The Apollo Program: The History and Legacy of America's Most Famous Space Missions

“This behind-the-scenes look at the first Apollo moon landing has the feel of a public television documentary in its breadth and detail” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Here is a rare perspective on a story we only thought we knew. For Apollo 11, the first moon landing, is a story that belongs to many, not just the few and famous. It belongs to the seamstress who put together twenty-two layers of fabric for each space suit. To the engineers who created a special heat shield to protect the capsule during its fiery reentry. It belongs to the flight directors, camera designers, software experts, suit testers, telescope crew, aerospace technicians, photo developers, engineers, and navigators. Gathering direct quotes from some of these folks who worked behind the scenes, Catherine Thimmesh reveals their very human worries and concerns. Culling NASA transcripts, national archives, and stunning NASA photos from Apollo 11, she captures not only the sheer magnitude of this feat but also the dedication, ingenuity, and perseverance of the greatest team ever—the team that worked to first put man on that great gray rock in the sky. Winner of the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award “An edge-of-your-seat adventure... Lavishly illustrated... This exhilarating book... will captivate.” —Chicago Sun-Times “Thimmesh gives names and voices to the army that got Neil Armstrong and company to the moon and back. The result is a spectacular and highly original addition to the literature of space exploration.” —The Horn Book “This beautiful and well-documented tribute will introduce a new generation to that triumphant time.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Overview: \*Includes pictures \*Chronicles the Apollo program from beginning to end, profiling Apollo 1, Apollo 11, and Apollo 13 \*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading \*Includes a table of contents The Apollo space program is the most famous and celebrated in American history, but the first successful landing of men on the Moon during Apollo 11 had complicated roots dating back over a decade, and it also involved one of NASA’s most infamous tragedies. Landing on the Moon presented an ideal goal all on its own, but the government’s urgency in designing the Apollo program was actually brought about by the Soviet Union, which spent much of the 1950s leaving the United States in its dust (and rocket fuel). In 1957, at a time when people were concerned about communism and nuclear war, many Americans were dismayed by news that the Soviet Union was successfully launching satellites into orbit. Among those concerned was President Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose space program was clearly lagging a few years behind the Soviets’ space program. From 1959-1963, the United States worked toward putting satellites and humans into orbit via the Mercury program, but Eisenhower’s administration was already designing plans for the Apollo program by 1960, a year before the first Russian orbited the Earth and two years before John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy addressed Congress and asked the nation to “commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” Given America’s inability to even put a man in orbit yet, this seemed like an overly ambitious goal, and it isn’t even clear that Kennedy himself believed it possible; after all, he was reluctant to meet NASA Administrator James E. Webb’s initial funding requests. As Apollo 11’s name suggests, there were actually a number of Apollo missions that came before, many of which included testing the rockets and different orbital and lunar modules in orbit. In fact, it wasn’t until Apollo 8 that a manned vehicle was sent towards the Moon and back, and before that mission, the most famous Apollo mission was Apollo 1, albeit for all the wrong reasons. Over the decade, NASA would spend tens of billions on the Apollo missions, the most expensive peacetime program in American history to that point, and even though Apollo 11 was only one of almost 20 Apollo missions, it was certainly the crown jewel. only one of nearly 20 Apollo missions conducted by NASA. And to make Apollo 11 a success, it would take nearly a decade of planning by government officials, hard work by NASA scientists, intense training by the astronauts, and several missions preceding Apollo 11. It also cost over $20 billion, making the Apollo program the most expensive peacetime program in American history at the time. Apollo 12 successfully landed astronauts on the Moon just a few months after Apollo 11’s successful mission. Apollo 12 was actually more successful than Apollo 11 from the standpoint of fulfilling the mission objectives, but it was naturally overshadowed since it did not come first. Another reason Apollo 12 is mostly forgotten today can be credited to the dramatic and fateful Apollo 13 mission, which took twists and turns nobody could have predicted when it launched on April 11, 1970. Apollo 13’s mission was to land on the Moon near the Fra Mauro highlands, which were hills that had somehow formed in the middle of a huge crater tens of miles wide. The mission was supposed to test for seismic activity and take samples to analyze the crater and try to find an explanation for the formation of the hills. Of course, as is widely known today, Apollo 13 never made the landing. By the end of the Apollo program, NASA had already begun designing and developing the Space Shuttle Program, which would provide reusable vehicles for manned space travel.

