Try free for 30 days

  • Failure Is Not an Option

  • Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
  • By: Gene Kranz
  • Narrated by: Danny Campbell
  • Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (182 ratings)

A 30-day trial plus your first audiobook free.
1 credit/month after trial—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Failure Is Not an Option cover art

Failure Is Not an Option

By: Gene Kranz
Narrated by: Danny Campbell
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $42.99

Buy Now for $42.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

Gene Kranz was present at the creation of America's manned space program and was a key player in it for three decades. As a flight director in NASA's Mission Control, Kranz witnessed firsthand the making of history. He participated in the space program from the early days of the Mercury program to the last Apollo mission, and beyond. He endured the disastrous first years when rockets blew up and the United States seemed to fall further behind the Soviet Union in the space race. He helped to launch Alan Shepard and John Glenn, then assumed the flight director's role in the Gemini program, which he guided to fruition. With his teammates, he accepted the challenge to carry out President John F. Kennedy's commitment to land a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s.

Kranz was flight director for both Apollo 11, the mission in which Neil Armstrong fulfilled President Kennedy's pledge, and Apollo 13. He headed the Tiger Team that had to figure out how to bring the three Apollo 13 astronauts safely back to Earth. (In the film Apollo 13, Kranz was played by the actor Ed Harris, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance.)

In Failure Is Not an Option, Gene Kranz recounts these thrilling historic events and offers new information about the famous flights. What appeared as nearly flawless missions to the moon were, in fact, a series of hair-raising near misses. When the space technology failed, as it sometimes did, the controllers' only recourse was to rely on their skills and those of their teammates. Kranz takes us inside Mission Control and introduces us to some of the whiz kids - still in their twenties, only a few years out of college - who had to figure it all out as they went along, creating a great and daring enterprise. He reveals behind-the-scenes details to demonstrate the leadership, discipline, trust, and teamwork that made the space program a success.

©2009 Gene Kranz (P)2011 Tantor

Critic Reviews

"Plenty of books (and several films) have already tried to depict the space program's excitement; few of their creators had the first-person experience or the attention to detail Krantz has, whose role as flight control "White" his readers will admire or even wish to emulate." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Failure Is Not an Option

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    144
  • 4 Stars
    29
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    111
  • 4 Stars
    34
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    125
  • 4 Stars
    25
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Could not stop listening

Without doubt the most captivating audio book I have listened to. The events are well known, but the feelings instilled in the listener by the story telling abilities of the author and the narrator were breathtaking. I hung on every word, laughed, sat slack-jawed in disbelief, and cried. Just amazing. I wish I could forget it and listen again anew.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Such a great account of the first space generation . There is so much detail in this book it's a must read for any space nerd like me . I am in awe once again of the levels of professionalism these guys operated with . The fearlessness of the astronauts and the impossible situations they conquered . There should be a course in mental toughness developed around this . Thank you for sharing this incredible story !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Informative and Inspiring

This is a "must-listen". It is very informative, offering a unique perspective of the events of the time, from the guy who was actually in the drivers seat. You know how some books you just can't put down, you have to keep on reading? Well, this audiobook is in that category for me.

It is well narrated, although it would have even better if Gene Kranz himself had narrated the book.

Highly recommended!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Makes you wish you were American

I've always been happy to have been born in Australia, that is until this book. Hearing about the obstacles they overcame and horrors they witnessed in the pursuit of furthering mankinds reach in our universe is truly inspiring and makes me wish I was part of the adventure.
If you like having goosebumps then definitely worth a read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Worth reading despite its flaws

It's a great first hand account of all the highs and lows of the early NASA years. I've heard the author interviewed before and I liked the way he spoke, however his eloquent speaking voice doesn't translate well to writing. I didn't enjoy the way he wrote the book. The cadence of the sentences, the very limited set of adjectives he uses, it really bugged me. But after a few hours I built up a tolerance to the writing style and just enjoyed the amazing story.

It's an amazing part of history, viewed first hand. Well worth it, despite the annoying way it's written.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Essential Space Material

Fantastic and entertaining book. The only thing that'd make it better is if Gene himself narrated it. Very personal book and not so much an overview of the space program but Gene being such a high profile player knew and talks about all the big names and small names of the space program but in a more personal way and it has some insider kind of information

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

I didn't expect a lot from this one, figuring that I would already know most of the content that would be covered, but still wanting to hear it all from Genes perspective. After a slow start for the first 15 minutes or so, I found myself getting more and more immersed in Genes story, I think he has done really well in formatting his story, to engage the listener/reader, and keep them engaged. This one is a must if you are a lover of the space programme, rocketry, or just like a great storey, it's one that I couldn't stop listening to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Ben
  • 11-09-2023

Outstanding!

Gene Kranz puts the reader/listener in Mission Control during the pertinent moments of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions that was his career. Technical topics are carefully explained for lay listeners to follow along. Very enjoyable book for the technically minded enthusiast or anyone just wanting to hear an eye witness inside account of the beginning of the US space program.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

Highly recommend.
Actually felt the emotion from Gene’s words so well performed.
Off to watch Apollo 13 again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved!!

A fantastic in depth story of the Apollo program. Brought me to tears numerous times. Will def listen to many times in the future

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.