Long has the moon captured the imagination of world; from science fiction to astrology; howling wolves to lunar calendars. To President John F. Kennedy, however, the moon was a destination. To put a man on the moon would be to challenge Russia's recent achievements in space exploration and assert the US's technological prowess on the world stage. As we know, the mission was a success, and yet while everyone is familiar with Neil Armstrong's iconic line and his bold tread on the moon's dusty surface, few are privy to the events leading up to this moment. Former NASA engineer, David Baker, gives a behind-the-scenes account of the space race, including the political impetus behind the mission, the Apollo 8's lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, as well as some of the tale's tragedies. Bursting with fascinating stories, striking photographs of the team and exclusive material provided by NASA personnel, this book perfectly captures the risk, complexity and gravitas of this immense journey.

In 1961 President John F. Kennedy challenged the United States to land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth before the end of the decade. It seemed like an impossible mission and one that the Russians?who had launched the first satellite and put the first man into Earth orbit?would surely achieve before the Americans. However, the ingenuity, passion, and sacrifice of thousands of ordinary people from all walks of life enabled the space program to meet this extraordinary goal. This is the story of fourteen of those men and women who worked behind the scenes, without fanfare or recognition, to make the Apollo missions successful.

A Behind-the-Scenes Look At NASA’s incredible Journey to the Moon Space journalist and insider Nancy Atkinson weaves together the riveting story of NASA’s mission to complete “the greatest adventure on which humankind ever embarked.” This incredible account is a keepsake celebrating some of the most important and dramatic events in modern history. Told through over 60 personal interviews and oral histories, as well as personal photographs, this tribute to the men and women who made the Apollo 11 mission a reality chronicles the highs and lows that accompanied the race to the Moon: the devastating flash fire that killed the crew of Apollo 1; the awe of those who saw their years-in-the-making contributions to space exploration blast off from Cape Canaveral; the knuckle-biting descent of Apollo 11 to the lunar surface; a near-catastrophic event on the crew’s flight home; the infectious excitement and jubilation across the world after the astronauts returned safely to Earth. These little-known stories of the dedicated engineers, mathematicians and scientists in the 1960s reveal the “hows” of the Apollo missions and bring to life the wonder and excitement of humanity’s first steps on the Moon.

The Apollo space program was the largest technological undertaking of all time, and let to the greatest adventure of the 20th century. Born of the cold war, it was moved forward by the passion of 100,000 workers and $20 billion over ten years. Over that time, 12 courageous individuals stepped out onto the lunar surface and thus changed the history of humankind, changing us into a space-faring civilization. And then, it was gone. Three years, 9 missions, six men on the surface of the moon. They explored, they experimented, and they came home. Here in one volume are the transcripted voices of the partipants, with expert commentary and retrospective reminiscences, explained and put into context. From the triumphs of Neil Armstrong to Buzz Aldrin, to the near disaster of Apollo 13 ("Houston, we've got a problem"), it's all here -- the science, the adventure, the glory, the letdown. One of the great stories of humankind's reaching for the stars.

In 1961 President Kennedy issued a challenge to land a person on the moon and return safely to Earth before the end of the 1960s, a bold proclamation at the time, given that only one US astronaut had been to space, for just 15 minutes. The race to the moon was part of the larger Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, a race where the Russians appeared far ahead of the Americans. Apollo was a complicated, dangerous and expensive adventure involving 400,000 people across the nation. Before it was over, NASA had made 11 Apollo flights, six of which landed on the moon, and eight astronauts had lost their lives. But it was also fun, and the crews never missed a chance to enjoy the trip or pull off a prank 240,000 miles from home. The Apollo Missions for Kids tells the story from the perspective of those who lived it—the astronauts and their families, the controllers and engineers, the technicians and politicians who made the impossible possible.

One of the most successful public relations campaigns in history, featuring heroic astronauts, press-savvy rocket scientists, enthusiastic reporters, deep-pocketed defense contractors, and Tang. In July 1969, ninety-four percent of American televisions were tuned to coverage of Apollo 11's mission to the moon. How did space exploration, once the purview of rocket scientists, reach a larger audience than My Three Sons? Why did a government program whose standard operating procedure had been secrecy turn its greatest achievement into a communal experience? In Marketing the Moon, David Meerman Scott and Richard Jurek tell the story of one of the most successful marketing and public relations campaigns in history: the selling of the Apollo program. Primed by science fiction, magazine articles, and appearances by Wernher von Braun on the “Tomorrowland” segments of the Disneyland prime time television show, Americans were a receptive audience for NASA's pioneering “brand journalism.” Scott and Jurek describe sophisticated efforts by NASA and its many contractors to market the facts about space travel—through press releases, bylined articles, lavishly detailed background materials, and fully produced radio and television features—rather than push an agenda. American astronauts, who signed exclusive agreements with Life magazine, became the heroic and patriotic faces of the program. And there was some judicious product placement: Hasselblad was the “first camera on the moon”; Sony cassette recorders and supplies of Tang were on board the capsule; and astronauts were equipped with the Exer-Genie personal exerciser. Everyone wanted a place on the bandwagon. Generously illustrated with vintage photographs, artwork, and advertisements, many never published before, Marketing the Moon shows that when Neil Armstrong took that giant leap for mankind, it was a triumph not just for American engineering and rocketry but for American marketing and public relations.

Compiled here are many important documents about the Apollo 16 mission including the complete debriefing in the crew's own words.