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Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 

The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
 

"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News


June 5, 2025 Quick space links

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.

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9 comments

  • Richard M

    Trump & Musk are right now behaving like 2-year-olds. They should both grow up. At the same time, Musk actually doesn’t need the government or NASA money anymore (Starlink revenue now exceeds NASA’s entire budget), and his threat here is an indication of that.

    Yes, the U.S. government needs SpaceX a good deal more than SpaceX needs the U.S. government as a customer at this point.

    And yet, as we saw with the last administration, a president (or his staff, at any rate!) who really has it in for SpaceX can certainly find ways to make life difficult for them. No, I don’t think it’s going to come to that, but I’d rather not find out how far it has to degenerate before it *does* happen.

    Maybe the Pope can negotiate a 90-day cease-fire between ’em. Violations to be punished immediately with a power wedgie from a platoon of Swiss Guards.

  • Jeff Wright

    Elon is a perfect example of why Americans shouldn’t trust New Space.

    People in my state build rockets for Americans–even if they hate us and want us shut down.

    If Elon does trash Dragons, it will be a character flaw that strands American astronauts–technical flaws like Starliner’s is an easier fix.

    This is why NASA should in fact build rockets…why America should have independent, in house capability.

    If an employee at MAF or ULA goes off the deep end, the institution outlasts that individual… American spaceflight deserves that stability.

  • Richard M

    This is why NASA should in fact build rockets…why America should have independent, in house capability.

    If an employee at MAF or ULA goes off the deep end, the institution outlasts that individual… American spaceflight deserves that stability.

    What do you get with Elon? You get 85% of all mass to orbit worldwide, a 7,000 satellite constellation that literally changes the course of major wars, and occasional online ketamine freakouts. (IVF babies sold separately.)

    What does the stable NASA model get you? A white elephant you spend $4 billion for every year, but which only launches every four years.

    Jeff, I’ve got an idea. How about we pay a couple thousand guys in Huntsville GS-14 salaries, to have half of them spend one day digging a giant ditch, and the other thousand to spend the next day filling it back in? We can throw in free back braces.

  • F

    Trump and Musk are acting foolishly, like childish Democrats.

    The argument likely did not have to reach this point, and certainly did not have to reach point in a public fashion. Each man is intelligent, and should realize that in politics, it is rare that one gets EVERYTHING one wants.

    While I have not followed this spat closely from the beginning, it does seem that Musk launched the first to make a public comment. I’m sure he had his reasons for it, but some discretion might have been helpful.

  • John

    Elon may not need government revenue, but he needs government licenses and permits.

    It hardly matters anymore, let the children bicker while we head for big beautiful insolvency.

    American austerity, buy your debt bonds and receive your food vouchers. Together we’ll make America America again.

  • Gary

    Jeff,

    NASA doesn’t have a problem because Americans hate them. NASA has a problem because it failed at task of building rockets.. maybe it wasn’t their fault, but Congress turned them into another government works program whose primary job was creating jobs in as many districts as possible.

    I hate it because I grew up in the Tennessee Valley and thought NASA hung the moon as a kid.

  • Jeff Wright

    I still do.

    SLI was to be about re-usability..but skinflints trashed that too.

    That wasn’t about digging ditches and re-filling them (though it does aerate the soil.). Arty 1 was a great victory for all Americans.

    In terms of space spending–you either commit to it or don’t.

    Europe either needs to put real money in ESA, or end it.

    Right now, we have a mix of public and private….that is a good in my estimation.

    At any rate I hear Elon retracted his statement…but the bell is rung…and now people will have another reason to question America’s commitment to space.

  • Patrick Underwood

    You know, big-man it all you like, this is a historical disaster. Rationalize all you like. It’s bad. As a rational man, I want this problem to resolve, but also, rationally, I see things going south. Not the end of the world, but certainly a kick in the behind for the world I wanted to see. Good luck to us all. Don’t take me seriously; Scotch.

  • Jeff Wright

    Being rational means you want LVs that don’t cartwheel.

    And I see the folks who didn’t like what I had to say at Space News tried to get disqus to ax me.

    Mr. Zimmerman may not like a lot of what I have to say–but he has never been petty. I will never try to silence David–even with his love of profanity.

    What angers me most—is that it is fine to hurt my guys at Marshall–oh, but don’t go after my contracts.

    Meanwhile Tesla took a dive.

    None of this had to happen.

    Hillhouse was right.

    Old Space and New Space should have praised each other

    Now it is a zero sum game where Elon wants it all.

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