Destination: Moon

by James B. Irwin

The eighth man to walk on the moon took the entire Bible seriously because he took its Author seriously. He rejoiced in the Genesis account of origins. He believed that God created the world in six, twenty-four-hour days. That man was Col. James Irwin, the lunar vehicle commander for Apollo 15. Destination: Moon recounts his amazing physical and spiritual journey to the moon. With spectacular photos and “you are there” text, you will experience what it’s like to train for four years as an astronaut. You will feel the emotions of lift-off, see Earth from space, and explore the moon. As amazing as his accomplishment was, Astronaut Irwin viewed it as insignificant compared to the accomplishments of the Creator.

Col. Irwin spent the rest of his life sharing this message: "Jesus walking on Earth is more important than man walking on the moon." His legacy of faith and discovery is an inspiration even now, thirty years after he landed on the moon. Visually stunning. By Astronaut James Irwin.

Genres: Science, History, Space, Childrens, Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography

52 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

In 1971, during the U.S. Apollo 15 space mission, James Irwin became the eighth person to walk on the moon. Irwin experienced the lunar mission as a religious awakening and later founded an evangelical Christian religious organization.

He retired from NASA in 1972 and founded the High Flight Foundation, an interdenominational religious organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

In the early 1980s, Irwin mounted annual expeditions to Mount Ararat in Turkey in search of Noah's Ark. In 1982, he made it to the mountaintop but fell and was injured. The next year, he flew a plane over the summit to look for remains of the ark, but he never found any. Irwin had a history of heart problems and died of a heart attack on August 8, 1991.

Reviews

[Clay Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great writing about space exploration written with down to earth language.

[Drew Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although mainly for young people, the story is revealing and inspiring.

[Bobi Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started reading it to one child and soon the whole family had gathered. Fun info none of us knew!

[Laurie Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

What better book to read about the moon than one written by an astronaut who walked on the moon? Fascinating story and pictures. We read this in our homeschool Dialectic history studies.

[Tarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When you lean far back and look up, you can see the Earth like a beautiful, fragile Christmas tree ornament hanging against the blackness of space...." (Prologue)

Destination: Moon allows readers to see the Earth through astronaut Col. James Irwin's eyes, as he saw it on his journey to the moon. Irwin reaches out to the world with his fame as a space traveler to project the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In his book, you'll gather all sorts of cool and interesting facts about the history of travelling to the moon. Especially you'll learn about Apollo 15, the mission where Irwin himself became the 8th man to touch the lunar surface.

I enjoyed reading Irwin's humbling and inspiring account. Adults and kids alike can benefit from reading this book. It is a good title to use for a school project too.

Now, to leave you with my favorite James Irwin quote...
"Jesus walking on Earth is more important than man walking on the moon."

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great fourth-grade level autobiographical sketch of James Irwin, his trip to the moon as the Apollo 15 lunar module captain, and his own religious experience that resulted from that trip. It is good to see an astronaut give God the glory for the things He has done, and this retelling of James' story may inspire you too to praise God when you see the beauty of the moon in the night sky. The book features a fantastic collection of full-page color photographs throughout; it's almost worth getting for the pictures alone.

[Timothy Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. I think I might like to buy a few of these to give to the children in my life. I have made a special effort to take note of the spiritual dynamics of space travel, and until now, the spiritual journey of Irwin had escaped my notice. It is a pleasure to see such a dedicated effort made to give glory to God for both the beauty of His creation on the moon and for the noble endeavors He has made possible to reach it. It's a kid's book