Apollo

by Stephen W. Hawking, Lucy Hawking (Foreword), Michael Cabbage (Introduction)

Apollo is a photographic commemoration of the Apollo lunar missions as seen through the eyes of the astronauts. Each of the surviving 21 astronauts from the Apollo missions has chosen a favorite photograph from his space flight especially for this book. These selections are accompanied by other iconic photographs from the Apollo missions. Bestselling astrophysicist Stephen Hawking and his daughter Lucy Hawking contribute a foreword on the meaning of the space exploration. July 20, 2009, marks the 40th anniversary of the first manned landing on the Moon by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 . Apollo is the only photographic book on the Apollo missions to be created by NASA, and is the perfect commemorative volume about this epochal program, where legendary achievement was recorded in powerful images.

Genres: Space, Nonfiction

132 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2009

About the author

Stephen William Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. Between 1979 and 2009, he was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, widely viewed as one of the most prestigious academic posts in the world.
Hawking was born in Oxford into a family of physicians. In October 1959, at the age of 17, he began his university education at University College, Oxford, where he received a first-class BA degree in physics. In October 1962, he began his graduate work at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where, in March 1966, he obtained his PhD degree in applied mathematics and theoretical physics, specialising in general relativity and cosmology. In 1963, at age 21, Hawking was diagnosed with an early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease that gradually, over decades, paralysed him. After the loss of his speech, he communicated through a speech-generating device initially through use of a handheld switch, and eventually by using a single cheek muscle.
Hawking's scientific works included a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems in the framework of general relativity, and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking radiation. Initially, Hawking radiation was controversial. By the late 1970s, and following the publication of further research, the discovery was widely accepted as a major breakthrough in theoretical physics. Hawking was the first to set out a theory of cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. He was a vigorous supporter of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.
Hawking achieved commercial success with several works of popular science in which he discussed his theories and cosmology in general. His book A Brief History of Time appeared on the Sunday Times bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. Hawking was a Fellow of the Royal Society, a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. In 2002, Hawking was ranked number 25 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. He died in 2018 at the age of 76, having lived more than 50 years following his diagnosis of motor neurone disease.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great picture book that chronicles the manned Apollo fights 7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 and 17. I borrowed it from the library and it was fun to leaf through and remember the world's last great exploration.

[Darkpool · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book. I found it ever so interesting to see which photos the different astronauts chose, and their comments about why. While some of the pictures selected for the book are iconic, many were unfamiliar to me. Well worth the trip to the library.

[Maarit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vuonna 2009 julkaistu valokuvateos, joka juhlisti Kuuhun laskeutumisen 40:ttä vuosipäivää. Teos sisältää Stephen ja Lucy Hawkingin esipuheen, runsaasti valokuvia Apollo-ohjelmasta aina Apollo 7 viimeiseen Apollo 17 saakka sekä tuohon aikaan elossa olleiden Apollo -astronauttien kommentteja hetkistä, jolloin heidän teokseen valitsemansa valokuvat on otettu ja mitä kuvat heille merkitsevät.

Kuvat ovat upeita ja niihin liittyvät kuvatekstit lyhyitä, mutta informatiivisia. Kirja on jaettu osiin jokaisen Apollo-lennon mukaan numerojärjestyksessä ja osion aloittaa aina lyhyt, noin sivun mittainen teksti lennon taustoista sekä siitä, montako kameraa lennolla oli mukana ja montako kuvaa (mustavalko & väri, joskus myös infrapuna) kyseisellä lennolla otettiin. Esim. Apollo 11 valokuvasaalis oli yhteensä 1407 kuvaa, joista 857 kuvattiin mustavalkoiselle filmille ja 550 värifilmille. Kokonaisuutena erittäin mielenkiintoinen kokonaisuus, jonka valokuvat eivät vanhene koskaan. Tekstissä on ehkä pieniä vanhentumisen merkkejä lähinnä nykypäivää koskevissa ennusteissa, mutta ei mitään sen suurempia. 4 tähteä.

[Mfralish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun space photos if you love Apollo history but the image quality of photos is underatandably not comparable to digitally remastered versions published around the 50th anniversary about 10 years after this books publication. The commentary is sparse but enjoyable.

[Jennie Machines · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome book that is full of brief descriptions of the various Apollo missions and full page spreads of Space photos that were taken by Astronauts. The real gem to this book would be the quotes from each Astronaut. They are beautiful, funny, stoic and help to convey what it would be like to have such a great experience. It is a quick and delightful read. But far less quick if you properly pay each photo the respect it deserves.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Quick read, but beautiful pictures. Amazing to realize that the astronauts took a good portion of the pictures on film with no view finder.