First on the Moon: A Voyage with Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr.

by Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins

First on the Moon takes the reader on a voyage with the three astronauts who first set foot on the lunar surface. Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin give us the exclusive story of Apollo 11: from the earliest preparations to the final touchdown back on Planet Earth. Theirs is the inspiring tale of a truly heroic adventure. Photographs accompany the text.

Genres: History, Space, Nonfiction, Biography, Science, American History, Aviation

434 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1970

About the author

Buzz Aldrin (born Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr., January 20, 1930) is an engineer and former American astronaut, and the second person to walk on the Moon. He was the lunar module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history. He set foot on the Moon at 03:15:16 (UTC) on July 21, 1969, following mission commander Neil Armstrong. He is also a retired colonel in the United States Air Force (USAF) and a Command Pilot.

Aldrin was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, to Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Sr., a career military man, and his wife Marion (née Moon). He is of Scottish, Swedish, and German ancestry. After graduating from Montclair High School in 1946, Aldrin turned down a full scholarship offer from MIT, and went to the US Military Academy at West Point, New York. The nickname "Buzz" originated in childhood: the younger of his two elder sisters (Fay Ann) mispronounced "brother" as "buzzer", and this was shortened to Buzz. Aldrin made it his legal first name in 1988.

Buzz Aldrin graduated third in his class at West Point in 1951, with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force and served as a jet fighter pilot during the Korean War. He flew 66 combat missions in F-86 Sabres and shot down two Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 aircraft.

Subsequent to the war, Aldrin was assigned as an aerial gunnery instructor at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, and next was an aide to the dean of faculty at the US Air Force Academy. He flew F-100 Super Sabres as a flight commander at Bitburg Air Base, West Germany, in the 22d Fighter Squadron. In 1963 Aldrin earned a Doctor of Science degree in astronautics from MIT. His graduate thesis was "Line-of-sight guidance techniques for manned orbital rendezvous", the dedication of which read, "In the hopes that this work may in some way contribute to their exploration of space, this is dedicated to the crew members of this country’s present and future manned space programs. If only I could join them in their exciting endeavors!" On completion of his doctorate, he was assigned to the Gemini Target Office of the Air Force Space Systems Division in Los Angeles before his selection as an astronaut. His initial application to join the astronaut corps was rejected on the basis of having never been a test pilot; that prerequisite was lifted when he re-applied and was accepted into the third astronaut class, the first selection for which he was eligible.

Aldrin was selected as part of the third group of NASA astronauts selected in October 1963. After the deaths of the original Gemini 9 prime crew, Elliot See and Charles Bassett, Aldrin and Jim Lovell were promoted to back-up crew for the mission. The main objective of the revised mission (Gemini 9A) was to rendezvous and dock with a target vehicle, but when this failed, Aldrin improvised an effective exercise for the craft to rendezvous with a co-ordinate in space. He was confirmed as pilot on Gemini 12. Aldrin set a record for EVA, demonstrating that astronauts could work outside spacecraft.

On July 21, 1969, he became the second astronaut to walk on the Moon, keeping his record total EVA time until that was surpassed on Apollo 14. Aldrin's first words on the Moon were "Beautiful view. Magnificent desolation."

After leaving NASA, Aldrin was assigned as the Commandant of the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, California. In March 1972, Aldrin retired from active duty after 21 years of service, and returned to the Air Force in a managerial role, but his career was blighted by personal problems. His autobiographies Return to Earth, published in 1973, and Magnificent Desolation, published in June 2009, both provide accounts of his struggles with clinical depression and alcoholism in the years following his NASA career. His life improved considerably when he recognized and sought treatment for his problems. Since retiring from NASA, he has continued to promote space exploration.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this the week of July 20, 09 to coincide with the 40th anniversary. From the writers and photographers of Life Magazine. VERY detailed, including transcripts of most of the conversation between the astronauts and mission control, which gets a little tedious. The book shines in giving biographical background of the three astronauts, including their families, shining a light on what their wives and children went through during the flight. This is history written as it happened, before conspiracy theorists and revisionists could get a hold of the story. It makes you feel like you are living July 1969. Though a little long and drawn out at times, still a very good read.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as interesting as I thought it would be. Very detailed, but more of a reference book than a compelling story. I finally slogged through it.

