posted December 29, 2004 10:45 PM               

"Rocketman: Astronaut Pete Conrad's Incredible Ride to the Moon and Beyond"
by Nancy Conrad and Howard A. Klausner
Foreword by Buzz Aldrin

For Pete Conrad, it was all about the Ride. Whether he was flat-hatting 50 feet off the deck going Mach 2, test flying every supersonic jet the Navy developed (and some they shouldn't have), orbiting the Earth at almost 20,000 miles per hour, or just redlining his gold Corvette on a country road outside of Houston... this was a man who loved pushing the envelope.

Still, he wasn't exactly the Squeaky Clean Poster Boy NASA Astronaut. He wasn't tall, dark, and movie star handsome. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind - especially to the men in the white coats who tried to turn him into a lab rat, and grounded him as "unsuitable for long-duration flight" when he pushed back.

But they didn't call Pete Conrad the Comeback Kid for nothing. As a boy, he swept up at a local airfield for a couple of bucks a day, and learned to fly. He overcame dyslexia, and landed a Navy scholarship to Princeton, and became one of the country's elite test pilots at Patuxent River. And he learned the hard lesson of washing out of the Mercury Program, to come roaring back - flying two Gemini missions, walking on the Moon as Commander of Apollo 12, commanding the first Skylab, and developing the first re-usable commercial rocket, logging more time in space than all the original astronauts combined.

And, oh yeah, First American in Space / Navy fighter jock Al Shepard called him the best stick-and-rudder man he ever saw. The pilot every guy at NASA wanted to share an after-work drink and a joke with, chase a skirt or two with, and you better believe, would kill to fly with.

Rocketman is a personal story almost too amazing to be true. From his speed-of-sound entrance onto this planet, to Pete Conrad's comet-like exit off—roaring down the highway on his Harley Davidson, this is the surprisingly candid insider's view of the greatest Ride in history: America's glorious race to the stars, as seen through the eyes of the real Space Cowboy.

NANCY CONRAD was married to Pete Conrad for the last ten years of his life. A writer, artists' representative, and interior designer, she has left her mark on some of the world's most prestigious publications, galleries, and homes. She co-founded Universal Space Networks with her late husband, is a member of the President's Circle of the National Academies, and serves on the Board of Directors of the California Air and Space Center at NASA Ames. She also co-founded the Community Emergency Healthcare Initiative, a program designed to decrease the number of preventable injuries and deaths occurring in emergency rooms around the world.

HOWARD A. KLAUSNER is a screenwriter and Creative Director of an Entertainment Technology Group. A lifelong student and devotee of all things space, his most prominent big-screen credit is Space Cowboys, starring Clint Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones. He is currently developing a television series about the space program. Mr. Klausner lives on Orcas Island, Washington with his wife and three daughters, where he writes aboard an old wooden sailboat, staring long and often at the Moon and stars.

posted February 10, 2005 02:13 AM            

Nancy Conrad is Gemini, Apollo and Skylab astronaut Pete Conrad's widow, and thus can offer a unique, insider's look at the life of one of America's most accomplished and memorable astronauts. Unlike many astronaut biographies, this book will be more about the person than the missions - and Conrad was one of the most fascinating people who ever passed through the astronaut office. As the book jacket states:

Rocketman is a personal story almost too amazing to be true. From his speed-of-sound entrance onto this planet, to Pete Conrad's comet-like exit off-roaring down the highway on his Harley Davidson, this is the surprisingly candid insider's view of the greatest ride in history: America's glorious race to the stars, as seen through the eyes of the real Space Cowboy.

Nancy Conrad will also give a talk about her late husband's incredible life. She is happy to personalize copies and have photos taken with anyone who wishes.

posted February 10, 2005 02:07 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by John K. Rochester:
Now, meaning no disrespect to those who know Nancy Conrad, or any other astronaut wife.. but my feeling is why would I want their autograph on a book or picture ( such as that Mercury 7 signed by all 6 , and Betty Grissom) ..meeting and getting things signed by the ones who made the journey is one thing..but family members is a whole other ball of wax.. Now dont all kill me at once, its just my opinion.

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I was wondering about this on another, earlier thread (and yes, this is something I'm guilty of.) Yes, they wrote a book, but why the interest in collecting an Evelyn Husband or Don Chaffee and not, say, a Suzy Young?

posted February 10, 2005 02:15 PM               

I got that all the time, on book tour, with some people waiting in line actually asking me NOT to co-sign For Spacious Skies. It's just the lay of space-celebrity land, as your own reaction reveals. It's all about the astronaut, and family members learn that fast.

BTW, Tom Wolfe writes about this phenomenon very well in THE RIGHT STUFF, based on the wives' mordant tales--the wives having survived bruising encounters (in the 1960s) with the hordes who shove helpmeets aside in the rush to pose for pics with the Great Man.

But Mrs. Conrad wanted to tell her husband's story, which he didn't survive to tell himself. And part of producing a book is selling it. And that means a book tour. The publisher has to put someone out there, and his widow and the coauthor of the Conrad book, is the best person they've got.

posted February 10, 2005 02:37 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by John K. Rochester:
Isn't the cover a copy of his advertisement for Foster Grants, I believe?.. it was a very cool ad. Now, meaning no disrespect to those who know Nancy Conrad, or any other astronaut wife.. but my feeling is why would I want their autograph on a book or picture ( such as that Mercury 7 signed by all 6 , and Betty Grissom) ..meeting and getting things signed by the ones who made the journey is one thing..but family members is a whole other ball of wax.. Now dont all kill me at once, its just my opinion.

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Hello John,

You make a very valid point when it comes to family members signing. I, for one, would not be too interested in a family member signing, for example, a photo of their husband's space launch.

