Where No Man Has Gone Before - A History of Nasa's Apollo Lunar Expeditions 2 ed.

Compton William David. Where No Man Has Gone Before - A History of Nasa's Apollo Lunar Expeditions [NASA history series.; NASA SP 4214] 2 ed. 2010 [pdf 860sc 860c. 3.81mb] Thepurposeofthisbookisonlypartlytorecordtheengineering and scientific accomplishments of the men andwomen who made it possible for a human to step away fromhis home planet for the first time. It is primarily an attempt toshow how scientists interested in the moon and engineersinterested in landing people on the moon worked out theirdifferencesandconductedaprogramthatwasamajorcontribution to science as well as a stunning engineeringaccomplishment. This official NASA history chronicles the behind-the-scenes conflicts and cooperation during the Apollo expeditions. It shows how the space agency's scientists, who were primarily interested in the moon itself, worked out their differences with the engineers, who were charged with the astronauts' safe landing and return. The close collaboration between the scientists and engineers ensured the success of a program that remains a major achievement for both fields. The first half of the book concerns the preparations for the Moon landings, tracing the development of the Apollo science program from the earliest days. The second half documents the flights that followed Apollo 11, during which twelve astronauts explored the lunar surface and returned with samples for investigation. The author drew upon the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center's collection of more than 31,000 Apollo-related documents and conducted more than 300 interviews with program participants to assemble this definitive survey.