Dark Side of the Moon: The Magnificent Madness of the American Lunar Quest

by Gerard J. DeGroot

A selection of the History, Scientific American, and Quality Paperback Book Clubs

A meticulously researched study that argues the futility of NASA's expensive and dangerous race to the moon

For a very brief moment during the 1960s, America was moonstruck. Boys dreamt of being an astronaut; girls dreamed of marrying one. Americans drank Tang, bought “space pens” that wrote upside down, wore clothes made of space age Mylar, and took imaginary rockets to the moon from theme parks scattered around the country.

But despite the best efforts of a generation of scientists, the almost foolhardy heroics of the astronauts, and 35 billion dollars, the moon turned out to be a place of “magnificent desolation,” to use Buzz Aldrin’s a sterile rock of no purpose to anyone. In Dark Side of the Moon , Gerard J. DeGroot reveals how NASA cashed in on the Americans’ thirst for heroes in an age of discontent and became obsessed with putting men in space. The moon mission was sold as a race which America could not afford to lose. Landing on the moon, it was argued, would be good for the economy, for politics, and for the soul. It could even win the Cold War. The great tragedy is that so much effort and expense was devoted to a small step that did virtually nothing for mankind.

Drawing on meticulous archival research, DeGroot cuts through the myths constructed by the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations and sustained by NASA ever since. He finds a gang of cynics, demagogues, scheming politicians, and corporations who amassed enormous power and profits by exploiting the fear of what the Russians might do in space.

Exposing the truth behind one of the most revered fictions of American history, Dark Side of the Moon explains why the American space program has been caught in a state of purposeless wandering ever since Neil Armstrong descended from Apollo 11 and stepped onto the moon. The effort devoted to the space program was indeed magnificent and its cultural impact was profound, but the purpose of the program was as desolate and dry as lunar dust.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Space, Science

321 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Modern History at the University of St. Andrews.

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, this book started off quite promising. I found the cynicism directed towards the Nazi scientist von Braun pretty refreshing in particular. And then the cynicism just kept coming. And coming. And coming. By the time the author was gleefully ripping Neil Armstrong apart for forgetting to put a single indefinite article in his infamous "one giant leap for mankind" speech (seriously), I was so, so, so over it. (Also, the fact that he was desperate enough to use the obnoxious "but think of the starving people in Africa!!!" derailment as an actual argument against the Moon landing is pretty telling.)

Actually, that's a lie. I was over it the moment De Groot decided to point out that there was an astounding lack of women who grew up to be rocket scientists, and instead of making a statement about sexism in the 60's and the continuing struggle of women in STEM fields he just used the opportunity to make dick jokes. I'm not even kidding.

By the end, when De Groot was using anonymous messages left on online message boards as references, and promoting them as valid criticism, I just felt like laughing. Seriously? Was this supposed to be an academic work, or just one man's extremely long-winded essay on why everything about the space program sucked? I guess this is coming from the guy who then ends the book by saying "outer space is bullshit" and mic dropping out, so really I don't know what I was expecting.

I gave the book two stars because I really did get some decent material for a report I was writing out of this, regardless of the inaccuracies of information at times (and yes, like someone else already pointed out, the space pen hoax is a lie, can people stop believing/spreading that crap already?). In my opinion, the author completely threw away his credibility when he started using every possible opportunity to take cheap shots at, well, everyone. It was pretty pathetic and by the end, I was just sick of it. I'm absolutely open to more criticisms of the space program, but this book didn't do it for me. I'd prefer to revisit this subject again with someone a little more professional behind the wheel.

You know what? Rereading this review, I'm too irritated to even give two stars. One it is.

[Jodi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I came across this book when I decided to google my father just yesterday. I only read one page. Page 214 Interview with Mel Friedman Quality Control. Mel Friedman is my father. I would love to know where Mr De Groot got this so called interview with my father. My father only did one interview with one person. My father did not tell me the man's name but the interviewer told my father he was opening up a museum and wanted my father to "donate" all his NASA memorabilia from working on all the Apollo projects but my father refused. This interview was years ago way before this book was written. Was this Mr De Groot that tried to get my father to give up all his NASA memorabilia? I believe this so called interview with my father is complete propaganda. My father never would have said the things Mr De Groot said he did. I have written an email to Mr De Groot as to his source of this so called interview with my father. I await his reply. My father would take to me to work at Grumman. I was physically in a LEM. My father was also in several meetings with Astronauts. I have met a few of them. I even have some of their autographs on NASA memorabilia. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

[Paul Kinzer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, this book is entertaining, but is short on fact checking, and long on the author's cynical opinions.

For example, in chapter 8 - "Vast resources were spent in developing a pen that would work in zero gravity. …. The Russians, on the other hand, made do with pencils." This myth was debunked a long time ago.

