This could very easily be considered the classic novel about manned spaceflight. Mr. Wolfe paints a colorful picture of the original Mercury 7 astronauts and the fighter jock culture that they came from. There are plenty of old air combat stories, anecdotes about flying and drinking and drinking and driving, and a few words about the "cookies", of course. Not only are we presented with the lives and times of the Mercury astronauts, but we are introduced to other pilots who would become prominent in the astronaut corps during the Gemini and Apollo programs as well as the legendary Chuck Yeager and some of the scientists and technicians who helped launch them into the annals of history. Tightly written and fast paced, this is an insightful look at how a group of high-tech cowboys managed to fire a half dozen crazy test pilots into space strapped to the nose cones of ballistic missiles -- somehow without killing anybody in the process.

Well, I suppose they really had to make a movie out of this book. Director and screenwriter Philip Kaufman did a pretty good job of bringing Mr. Wolfe's book to the screen with the help of a star-studded cast including Charles Frank, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard, Fred Ward, Kim Stanley, Barbara Hershey, Veronica Cartwright, and Pamela Reed. Pack a lunch, though. This is a long movie. I'm still going to recommend reading the book, however. Despite the length of the movie, a lot was left out, particularly from the later Mercury missions. Still, all the highlights are there, as well as the best anecdotes, goofs, gags, and other astronautic extracurricular activities.

When the crew of Apollo 13 safely touched down on the aircraft carrier after surviving one of the most harrowing disasters of the space age, Capt. James Lovell, the mission commander, suggested to his command module pilot, Jack Swigert, that they should write up the story of the mission. Nearly a quarter of a century later, Lovell finally got his wish, albeit with co-author Jeffrey Kluger rather than Swigert. This is the true story of the Apollo 13 disaster written by one of the men who actually lived through it. It's a fabulous tale that needs no invention to provide suspense and excitement. The book carefully lays out the chronology of the mission, presents technical details in a manner clearly understandable to the lay person, provides a glimpse into the private lives of the astronauts and their families, and is replete with Lovell's characteristic, low-key humor. Lovell and Kluger have produced an excellent book about the most complicated rescue effort in history.

When film producer Brian Grazer learned that Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger had written a ten-page outline of a book they planned to write about the Apollo 13 mission, he wasted no time in placing a telephone call to director Ron Howard. It wasn't long before Tom Hanks had signed on to star in the movie as Jim Lovell (even though the book hadn't been written yet). Howard and Hanks set out to retell the story Apollo 13 in the most accurate and faithful fashion they could, sparing no expense along the way. The result is a suspenseful and spellbinding movie starring Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinese, Ed Harris, and leading lady Kathleen Quinlan.

The DVD collector's edition provides some excellent bonus material including feature commentaries by Ron Howard and by Jim and Marilyn Lovell as well as a documentary on the making of the movie with actual NASA film footage from the mission. Jeffrey Kluger also wrote a companion book to the movie, titled The Apollo Adventure, The Making of the Apollo Space Program and the Movie Apollo 13 (© 1995 by MCA Publishing Rights, a division of MCA, Inc.). In a sense, the original book, the movie, and the movie companion book comprise the finest existing documentation on how man first reached the moon.

Not to be outdone by the big Hollywood types, PBS produced a NOVA special on the Apollo 13 mission. It was a great documentary, but I haven't been able to track down any info on the program. However, you can visit the "Terror in Space" page on NOVA Online and read about Apollo 13 and some of the other little problems that have occurred during the last four decades of space travel.

PBS also produced a two-hour special on the Apollo program as a whole. It is chock full of interviews with astronauts, flight controllers, and other NASA luminaries. Definitely worth a watch. You can also log on to the "To the Moon" page on NOVA Online to learn more.

Moving to more contemporary topics, NOVA took on the International Space Station in yet another fine program from PBS. For details, log on to the "Stationed in the Stars" page on NOVA Online.

If you have access to an IMAX or OmniMAX theater, go see this movie! Narrated by Tom Cruise, this is the first movie filmed entirely in outer space. While it doesn't go into very much technical detail, Space Station provides a rare glimpse into the lives of the astronauts and cosmonauts living on orbit. There are also plenty of absolutely stunning views of the Earth, the interior and exterior of the ISS, and the Space Shuttles. It's completely worth the outrageous admission prices.

Here's a book you'll never find. However, you might find it valuable to check into a few general aviation history books. Many of them have chapters that discuss early rocketry. This particular book covers Robert Goddard, Wernher von Braun, James Van Allen, early sounding rocket programs, the first artificial satellites, and a host of other topics related to the development rocket flight.