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Apollo: The Mission to Land a Man on the Moon
Apollo follows man's dream of walking among the stars and charts how space travel and space programs have grown since then.
In 2019, it will have been 50 years since Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon . When his famous words came crackling across the atmosphere—“That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” The first moon landing took place on July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission. Nine days earlier, on July 11, 1969, David Bowie released his iconic “Space Oddity” song about Major Tom the astronaut. The two events resonated with people back on Earth like a match made in the heavens. The crew of Apollo 11—Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins—had been launched into space by the powerful Saturn 5, a three-stage rocket which was about as tall as a 36-story building. It was the culmination of NASA’s human spaceflight program which began 1961 .
This is the story of the Apollo Missions, with all of its ups and downs —in 1967, a cabin fire killed the entire crew of Apollo 1, and-after an oxygen tank exploded-the Apollo 13 crew limped back to Earth using the lunar module as “lifeboat.” But despite Apollo’s many setbacks, twelve men walked on the Moon and their place in American history was assured forever.
In 2019, it will have been 50 years since Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon . When his famous words came crackling across the atmosphere—“That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” The first moon landing took place on July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission. Nine days earlier, on July 11, 1969, David Bowie released his iconic “Space Oddity” song about Major Tom the astronaut. The two events resonated with people back on Earth like a match made in the heavens. The crew of Apollo 11—Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins—had been launched into space by the powerful Saturn 5, a three-stage rocket which was about as tall as a 36-story building. It was the culmination of NASA’s human spaceflight program which began 1961 .
This is the story of the Apollo Missions, with all of its ups and downs —in 1967, a cabin fire killed the entire crew of Apollo 1, and-after an oxygen tank exploded-the Apollo 13 crew limped back to Earth using the lunar module as “lifeboat.” But despite Apollo’s many setbacks, twelve men walked on the Moon and their place in American history was assured forever.
- GenresHistory
192 pages, Hardcover
Published May 14, 2019
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 26, 2019
This is a really good overview of the Apollo missions. There is enough detail about each mission without being too technical. If you are fascinated by the old space programs from the 60's and 70's , you will enjoy this book. There are some really nice photos in this book also. There are also many historical facts and dates in this book.
September 6, 2019
This is a well laid out book with beautiful photographs and what seemed to me to be the perfect amount of information about NASA's Apollo missions - enough to be thorough and detailed, but not too much as to be overwhelming or overly technical.
That being said, it read like a textbook at times (which doesn't bother me much, but might be irksome to some). I also wished it had just a bit more personal of a feel - maybe a few more stories about the behind-the-scenes folks who worked on the program, or just a bit more entertaining of a writing style. It was just a bit too dry in a few sections.
But overall, it was a very good read, especially for those of us already enamored of learning about the space program in general. And really, if we're judging the quality of the book by how fast I read it (four days, which is super fast for me to get through a book this size), it ranks very high indeed!
That being said, it read like a textbook at times (which doesn't bother me much, but might be irksome to some). I also wished it had just a bit more personal of a feel - maybe a few more stories about the behind-the-scenes folks who worked on the program, or just a bit more entertaining of a writing style. It was just a bit too dry in a few sections.
But overall, it was a very good read, especially for those of us already enamored of learning about the space program in general. And really, if we're judging the quality of the book by how fast I read it (four days, which is super fast for me to get through a book this size), it ranks very high indeed!
July 17, 2019
Filled with illustrations from the NASA archives, this book examines the totality of the Apollo program from President Kennedy’s 1961 declaration to Neil Armstrong’s “one giant leap for mankind.” But before that historic July 1969 success, there were other successes, and catastrophic failures.
The Apollo 1 fire. Apollo 12 struck by lightning, not once but twice. The Apollo 13 explosion that crippled the spacecraft and ended their dream of landing on the moon. High costs, indeed.
The Apollo 15 Lunar Rover. Apollo 16’s “House Rock.” Apollo 17’s discovery of orange soil. Amazing successes.
The astronauts, the rocket engineers, and so many others working together, succeeded in making John Kennedy’s impossible dream a reality.
A bibliography for further reading is included.
Highly recommended.
The Apollo 1 fire. Apollo 12 struck by lightning, not once but twice. The Apollo 13 explosion that crippled the spacecraft and ended their dream of landing on the moon. High costs, indeed.
The Apollo 15 Lunar Rover. Apollo 16’s “House Rock.” Apollo 17’s discovery of orange soil. Amazing successes.
The astronauts, the rocket engineers, and so many others working together, succeeded in making John Kennedy’s impossible dream a reality.
A bibliography for further reading is included.
Highly recommended.
November 17, 2019
What an amazing book. It was informative and educational. It drew me in with its beautiful pictures. It took me on a ride!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews