The First Men on the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11 by David M. Harland


The First Men on the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11
Title : The First Men on the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 0387341765
ISBN-10 : 9780387341767
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 378
Publication : First published October 1, 2006

This book offers a lively and definitive account of the Apollo 11 mission. It is based on the in-flight transcripts and post-flight debriefing, including conversations among the crew in the spacecraft that were not transmitted. It presents a color section that features the high-resolution scans recently produced by NASA from the original Hasselblad film. The introductory chapters review the motivation to land on the Moon by the end of the 1960s, the development of the Saturn V rocket and the Apollo spacecraft as the means of doing so, the selection of potential landing sites, the precursor missions, and the backgrounds of the three men who were to fly Apollo 11. In contrast to most books about Apollo, which concentrate on how NASA geared up for the program, 75% of this book is devoted to Apollo 11. This comprehensive account dispels the myth that NASA faked the moon landings. The author's expertise and considerable experience of writing about the Moon landings shines through and seamlessly unites the myriad details of the mission.

The First Men on the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11 Reviews

  • Robu-sensei

    In
    The First Men on the Moon, David Harland gives us a comprehensive account of the Apollo 11 mission and its preliminaries in a simple, clear narrative. Beginning with brief biographies of the astronauts, he traces the preparations for the mission in the first quarter of the book; the remainder is a detailed account of the mission, with careful treatment of all phases. Harland is careful not to sully the historic occasion with histrionics. He tells it just the way it happened, devoid of embellishment except through the level of detail (the landing phase, for example, is presented almost in real time). I found this no-frills approach to storytelling most refreshing.

  • Kim

    Loved the closing with the little girl showing Neil her book on the First Man to the Moon, then said, your name is Neil Armstrong too.