[Martin Empson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly informative and entertaining read, that gives a real sense of the Apollo 11 mission. Between the details of the flight and the technical side of the story, the authors tell the stories of the astronauts and their families. Today this is mostly of historical interest, though no doubt Life was capitalising on its close position to the men and women in order to get sales. However it's the coverage of the mission, sometimes second by second with radio chatter and detailed descriptions that make this worthwhile. The epilogue essay by Arthur C Clarke that tries to predict the future is mostly banal wish fulfilment written in the heady days of post-Apollo 11 & 12 when things seemed to be heading onward ever onward. Clarke is charmingly ignorant of politics and can't seem to imagine budget cuts when making his predictions (though there is a fascinatingly accurate prediction of the Internet).

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent description of both the lunar voyage and American life circa 1969.

I watched the lunar landing from a tiny TV set imported into my New Hampshire sleepaway camp during July 1969. We couldn't really see the moon that night; like much of that "summer" it was pouring rain.

The book helped me fill in what I missed by not reading daily papers while away at camp. It put me back into history.

[MisterFweem · Rating 5 out of 5]

It takes a talented team of writers to know when to step back and use original material and firsthand accounts, and when a bit of storytelling is needed to weave it all together. That's present in this telling of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

And really, that was the only way to tell this story, as the documentary evidence was strong in the NASA record and the world was waiting to hear more from the astronauts themselves. So while I'm sure Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins worked hard on their contributions to this book, Hamblin and Farmer should also get their due.

Their inclusion of a glossary at the beginning of the book was handy, and I referenced it often enough until I refreshed the lingo in my head. (Being a big fan of the Apollo 13 film helped too.)

To be avoided is the epilogue by Arthur C. Clarke. This is a book of science, not science fiction, and as with most hard sci-fi authors, Clarke is good at envisioning the future but guesses poorly when it comes to connecting the future to the present. Many of his predictions depended on public support and political will extending into space exploration long after the Apollo moon landings, when it should have been clear even at the time that the support and political will were going to be fleeting. Kennedy's promise to land on the moon and return before the decade was out had been reached, and there were no more public or political goals to accomplish. There's a reason the only reason we know of Apollo 18 is because of They Might Be Giants.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is unfair of me to compare this book to We Seven but I could not help myself. In We Seven (about the Mercury Seven astronauts) the reader is regaled with first hand accounts written by the astronauts about their manned flights in the early days of space exploration. It was fascinating and page turning…I loved it. This book, though similar in length and published appearance, lacked the passion and riveting story telling that We Seven generated by wisely letting the astronauts tell their own tale. First On The Moon relies on long chunky chapters about each phase of the mission that mixes transcripts from Houston, astronauts’ first hand input, scientific date & info along with blow by blow at home accounts from the wives of the astronauts. It somehow managed to be mostly boring though I remain completely fascinated with the subject matter. The book was at its best when Aldrin and Armstrong were describing what it was like to step out onto the moon…and Collins describing stress he felt while orbiting the Moon knowing there was a possibility that he may have to return to Earth without his fellow travelers. I guess I was looking for more of the human story and less of the historical data covered by hundreds of other published accounts.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have finally finished this book in the midst of my teaching here in Colorado. Life Magazine reporters Dora Jane Hamblin and Gene Farmer, with the help of the Apollo 11 astronauts, constructed a meticulous account of the first voyage to land humans on the Moon during the year after the mission. I felt the strongest aspect of the book was the authors' ability to take the reader into the Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin households where the wives and children anxiously awaited each mission milestone. The book is also strong in describing the technology of the voyage. My favorite part, though, was probably the epilogue by Arthur C. Clarke in which he compares the newfound human ability to reach beyond Earth's atmosphere to the human ability to migrate from the oceans to the land during the early years of life on Earth. He was overly optimistic in what he felt the future would hold following Apollo (he felt that "well before" the end of the twentieth century, a human child would be born on the Moon), but so many of his points remain salient in 2018 if the political and entrepreneurial will can be summoned to send humans beyond low Earth orbit again.