i Walked On The Moon. This Is My Journey. But It Didn't Begin When I Stepped On Board apollo 11 On July 1, 1969. It Began The Day I Was Born.

becoming An Astronaut Took More Than Education, Discipline, And Physical Strength. It Took Years Of Determination And Believing That Any Goal Is Possible—from Riding A Bike Alone Across The George Washington Bridge At Age Ten To Making A Footprint On The Moon.

i Always Knew The Moon Was Within My Reach—and That I Was Ready To Be On The Team That Would Achieve The First Landing. But It Was Still Hard To Believe When I Took My First Step Onto The Moon's Surface.

we All Have Our Own Dreams. This Is The Story Of How Mine Came True.

publishers Weekly

aldrin And Illustrator Minor (one Of Six American Artists Selected To Cover The Launch Of The Space Shuttle Discovery In 1988) Bring The Astronaut's Early Life And Commendable Career Into Stunningly Sharp Focus. Aldrin Shapes Nearly Each Page Into A Kind Of Brief Chapter, Instantly Pulling Readers Into His Easygoing, Articulate Narrative. For Instance, He Recalls How, On Summer Nights During His Childhood, The Moon Hung Low In The Sky, So Close To Our House That I Thought I Could Reach Out And Touch The Soft White Light. I Never Imagined That One Day I Would Walk On Its Surface. But Maybe It Was Meant To Be. You See, Before She Was Married, My Mother's Last Name Was Moon. In Another Neat Coincidence, Aldrin's Pilot Father Took The Two-year-old On His First Flight In A Plane Painted To Look Like An Eagle; And, In A Craft Named Eagle, Aldrin And Neil Armstrong Landed On The Moon During The 1969 Apollo 11 Mission. After Recapping Earlier Events In His Life, The Author Recaptures The Thrill Of The Eagle's Landing And His And Armstrong's Exploration Of The Moon. Aldrin Closes With A Stirring Afterword Encouraging Readers To Reach For Their Own Moons: If You Set Your Sights High, You May Accomplish More Than You Ever Dreamed Was Possible. Minor's Light-infused Art Balances Lifelike, Affecting Portraiture And Images Of Various Spacecraft In Motion, Rendered With An Almost Dizzying Clarity. Author And Artist Clearly Aimed High Here And Easily Hit Their Mark. Ages 6-9. (june) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

In the Shadow of the Moon tells the story of the most exciting and challenging years in spaceflight, with two superpowers engaged in a titanic struggle to land one of their own people on the moon. While describing awe-inspiring technical achievements, the authors go beyond the missions and the competition of the space race to focus on the people who made it all possible. Their book explores the inspirations, ambitions, personalities, and experiences of the select few whose driving ambition was to fly to the moon. Drawing on interviews with astronauts, cosmonauts, their families, technicians, and scientists, as well as rarely seen Soviet and American government documents, the authors craft a remarkable story of the golden age of spaceflight as both an intimate human experience and a rollicking global adventure. From the Gemini flights to the Soyuz space program to the earliest Apollo missions, including the legendary first moon landing, their book draws a richly detailed picture of the space race as an endeavor equally endowed with personal meaning and political significance.

Here is a rare perspective on a story we only thought we knew. For Apollo 11, the first moon landing, is a story that belongs to many, not just the few and famous. It belongs to the seamstress who put together twenty-two layers of fabric for each space suit. To the engineers who created a special heat shield to protect the capsule during its fiery reentry. It belongs to the flight directors, camera designers, software experts, suit testers, telescope crew, aerospace technicians, photo developers, engineers, and navigators.

Gathering direct quotes from some of these folks who worked behind the scenes, Catherine Thimmesh reveals their very human worries and concerns. Culling NASA transcripts, national archives, and stunning NASA photos from Apollo 11, she captures not only the sheer magnitude of this feat but also the dedication, ingenuity, and perseverance of the greatest team ever—the team that worked to first put man on that great gray rock in the sky.