When it comes to books, however, I think if the person is the author of the book, it makes it very different. I probably wouldn't ask for Betty Grissom's signature in my copy of Gus's "Gemini." I did, however, have her sign her own book, "Starfall."

The essential difference to me is, this is not just any family member. This person has taken the time to craft an incredible piece of writing, which everyone on this website will find fascinating. They have "made a journey" of their own. And for the same price as an unsigned copy, you can get it signed. Why not get one?

Thanks,

FF

posted February 10, 2005 04:18 PM               

Regretfully, I can't fly out from Australia every time there's such an event at the Fleet Center, but I'd sure like to be there for the Nancy Conrad signing and talk. I can just hear ol' Pete chuckling away to himself up there about this book. If you're wavering at all about attending this signing in San Diego - don't worry. You'll love the event, meeting and hearing Nancy talk about Pete, and having her sign your book. The bookshop there has a modest but excellent collection of space books, and generally several are signed. And of course there's sure to be a few collectSPACEr's hanging around to share a coffee with! I should also add that just down the road from the centre is the aerospace museum where the Apollo 9 spacecraft is on display.

No, I'm not employed or sponsored by the centre, or anything like that - I just like the venue and the people. Well done as usual Francis!

posted February 10, 2005 06:30 PM               

Mark

posted February 11, 2005 07:35 AM               

The photo is in black and white.

posted February 11, 2005 11:12 AM               

I fully understood, and sympathized with, your original post. The autographs of the men and women who flew are more valuable than those of their family members, and that includes family member/coauthors. But in this context, Mrs. Conrad is a unique commodity, if you will, as her husband is not here to sign books. But she is.

I saw some extreme behavior on book tour--not yours, described upthread, which I thought would be informative for cSPACErs. That's all.

Best regards,

posted February 13, 2005 08:14 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by John K. Rochester:
Thanks for making the switch from Peter Scolari to Paul Mc Crane.. I thought McCrane captured Pete superbly!!

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Agree. He did a fantastic job. Just wondering what the reason was for the switch?

John

posted February 23, 2005 01:23 PM            

Nancy is also working on a very special way to try and bring a sense of Pete's fun personality to the signing - more details when plans are confirmed, but it looks like these are going to be very interestingly and uniquely signed books!

FF

posted April 26, 2005 03:42 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by DavidH:
Any updates on whether Howard Klausner will be able to attend/sign?

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Nancy is still working on it, but nothing confirmed at this time: we are still hoping.

Thanks,

Francis.

posted April 27, 2005 10:42 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Kevmac:
Why are folks being penalized for not traveling to San Diego?

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Hello,

I can understand why you phrase it that way, but I think a more positive way to think of it is:

Everyone who orders a signed book gets a signed book, just as they expected.

Nancy, in an effort to bring some of Pete's spirit to her in-person signings, has chosen to personally emboss each book she signs in person with this stamp, if the person wishes it. She has chosen at this time to do this only for in-person signings, and that is of course her right.

So rather than penalizing them, Nancy is trying to do something extra special for people who come to her events. At least, this is my understanding. I think it is a very nice gesture and a way of having Pete "sign" the book she wishes he had been around to write with her.

Thank you,

posted April 28, 2005 06:46 AM               

To be honest, now instead of looking forward to owning the book I think I will always think of this book as having something missing.

Just my 2 cents.

posted April 28, 2005 11:59 AM               

For anyone in the Seattle area, here is your chance. I'll be there!

posted April 28, 2005 01:18 PM               

John

posted April 28, 2005 03:51 PM            

I can understand and empathize with the disappointment being shared here. I can only say:

- If Nancy had chosen not to personally design, create (at her own expense)and use this embossing design for these in-person events, this would never have been an issue. Everyone would have been 100% satisfied with their signed book.

- As it is, she has chosen to personally do something extra for the people who come to in-person signings. While I understand your viewpoints, I think it is a wonderful gesture. It's always a bonus to go to an event in person - you get to meet the author, in this case also hear them give a talk - and I guess this is part of that bonus. Instead of disappointment, it would be nice if people could be happy for those who do get to attend in person, and that Nancy is going above and beyond to make them happy.

Thanks,

posted April 28, 2005 05:22 PM               

Yes, Nancy is going above and beyond to make THEM happy. Makes me feel like I am not deserving simply because I live so far away.
I am sending my money but I guess that is not enough.

I am seriously considering cancelling my order.

posted April 28, 2005 07:48 PM               

All of a sudden it was announced that Leonov was going to attend the Burbank show and that gave me the chance to have it signed by Leonov. I hooked up with a great guy that agreed to handle the book for me. It worked out well. Which do you think a collector of signed books would rather have, a copy of Two Sides signed by Scott or one signed by both Scott and Leonov?

Now enter Rocketman. I ordered it knowing that Nancy would sign the book and that was ok. Now there is the chance of having Pete's "portrait and signature" added. Yes I know it is a stamp and it is not like Pete really signed the book but to me it is something that I would like to have.

Why cancel my order? Because that seems to be the only way of getting the book signed with the stamp in it. I am going to have to purchase a copy from E-bay or where ever they may show up and I will probably have to pay extra for it. I even asked if Nancy could personalize the book to me by adding "To Mike. I hope this book brings Pete to life for you. Nancy Conrad". I thought that was a great inscription but I can't take credit for it. David Levy wrote the biography of Gene Shoemaker, Shoemaker by Levy, and when he signed the book for me he added "I hope this book brings Gene to life for you".

The people that show up for the signings will get something special. They get to listen to the lecture.

OK, OK. I know I am whining. I am going to go get some cheese.