are other stories about problem solving, and getting around the beaurocratic "BS".

The epilogue gives insights for the public on getting back into space more aggressively. Congress-take these into consideration. Smaller projects from private investments, such as the X-Prize projects, is a good start. Let's go back now. I'm game for designing a nuclear powered rocket, a smaller shuttle, or a single stage to orbit launch vehicle.

Thanks for your insights, Mr. Guenter Wendt. More engineers and administrators are needed like you and James McDonnell (Mr. Mac) more than ever today.

I can personally attest to Guenter's reputation at the Cape as the "Pad FÃÂhrer"; nobody wanted to cross him! He was truly a legend in his own time.

Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the book was hampered by many technical and historical errors. However, most readers will not be aware of these and will enjoy it.