This Book Tells The Story Of The Most Exciting And Challenging Years In Spaceflight, With Two Superpowers Engaged In A Titanic Struggle To Land One Of Their Own People On The Moon. Drawing On Interviews With Astronauts, Cosmonauts, Their Families, Technicians, And Scientists, As Well As Rarely Seen Soviet And American Government Documents, The Authors Craft A Story Of The Golden Age Of Spaceflight As Both An Intimate Human Experience And A Global Adventure.--[book Cover]. List Of Illustrations -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Gemini Raises The Bar -- 2. A Rendezvous In Space -- 3. The Ballet Of Weightlessness -- 4. The Risk Stuff -- 5. The Astronaut Enigma -- 6. Starting Over -- 7. Leaving The Good Earth -- 8. A Test Pilot's Dream -- 9. The Highest Mountain -- Epilogue -- References. Francis French And Colin Burgess ; With A Foreword By Walter Cunningham. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [413]-425). I Walked on the Moon. This is my journey. It didn't begin when I stepped on board Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969. It began the day I was born -- Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr., whom everyone called Buzz. Becoming an astronaut took more than education, discipline, and physical strength. It took years of determination and believing that any goal is possible -- from riding a bike alone across the George Washington Bridge at age ten to making a footprint on the Moon. I always knew the Moon was within my reach -- and that I was ready to be part of the team that would achieve the first landing. But it was still hard to believe when I took my first step onto the Moon's surface. We all have our own dreams -- this is the story of how mine came true. This volume visits 25 families in 21 countries around the world. Each family is photographed surrounded by a week's worth of food and groceries, which the authors use as a way of investigating not only different cultures' diets and standard of living but also the impact of globalization -- why doesn't abundance bring better health, instead of increased occurrences of diabetes and similar diseases? The main narrative presents friendly, multigenerational portraits of each family, with meals and food preparation an avenue toward understanding their hopes and struggles. A wealth of supporting information -- color photographs, family recipes, maps, sidebars, etc. -- surrounds the text and implies questions about global food supplies Nearly four decades ago Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left some mementos on the ancient lunar soil of the Sea of Tranquility. Among these was a small brittle silicon disc with microscopic messages of goodwill from 73 world leaders. In 1969, with only weeks left before the Apollo 11 liftoff, NASA worked feverishly on a crash project to miniaturize messages from American and world leaders to enshrine them on a material suited for the harsh environment of the Moon. This book reveals a never-before-told story of the disc, along with many rare and astounding photographs. Simply told, grandly shown, here is the flight of Apollo 11 . Here for a new generation of readers and explorers are the steady astronauts, clicking themselves into gloves and helmets, strapping themselves into sideways seats. Here are their great machines in all their detail and monumentality, the ROAR of rockets, and the silence of the Moon. Here is a story of adventure and discoverya story of leaving and returning during the summer of 1969, and a story of home, seen whole, from far away. Support and extend each week's learning with these award-winning trade books, each selected to provide extended readings across each unit's themes and concepts. Each grade level Trade Book Library supports content strands in science and social studies; differentiates with new opportunities to encounter extended complex text; and gives students the opportunity to write across a deeper collection of texts A detailed account of the competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union to land a man on the moon draws on interviews with astronauts, cosmonauts, technicians, and scientists, as well as little known government documents, to chronicle the golden age of spaceflight and the experiences, aspirations, and determination of the people who made the first moon landing possible. Here Is The Story Of The Apollo 11 Mission To The Moon -- A Story Of Leaving And Returning During The Summer Of 1969, And A Story Of Home, Seen Whole, From Far Away By Steady Astronauts In Their Great Machines. Brian Floca. A Richard Jackson Book. Includes Bibliographical References. Recounts the history of the silicon disc which Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission, and displays the messages from the United States and seventy-three other countries etched on the disc "A photographic collection exploring what the world eats featuring portraits of twenty-five families from twenty-one countries surrounded by a week's worth of food"--Provided by publisher Culled from direct quotes from the people behind the scenes, NASA transcripts, national archives and NASA photos, the whole story of Apollo 11 and the first moon landing emerges. An autobiography of American astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who landed on the moon with Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 expedition