Leap of Faith: An Astronaut's Journey Into the Unknown

by Bruce Henderson and L. Gordon Cooper Jr.

Book Overview

Gordon Cooper was one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts, a select group of the nation's top military test pilots who braved the frontiers of space in the days when strapping yourself to a rocket meant you would be either a hundred miles up or six feet under. Today he is undeniably a part of our nation's history as one of the four surviving Mercury Seven space pioneers. In Leap of Faith, Cooper not only reveals compellingly what went on behind the scenes of the early U.S. space program, but he also takes dead aim at the next millennium of space travel with his strong views on the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence--and even the distinct possibility that we have already had contact. During his distinguished military flying career, Cooper was one of the best of the best at Edwards Air Force Base, where the setting of world records for speed, endurance, and altitude was an everyday occurrence. Even before joining this nation's newly formed manned space program, he understood the dangerous nature of new technologies: hanging it over the edge and pushing the envelope, then hauling it back in and doing it again tomorrow. "Gordo" Cooper learned to fly with his father at age eight in his hometown of Shawnee, Oklahoma, and soloed by the time he was twelve. As an impressionable boy, he met overnight visitors to the Cooper household, including famous aviators like Amelia Earhart and Wiley Post, which only heightened his desire to take to the skies. Ride with Cooper through his adventurous life in the cockpits of planes and spacecraft alike--he was the last American to go into space alone, exactly thirty-five years ago. He flew in Mercury and Gemini, and served as head of flight crew operations for both Apollo and Skylab, America's first orbiting space station. He was also backup command pilot for Apollo X and directed design input changes for the space shuttle program. He was buddies with Gus Grissom, who died in the tragic Apollo I fire at Cape Canaveral, and was close to Wernher von Braun, the German rocket scientist who was responsible for the United States beating Russia into space, and then to the Moon. Through it all, Cooper, a hero who shuns the label, speaks candidly of his defeats as well as his accomplishments. His life is a tapestry of space travel in the twentieth century. And beyond. From a source as credible as Gordo Cooper come these claims: He innocently took revealing pictures of the mysterious Area 51 during his Gemini mission and ended up in the White House speaking about it to the president of the United States; he and other military pilots have chased unidentified aircraft in their Jets; and footage of UFOs taken by his film crew was confiscated by the government, all part of the U.S. military's long-time UFO cover-up. Buckle yourself in and prepare for a wild ride; Leap of Faith takes you places you have never been before---and with Cooper's firm hand at the controls.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060194162
• ISBN13: 9780060194161
• Release Date: July 2000
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

The Best Ride

Of the many books in my space collection (and I've got over 40 of them), this one took me on one of the the best rides of all. I have to agree with the majority of other reader/reviewers, Mr. Cooper is a hero for the ages. His recounting of the whole range of his experiences with NASA in the days of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo has the distinct feeling of truth, no matter how unsugarcoated it might be. And his first-hand impressions of his fellow astronauts, albeit his "band of brothers", is one of the few clear pictures of those diverse (and not always heroic) personalities who launched America into space that I've read. Cooper's own personality flaws are also on display, but they don't undermine his unparalleled flying skills and remarkable coolness under pressure, as we get a first-hand look at his bringing home his Faith 7 capsule only seconds before it would have burned up as it re-entered the atmosphere at the conclusion of his record-setting voyage. He was cool, it was hot! It's also fascinating to read about his UFO encounters, his post-NASA life, and his hopes for a trip to Mars "when he's John Glenn's age". I found this to be a completely satisfying read, and hope this intrepid adventurer will write another book with even more details of his attempts to develop alternate energy sources that might well power our civilization into even more exciting explorations of space. Thanks for the ride, Gordo.