The author's opinion further spoils the history with over stated quotes such as "And you thought Apollo was a story about heroes." when he discusses a particular shady contractor taking advantage of the program. This kind of stuff, unfortunately, happens in any large government funded program, certainly not unique to the space program.

Overall an interesting read, but simply too full of drivel like "..it took a 240,000 mile journey for men to discover how stunted is their imagination".

Whether or not you buy into the author's assertion that the program was a big waste of money, don't assume that everything the author states is fact, as he often overstates issues and perpetuates myths in an attempt to prove his point.

[Christopher]

This is the sound of one man shaking his fist at the sky at the folly of the moon race, preaching to a small choir of Luddites who've convinced themselves that space exploration is a massive boondoggle.

This book contributes nothing to our knowledge of space history. It is a rambling, prejudicial op-ed piece that merely shines a light on the author's poorly informed opinions. I've read a great many books about space exploration and the Apollo program in particular, including a few awful books like this one. I won't exactly call this a waste of my time, but don't let it be a waste of yours. No stars.

--

Closing note: If you're interested in popular or scholarly studies of the space race and the Apollo program, there are many, many other books worthy of your attention. The following are two of the best single-volume overviews of the space race.

...the Heavens and the Earth: A Political History of the Space Age (1985) - Walter A. McDougall
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History, 1986
Finalist for the National Book Award for Non-Fiction, 1985

This New Ocean: The Story of the First Space Age (1998) - William E. Burrows
Nominee for the Pulitzer Prize for History, 1999

[Nodoz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly research and sloppily written, there are basic factual errors. In addition, reviewers have noted quotes are used out of context. If you have to be intellectually dishonest to try to prove your point, then you've failed and I can think of no reason to devote time to a mere polemic. There are ample reasons to take a critical view of the entire American space program. If you want to make a case, start by getting your basic research correct before you go on to make sweeping conclusions with nothing backing them up beyond your own rants.

[Guy McArthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most people would probably concede the primary point of this book, that the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo programs had no direct benefit, only the empty symbolism of beating the Soviets to the Moon, that the scientific knowledge gained could have been done by robotic probes at far less cost and no loss of life. The author goes further, and contends, quite often convincingly, that the secondary benefits were vastly overstated as well, and he concludes that the entire U.S. program of human spaceflight has all been a gigantic waste of taxpayer's money. Along the way, he tells the story of the 1960's space race, something that has been told many times before, but usually shown through heavily rose-tinted glasses. It is for this clear-eyed and well written history (in particular, a behind-the-scenes look at how U.S. presidents felt about the space program, versus how they used it for political ends) that I'm giving it five stars; I personally believe there is merit in ongoing human exploration of space, at least given current funding levels (NASA receives about half a penny per dollar of the federal budget). The concluding chapter is condescending and cynical, attacking "space enthusiasts". But that aside, I think space advocates would enjoy the book, and could benefit from looking at a contrarian point of view.

[Brent · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a sad bit of 'hit journalism' this book was. Th author had a point he wanted to make and cherry picked facts (and things not so factual), to support his point, while disregarding the mountain of facts disagreeing with him. He managed to do this with the arrogance and condescension that only the partially informed can muster, but boy he sure liked to let people know he was the smartest guy going and all you other rubes were just stupid to even *consider* a space program. I had hope for an interesting book, but only ended up with a self-important author's twaddle. I'd give it negative stars if I could.

[Jonathan D Kopplin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting history of NASA up through the Apollo program. As one who grew up idolizing astronauts, DeGroot provides a compelling argument against the government's motives in the space race. It makes one question both the ethical and financial costs for manned space flight, especially when no long term vision was in place.

[Joeby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shows the political history of the American space program and how the space race created this requirement to go to the moon and once Kennedy was shot Johnson could not would not stop it. Was the cost worth it what benefits did mankind receive from the manned program. The book suggests very little. Thoroughly recommend it

[M]

If the author spent as much time thinking as he did whining and trying to make jokes, then this book might have been... Well, no, it would still just be a collection of anecdotes pretending to be a diagnostic metanarrative about the early Space Age. As it is, there is nothing remarkable here.

[Ushan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The American manned space program up to the mid-1970s, which is to say Projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, had no purpose other than Cold War posturing. The Soviets beat the Americans in launching the first artificial satellite and the first man in space, so the Americans ought to have done them one better and landed a man on the Moon. So they did; it cost about $25 billion, depending on what you count, or about $150 billion in today's money. It was a tremendous engineering achievement, even though it was pretty much inapplicable to terrestrial purposes: ordinary machines do not need to withstand the heat of atmospheric reentry; ordinary dune buggies do not have titanium chevrons on meshed steel-wire wheels, like the Moon rover did. DeGroot says that in the past, NASA has falsely claimed that Teflon and Velcro were spinoffs of the space program; now the agency denies it. It was sold to the American people using a mixture of fear and patriotism; a general told US Congress in 1959, "I would hate to think that the Russians got to the moon first. The first nation that does will probably have a tremendous military advantage over any potential enemy." NASA administrators and contractors manipulated American politics like the military-industrial complex and agribusiness did before and after.

