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PEOPLE & ARTS Thursday 5 april 2018
Review: Book shows Apollo 8 was a big risk for 3 astronauts

By MICHAEL HILL billing among astronauts Their wives knew it, too. Mar-
Associated Press for landing on the moon in ilyn Lovell, Susan Borman
The first astronauts to orbit 1969, but first someone had and Valerie Anders shared
the moon ended their 1968 to show it was even pos- all of their husbands' anxi-
Christmas Eve television sible to get there and back. ety and got almost none
broadcast with a personal By 1968, the Soviets ap- of their glory. Their fate was
message for the people of peared poised to launch to keep brave faces for the
Earth. and deal Americans yet press photographers and to
No one knew what the another in a series of space- wait to hear their husbands'
three Apollo 8 astronauts related humiliations dating voices on the squawk box-
would say — not their wor- back to Sputnik. NASA was es installed in their homes.
ried wives 240,000 miles determined to get there Just in case, Susan Borman
away nor the buttoned- first, even if it meant dra- sat at her kitchen table to
down NASA engineers who matically compressing the write her husband's eu-
meticulously planned every timeline. logy. The three women
moment of the high-stakes Kurson's conception-to- provide the most poignant
mission to reach the moon splashdown reporting had moments in the book. The
before the Soviets. the cooperation from the book starts slowly as Kur-
With the moon showing astronauts and their wives, son tracks the astronauts
on TV screens, Bill Anders giving him invaluable de- through their boyhoods,
began reading: "In the be- tails of what happened in- courtships and military ca-
ginning, God created the side the astronaut's capsule reers. But the gruff and no-
heaven and the Earth ..." and in their homes below. nonsense Borman pops off
Then Jim Lovell and Frank Most readers already know the page once they start
Borman followed by read- how the mission turned planning for the mission.
ing a few lines each from out (success!), but Kurson Borman argued with NASA
the book of Genesis. The builds suspense around a mission planners who want-
plain voices reading the mind-bendingly complex ed more lunar orbits than
Bible's creation story made and dangerous journey. he thought was prudent.
grown men weep, Kurson One NASA official ex- Planners offered 12 orbits.
writes, and sent people plained that with Apollo Borman said 10 would be
outside to peer at the sky in 8's 5.6 million parts and better. Planners told him
wonder. 1.5 million systems, even if 10 orbits would result a pre-
Sweet moments like this the mission went 99.9 per- dawn splashdown on Earth.
punctuate this mostly en- cent right, there would be If the parachutes malfunc-
grossing book about the 5,600 defects. Borman, tioned, no one could see
historic but sometimes over- Lovell and Anders knew full This cover image released by Random house shows "Rocket what happened. Borman
looked Apollo 8 mission. well there was a very real Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who replied that if the chutes
Neil Armstrong and com- chance the tiny capsule Made Man's First Journey to the Moon," by Robert Kurson. didn't work, they'd all die
pany will always get top could become their tomb. Associated Press anyway.q

Dierks Bentley wants to celebrate women at ACMs

By KRISTIN M. HALL Bentley is hardly the worst co-hosting the awards
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — offender of lyrical stereo- show, as he has for the past
Country star Dierks Bentley typing in Nashville, but he two years with Luke Bryan.
hopes that his new single knows he's got a bit of rep- Longtime host Reba McEn-
reminds people that he's utation for songs like "Some- tire has returned this year to
not always singing about where on a Beach," ''Drunk host the show and Bentley
being drunk on a plane, or on a Plane," and "Am I the is just fine with that, frankly.
being a beach bum look- Only One," with the regret- "Speaking candidly, I don't
ing for a rebound. table lyrics: "country cutie really see myself as a host,"
Bentley's new song, "Wom- with a rock and roll bootie." Bentley said. "I am more of
an, Amen," is a rousing, "'Woman, Amen' is hopeful- just an artist and performer
drum-driven celebration ly really tipping the scales and songwriter. That's really
of the kind of women that back into more of a level what I like doing."
aren't typically profiled in playing field," Bentley said. He said he had fun doing
country songs. And he'll be "I am definitely guilty of the comedy and skits and
using the song to highlight some songs just to party to." working with Bryan, but he's
real women during his per- Bentley is asking fans to In this Nov. 8, 2017 file photo, Dierks Bentley, left, and his wife trying to focus his career on
formance at the Academy submit pictures and stories Cassidy Black arrive at the 51st annual CMA Awards in Nash- what's really important to
of Country Music Awards in on social media with the ville, Tenn. him.
Las Vegas on April 15. tag #WomanAmenACM Associated Press "I just try to strip away stuff
"I think it helps counter out of exceptional women in that's not what I really love
some of the other songs I their lives who deserve rec- and getting emotional. to me, that's concrete and doing," Bentley said. "I have
have had out there," Bent- ognition, which will be part "It's a song about celebrat- identifiable be taken by tried to break my life down
ley said recently as he was of the performance being ing a woman in my life and fans and they can use it into either a huge yeah,
preparing to shoot the mu- aired on CBS. Bentley said several women in my life," in a way that's universal to like 'Yes, I can't wait to do
sic video in Nashville, Ten- his wife, Cassidy, has been Bentley said. "I love seeing them." that.' Or no. And just make
nessee. looking at the submissions a song that's very personal This year Bentley won't be it easy."q