In a silent ceremony before the Apollo 15 astronauts lifted off from the moon on 2 August 1971 they left behind a small metal plaque bearing the names of eight U.S. astronauts and six Soviet cosmonauts known to have lost their lives during the first decade of human spaceflight. Later, the Soviet Union released the names of two other cosmonauts who died during that period. Placed horizontally in front of the plaque was a figurine of a man. This became known as the “Fallen Astronaut” and provided the inspiration for the title for this book. A photograph of the scene features on the front cover. Astronaut Gene Cernan, the last man to stand on the lunar surface, contributed a heart-felt foreword to the book.
The lead author, Colin Burgess, has written chapters on astronauts Theodore Freeman (who lost his life in October 1964 when a bird struck his jet aircraft...