So on July 20, 1969, two men walked on the Moon, one called what he saw "magnificent desolation." On later missions ten more men walked and rode in a buggy. They picked up rocks and chunks of rocks broken off with a geologist's hammer. When the first crew was on the Moon, a Soviet robotic spacecraft crashed into the celestial body; it was supposed to land softly, drill down, pick up a sample of lunar soil, and return it to Earth a few days before the Americans did; the robot launched the next year had more luck. There was certainly some scientific value in what the astronauts did; the oldest rocks on Earth formed about 4 billion years ago; one of the rocks picked up by the astronauts is half a billion years older. However, science was a distant second to national prestige. Space science is better done with robots, which do not need to breathe, eat, drink, urinate and defecate, and can withstand a greater range of temperatures and much harsher radiation than hairless apes; yet a robot is harder to make into a national hero. If it had few scientific benefits in itself, has the Apollo project perhaps raised the prestige of science? DeGroot cites a 1985 poll taken in the nation that landed men on the moon; 43% of the respondents believed that UFOs had visited Earth, not much less than the 47% who accepted the theory of evolution.

Unfortunately, this book repeats the untrue urban legend that NASA used an unnecessarily high-tech space pen while the Soviets used a pencil. Also, Apollo 9 did not go to the Moon - its astronauts tested Moon-going hardware in low Earth orbit.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here, DeGroot writes a cynical history of the American space program. I was surprised to find that I didn't really disagree with much of what he said. Anyway, DeGroot covers the space program from the beginning (von Braun and the Germans), through Eisenhower's reluctance to enter the space race (and Johnson's and Kennedy's political ploys that got us into it), to the eventual disillusionment following the successful moon landing and NASA's self-imposed irrelevance. He makes at least one glaring factual mistake concerning the Apollo missions, asserting that Apollo 9 went to the moon instead of just making earth-orbit maneuvers. Messing up something that simple is kind of unforgivable. I don't have the energy to factcheck everything he says, and one wonders if he can be trusted. Nonetheless, for the most part, the book agrees with history as I already knew it. Overall, I liked the book, and appreciate his point of view, even if my own is somewhat less jaded.

[Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read a lot of books on the Space Race and that time in our history and I have to say this was the most negative view I have ever read. To the point I wanted to just put it down and quit reading it. I appreciate the view the author is coming from, but he comes off as cynical to the highest degree and really didn't have anything good to say about this time in our history. I wouldn't recommend this one to anyone.

[iain meek · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole history from a cynical/ realist point of view.

The moon trips were inspired by political prestige during the Cold War as a relatively safe way of competing with the Russians + NASA placed contracts in every State to ensure political support + JFK wanted to distract everyone from social problems and Vietnam + his successors could not stop what was then seen as his legacy without injury to his memory.

Rather sad story.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining and thought provoking. Growing up as a full fledged "Astronauts are cool, the shuttle is awesome, going to the moon is one of man's greatest achievements" kind of person, this one was a bit tough to accept. His basic premise is that the whole race was a complete waste of money. I'm not all the way on board with that, but he does make it hard to argue against the "moon shot" simply being a propaganda victory of the Cold War.

[Teawench · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm really struggling with giving this a rating. I saw that people were saying the author was really anti-NASA. I saw some of that but also thought people were being overly harsh. Until the last chapter. Wow. Just wow. Ruined what might have been an ok book. I did learn some things but it was painful.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was fun─I'll grant that. It was fun to read, if you're into the whole sarcastic thing. However, the facts are often arranged in a weird, non-chronological order that is just confusing.
Essentially, the book is written to prove DeGroot's point rather than to tell history.
It is a decent book.

[David Szondy]

Dark Side of the Moon aims to be a corrective to the romantic aura that still surrounds the American space programme.

Read more

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book does a really good job of penetrating all the propaganda/mythos we have surrounding the space race. We really barely made it there.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far, a VERY cynical view of the space race!

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like being patriotic about the moon landings, so it was hard to get behind this one

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting alternative perspective on the worth of the lunar quest. Definitely a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the Apollo missions.

[Isidore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Politicians and businessmen wanted Apollo; scientists and the public did not. Convincingly argued, breezy, but superficial and occasionally inaccurate.