The Unbroken Chain

About the Book

"I left the Earth three times and each time, Guenter Wendt was the man that sent me. His book gives you all the wild details — including the ones you have never heard before. You're going to love it."

— Wally Schirra, Mercury, Gemini and Apollo Astronaut

"Guenter was always a welcome light in the white room. He was the very essence of integrity and reliability and gave us a terrific boost in confidence on every launch. The Unbroken Chain is a great story to pass on to the future."

— Gordon Cooper, Mercury and Gemini Astronaut

"The history of American manned spaceflight would be incomplete without the launch crew perspective. And no man is better qualified to tell that story than Guenter Wendt. His dedication was the indispensable link in the chain that hoisted giant rockets into space. His story is simply fascinating."

— Scott Carpenter, Mercury Astronaut

"In the '60s when space flight was in its infancy, there was one constant — Guenter Wendt, the last guy to pat young astronauts on the bottom, close the hatch, and watch America's new heroes fly into the history books. It's a riveting story told in the words of the German engineer who lived it."

— Paul Haney, NASA PAO, "Voice of Apollo"

"The early days of America's space program were a time when rockets blew up as often as they flew, and when astronauts were a special breed who thought that dying was just another occupational hazard. Of all the stories about that unique era, The Unbroken Chain is the best of the bunch. If you are only going to read one book about the pioneering days of NASA, this is the one it ought to be."

— Homer Hickam, author of the New York Times Best Seller October Sky

To the Moon and beyond...

Guenter Wendt's autobiography, The Unbroken Chain, is a ground shaking, fumes in your nostrils documentary of the glory days of manned spaceflight.

It is described in graphic detail by the one man who worked side by side with every astronaut that left the Cape bound for space.

Because of his unique perspective from the launch pad, his story is filled with important accounts and rich anecdotes, many of which have never been published until now.

From the altitude chamber, to the simulators, to the white room itself, follow The Unbroken Chain to the moon and beyond. There is no other story like it.

Guenter F. Wendt was born and educated in Germany. He came to the United States in 1949 and became an American citizen in 1955. As a mechanical engineer for McDonnell Aircraft, he was given primary responsibility for spacecraft test, checkout, and launch operations for all Mercury and Gemini manned flights conducted at Cape Canaveral.

In 1967, after the Apollo fire, he accepted a position with North American Rockwell at the Kennedy Space Center and was responsible for spacecraft launch preparations for all manned Apollo, Skylab and ASTP flights. He was the last man seen by the flight crews prior to liftoff. Mr. Wendt was placed in charge of flight crew safety during the Shuttle ALT program and during the subsequent operational flights of the Shuttle Transport System until his retirement in 1989.

He is a confidant and personal friend of the astronauts and the recipient of NASA's "Letter of Appreciation" award, several Group Achievement Awards, and the coveted "Silver Snoopy."

Mr. Wendt has worked on numerous film and video projects. He served as a technical consultant on the television adaptation of James A. Michener's "Space", the HBO mini-series "From the Earth to the Moon", and the Discovery Channel's documentary "In Search of Liberty Bell 7".

Russell F. Still holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer and Information Sciences from the University of Florida. He has monitored the United States space program since the early sixties, personally witnessing launches from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and STS programs. Mr. Still has written for trade publications on a variety of computer and aerospace subjects since 1979 and authored "Relics of the Space Race," first released in 1994. He is a commercial pilot, living with his family on a private airstrip in north Georgia.