Son Of Apollo
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Unsurprisingly, considering some of the books I have co-authored, I am intrigued by books delving into the lives of astronauts from the Apollo era who generally lived out of the limelight. Often these spacefarers are lesser known because they died before the enormous recent resurgence of interest in their lives. Apollo 14 command module pilot Stu Roosa died back in 1994, aged only 61. While a biography of him does exist ("Smoke Jumper, Moon Pilot," Willie Moseley, 2011), it has taken a trio of books by the family over the years to further fill out who Stu Roosa was. His son Christopher's book is the latest.
The first, "Apollo Moon Missions: The Unsung Heroes," Billy Watkins, 2006, includes a chapter-long conversation with Stu's widow Joan, providing a revealing and emotional insight into the Roosa family and the often challenging role of an astronaut wife. I recommend seeking it out.
The second, "To the Moon: The Autobiography of an Apollo Astronaut’s Daughter," Rosemary Roosa, 2019, I reviewed in a prior blog post. This highly-regarded book by Stu and Joan's daughter is a moving love letter to Rosemary's parents, containing a huge amount of insight not only into the couple's lives but also the advantages and challenges of being the child of an astronaut.
So what was left to be said by another child? Christopher Roosa comes at the subject from a slightly different angle, as a military veteran who looked to his father as a career role model. It's a slim book of brief chapters, and Roosa uses them to tell the highlights of his family memories rather than trying to fill in every detail. He describes his father's love of flying, his wry personality, and how he handled the fame of being an astronaut. He also recounts his own memories of being the child of a famous person, such as attending state dinners as a kid. He watched his father being offered opportunities he shouldn't have been (such as fighting bulls or performing the takeoff of a passenger jet he had never flown before). It's an insightful balance of the historic nature of the moon voyages versus a man who was "dad." Christopher Roosa uses the opportunity to reflect on his own legacy as a father, wondering how his children will remember him. It's a reminder to make life count.
Having at one time been one of the lesser-known Apollo astronauts, Stu Roosa now has more books about him than some of his more famous compatriots. This book adds a little extra depth to the story of this intriguing character, one of only twenty-four people ever to journey to the moon.