[Eric Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read. Definitely a product of the times - the astronauts are frequently presented as near-deities, but are also frequently illustrated with humble quotes and amusing anecdotes. Many pages are also devoted to the trials of the families of the astronauts during training and during the mission. Another wonderful aspect is the details about what a tight, closely-knit and self-supporting community existed among the astronaut families, including those of some of the deceased astronauts. This should not be surprising, since the Life magazine staff who prepared the book had exclusive access to the families by explicit arrangement. But for me, one of the greatest joys in the book is the transcripts of conversation between the astronauts and Earth - a significant fraction of the book is given over to this. The extensive afterword by Arthur C. Clarke was way off in some places (not surprising given the optimism of the times), but in other places eerily prophetic. For example, he described the advent of the Internet, for all intents an purposes, before it was A Thing.

All in all, highly recommended. Thrilling to read, even if we know how it ends!

[Brian Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read First on the Moon forty or maybe forty-five years ago and, naturally, had forgotten most everything in it. Having now re-read the book, I think it’s good to recommend it whether or not you may have previously read it. The Apollo astronauts had that infamous “deal” with Life Magazine that opened their private family lives exclusively to Life reporters. This book is the product of that arrangement and its strength, as compared to the raft of other Apollo histories I’ve read, is that it is primarily an account of the Apollo 11 families during the mission to the moon. It includes details of what the wives were wearing at various times, who was bringing lasagna casseroles, what the kids were up to, and millions of other incidents that have absolutely no relevance to the technical achievement of journeying to the moon. It is unique and therefore worthwhile to a well-rounded understanding of the year 1969 and the Apollo program.

[Greg Enloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great year of in depth knowledge gain I’ve had in 2018. By reading the story of the Wright Brothers pursuit 60+ years before Apollo 11’s moon-shattering success earlier this year, and finishing the year by reading this technical/personal account of the initiation and completion of the first men on the moon, completes an amazing circle of the focused determination required to risk lives to conquer new frontiers. The intense study, brainstorming of potential failure modes, sacrifices of family life, and unwavering desire to succeed are the common threads between the Wright’s and America’s space program. All accomplished within 60 years, after literally thousands of years of watching the birds, and wishing man could fly.

[Siobhan Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm back in my space era, apparently. This was a fun read. It was cool to read something written so soon after the moon landing. A good deal of the content was pulled directly from flight logs, which I thought added a lot to the story. It was cool to get an idea of what everyone was doing and thinking in the moment during such a major historical event. The last chapter on the future of space travel beyond Apollo was fascinating, and so, so optimistic. It's wild to compare what was thought about and hoped for in 1970, versus what has actually happened in the 50+ years since the moon landing.

[Dale Alan Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superbly written, in-depth story of the first lunar landing, by men.

[Jack Meermans · Rating 4 out of 5]

an unbelievable level of engineering accomplishment.

[Kathleen Brandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't age well. Too much name dropping and minute details hat, to me have no relevance to the story. 60 pages in and I couldn't take it any more. DNF

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I consider this the infodump history of Apollo 11. Of the great many histories of the Apollo program I've read, this still ranks near the top, mainly from the sheer volume of information it contains.

The book very elusively does not credit an author. I believe the Library of Congress actually credits this book de facto to Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins. In actuality, it was put together by editors of Life magazine (even though Life is not mentioned in the copyright!). I don't think I own another book--at least from the commercial market, anyway--that consciously omits an author copyright.

