Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts [Hardcover]

Robert Jacobs (Author), Michael Cabbage (Introduction), Stephen Hawking (Foreword), Lucy Hawking (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2009

Apollo is a photographic commemoration of the Apollo lunar missions as seen through the eyes of the astronauts. Each of the surviving 21 astronauts from the Apollo missions has chosen a favorite photograph from his space flight especially for this book. These selections are accompanied by other iconic photographs from the Apollo missions. Bestselling astrophysicist Stephen Hawking and his daughter Lucy Hawking contribute a foreword on the meaning of the space exploration.

 

July 20, 2009, marks the 40th anniversary of the first manned landing on the Moon by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11. Apollo is the only photographic book on the Apollo missions to be created by NASA, and is the perfect commemorative volume about this epochal program, where legendary achievement was recorded in powerful images.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stephen Hawking is the bestselling author of A Brief History of Time and the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, England. His daughter Lucy Hawking is a journalist and novelist.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 132 pages
• Publisher: Abrams; First Edition edition (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810921464
• ISBN-13: 978-0810921467
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,084 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

An Emmy Award winning journalist and strategic planner, Bob's career and academic studies include extensive experience in leadership, organizational change, government relations, multimedia development, and crisis communications.

He is a chief NASA spokesperson and serves as a deputy associate administrator for the Office of Communications, responsible for leading and executing many of the agency's public outreach activities.

Bob has worked to develop and incorporate emerging technologies into NASA's communications activities to better share the agency's compelling story with a variety of internal and external audiences. He launched and moderates many of the agency's new media and social Web initiatives, and is responsible for NASA's award-winning Internet homepage and NASA Television.

Recently, he completed the migration of NASA TV to HDTV and co-authored three books, including "Hubble: A Journey Through Space and Time" and "Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts." He has written for leaders at the highest levels of federal government and authored countless news releases and speeches.

Bob has been honored with agency medals for exceptional service and outstanding leadership, and is known as a collaborative team player who knows how to mobilize others to achieve success.

A native of Nashville, he earned a bachelor's degree from Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, and a master's degree from Seton Hall University, South Orange, N.J.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Astronauts Commenting on Photographs from the Apollo Program, July 2, 2009

By 

Roger D. Launius "Historian" (Washington, D.C., United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts (Hardcover)

Sponsored by NASA, "Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts" has the considerable weight of the agency behind it. For uniqueness and quality of imagery this book is stunning. Its focus is on astronaut photography, and many of the images reproduced here were selected by members of the various Apollo crews. Each of the surviving Apollo astronauts--a total of 21 remain 40 years after that first landing--chose their favorite photograph and offered a comment about it for inclusion in the book.

So this book has Bill Anders and Jim Lovell from Apollo 8 commenting on the meaning for them of the impressive "Earthrise" photograph that has come to be such an iconic image. Buzz Aldrin discusses the famous boot print image and his own face on shot from Apollo 11, while Neil Armstrong comments on the return to lunar orbit after leaving the surface and the photo of the "Eagle" Lunar Module about the dock with the "Columbia" Command Module.

Other astronauts chose other images for comment, but all of them offered an interesting and sometimes thought-provoking perspective on the voyages of Apollo.

"Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts" is a fascinating book. Enjoy.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Photos but there could have been more, November 12, 2009

By 

Wayne "DriverPhil" (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts (Hardcover)

This is a slender book. The photos and commentary are terrific but left me wanting more.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great review of the whole moon landing program, September 18, 2009

By 

Jean E. Pouliot (Newburyport, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts (Hardcover)

This summer's gushing remembrances of the first Moon landing in 1969 were wonderfully apropos, but neglected to mention that the Apollo program did not start and end with Neil, Buzz, Michael and the Sea of Tranquility. This terrific pictorial gives us unforgettable images of all the Apollo missions and the men who flew them. Better yet, the astronauts are remembered in their own words and in images of their own choosing. There are classic images -- the Earth rise from Apollo 8 and the "visor" image of Buzz Aldrin from Apollo 11. But there are many lesser known images as well, of astronauts posing aside the Surveyor lander, of moon buggies, leaping salutes and many unshaven faces on the way home.

Surprisingly, given the sheer volume of available images, some selections were poor. There is one notably blurry double-page spreads of a ticker tape parade, and where is the shot of Alan Shepard smacking a golf ball into the wild black, starless yonder?

But I truly enjoyed this short and smart look at the incremental steps that brought humanity to the moon and its first few steps beyond that enormous achievement.