Terrific biography of a real hero

I haven't read many other books about our early space explorers, but it's hard to imagine one with more down-to-earth info and exciting tales of the whole NASA program than this one. Gordon Cooper is one of those people whom you can't help but admire for his guts, his skill, his modesty and his downright courage. He seems to tell it like it was (and is) when it comes to the whys and wherefores of America's adventure into space. His candid opinions count for a lot because he was there and he doesn't pull any punches. And his amazing tales of UFO's and (maybe) extraterrestrial visitors really left me with a lot to ponder. This is a wonderful book about a wonderful American hero. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes an inspiring read.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES, GORDO

This man is one of the greatest heroes of the last half of the 20th century! If only for his tremendous flying abilities, which saved his life and maybe saved the space program when his Mercury capsule suffered a near-complete failure duing his mission. But there's much more to "Gordo" Cooper than just that incredible event. In this book he tells of his early days of flying, his remarkable test pilot experience, being chosen among the elite few for the space program, the testing and training regimen, the practice, practice, practice and then, finally, the exhilirating first lift-off and so much more, including chasing UFO's as a young Air Force pilot in Germany, and having a crew of photographers actually photograph a UFO at close range at Edwards Air Force base! Lots more fascinating stuff in this excellent book. Get it and read it, you'll like it! And you'll like him, too.

GORDO TELLS ALL

Gordon Cooper is one of America's true heroes, of a kind we don't have many of anymore. In this book, he and Bruce Henderson tell the story of the early days of the space program from the perspective of a real insider who knows what really went on and isn't afraid to talk about it. From his earliest days as a pilot (he learned to fly at the age of five!) to his fighter pilot and test pilot assignments to his astounding manual return flight in his Mercury capsule Faith 7 he proved himself to be one cool customer, and a natural at the controls. His current thoughts on the unresolved issues of UFO's and possible extraterrestrial visitations of planet Earth are insightful and provocative, especially coming from such a credible source. All in all, a smooth and compelling read and a great book. Bravo, Colonel Cooper!

An Inspiring Story from one who has the Right Stuff!

As one of the "Original Seven", Gordon"Gordo" Cooper describes his unique life experiences such asbeing the last American to ever fly into space alone. From his youth in Shawnee, Oklahoma to being a fighter jock in Germany and Edwards Air Force Base in California, Cooper tells the story of his all American life and his eventual selection as one of the original seven American astronauts. Flying the concluding mission of the Mercury Program in May of 1963 aboard Faith 7, Cooper flew what many consider to be the best and most successful flight of Mercury. He made a pinpoint landing in the Pacific after all his electrical and cooling systems in his spacecraft started to die on him. He manually flew his spacecraft to a perfect splashdown. He later commanded Gemini 5 with Pete Conrad aboard which set an 8 day endurance record in space,a record at that time. Finally, Cooper reveals how he was shortchanged by two of his buddies Deke Slayton and Alan Shepard when they denied Cooper a shot at commanding a lunar landing so Shepard could get a shot. In Deke's book, he hints that Cooper had lost the edge and had not trained hard enough in a backup role to merit a lunar landing. Judging by Cooper's successful Mercury and Gemini flights, Slayton's statement seems self serving and a bunch of bull. Cooper was as good a pilot as the rest otherwise he would not have been chosen as one of the first seven astrounauts. The second part of the book deals with Cooper's reported sightings of UFO's from the cockpit of his fighter plane in Germany. He continues on and discusses his fascination and belief in UFO's and relates some of the activities he has been engaged in trying to heighten the awareness of the UFO phenomenon. I have no clue about UFO's and that issue has never had much interest with me. However, Cooper does make a legitimate case that UFO's could exist. Certainly any open minded reader should read his treatment of UFO issues with interest. Certainly, Cooper has credibility and is not some nut case. Overall, this is a fine book. Anyone interested in the history of the early space program should have this book. Cooper makes a stinging critique of NASA that after the moonlanding, America lost interest in space exploration and all the dreams of the early space race have been lost. I agree. Cooper has made his mark in history, and his story is an inspiration for anyone that aims high.