First on the Moon has a jarring quality to it, in that it is a book assembled by a committee. It feels like a quickie book released in the days or weeks following the flight (although the publishing date indicates 1970). The writing does not flow well, and it can be a very tedious read if you're not really into this subject. There are long stretches of official flight transcript dialogue, unedited chunks of technical descriptions, and extended detours for background data. Most of the quotes by the astronauts are block quotes of complete thoughts (in fact, I think this is the only book of its kind containing long quotes from the astronauts' wives!). That's great for completists like me, who revel in seeing the right contexts provided, but it must also be crashingly boring for the general reader who wants only the meat and none of the fat.

I learned a ton from this book, and it is probably still one of the most complete histories of the entire Apollo 11 mission. (The current gold standard is now David Harland's The First Men on the Moon, but this book presents more information tangential to the mission, such as the public atmosphere at the Cape, backgrounds of the crew, etc., whereas Harland's book focuses more acutely on the mission details.)

I take a point off for the sloppy assemblage, the quickie book approach, and the lack of focus, but if you like your data unfiltered and unmentholated, this still ranks among the very best Apollo 11 histories available.

[Ian Beardsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book at my local Friends-of-the-Library book sale and couldn't resist the nostalgia.

Reading about those heady, early years of space exploration in 1960's, it brought back how exciting it all was for me as a little kid. Although I was but a year old in July 1969, the subsequent Apollo missions flavoured my childhood with a sense of wonder. The dry and precise banter between the astronauts and Mission Control in Houston often interrupted my childhood TV diet of Sesame Street, but somehow impressed in me the wonder and excitement of science and technological exploration. I remember telling my aunt at the age of about 3 or 4 that I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up!

Even though I never got anywhere near NASA as I came of age in the late 1980s, I did excel in mathematics and science in school, and I took engineering as my college major. By then, I had mostly forgotten how much those days of "Roger. This is Houston. You're 20 seconds from LOS and looking good for a burn over the hill! We'll talk to you from Madrid at AOS in 60", mysteriously guided my interests and choices--until this book brought it all back.

The book, written by a couple of Life Magazine folks in 1969-70, focuses on an almost hour-by-hour recounting of that July week in 1969, but also takes you on side trips to the astronauts' past experiences, how they came to be the three who explored the moon first, and anecdotes about their wives and families. It is written in an easily accessible and entertaining style, getting only slightly technical when it adds to the context. Although I knew how the story ended, it actually was a real page turner.

There is also an epilogue written by Arthur C. Clarke, which now reads somewhat amusingly due to his optimistic predictions of moon colonies and the conquest of the solar system to be well under way by the year 2010. You may smile at that , but I sometimes wish we had more of that optimism these days...

[GrandpaBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1970 and now out of print, this terrific book combines post-mission interviews with Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins with actual transcripts of the astronauts with Mission Control, the words of their families recorded by reporters along with historical connections to provide you with a complete and compelling story of the Apollo 11 mission from the selection and training of the three astronauts to the splashdown in the Pacific. Arthur C. Clarke provided an Epilogue which in 1970 undoubtedly sounded hopeful but 50 years later on the anniversary of the first moon landing is instead sad, disappointing and a reminder of how distracted and shortsighted we have become.

[Benedikte Moldskred · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first on the moon

The Author is Seymour Simon.
That I like about the book was when the Neil Armstrong came to the moon.
That I dislike about the book are, there was to much to read and many difficult words.
Facts about the book, I learned at in July 20/1969 Neil Armstrong became the first person to set a foot on the moon.
The book suitable for older children.

[Josh Williams]

this book talks about the first people to travel to the moon. It also talks about what it takes to be an astronaut. what they go through to prepare to go to space. This book would be good to introduce students to space, and astronauts. The pictures in this book where actual pictures from a camera.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot believe I hadn't heard about this book before. It was amazing.

Assuming that the reader finds minor details about the moon landing amazing...which I do.

[Cws]

J629.454Arm

[Karola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous!