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Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts

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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.

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

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.

This book holds the key to our future. Because of the race to space we were able to shoot for the Moon. Now we are a part of history as we go back to the Moon with the same design as the Apollo missions. In order to understand the future you must understand the past. This book has the untold stories of our country's past as we made our mark on the Moon. Told through the eyes of those who stud on it.

As others have said - "a slim volume". Nearly all the pictures are available in other venues and the astronauts' words really don't add much insight - being limited to mainly short paragraphs or one liners.

There are at least two shockingly bad captioning mistakes (Apollo 12 crew identified with Apollo 11 crew names. LM ANTARES - clearly in landing configuration - identified as drifting empty after returning from the surface). Other captions seem weak in relation to what is in the picture if you know a little more about this missions including a pair of pictures of the Apollo 13 emergency Lithium Hydroxide canister lash up - on Earth and the same in space - which is interesting to compare what the astronauts did from radioed instructions - but is then commented as an assembly of hoses with no reference to the crucial canister in the shot. I'm not being picky - it is poor editorial.

I have a vast collection of books about the Moon Landings and have many of thin content value that stay on the shelf for having SOMETHING new to say. I'm seriously considering not giving this book space - there was little new and I have doubts about any "new" facts I read given some mistakes in the text.

If you want photography shots - Michael Light's Full Moon is a far better introduction to spectacular moon photography. For all NASA supposedly cooperated in the making of this book - it comes a poor cousin - for all Stephen Hawking might offer in the introduction.

This book represents a chance to see the sights of the astronauts and read what they thought. It's remarkable for its insight and the photos are works of art in their own right. Anyone interested in the golden age of NASA's space exploration will appreciate this book. Many large color photos along with relevant caption allow the reader to experience what only a select few have had the privilege to do.

This is a very authentic book on a great American achievement. The photos were all chosen by the astronauts for each of the missions, and the associated text was written by the astronauts, often providing unique comments about the photo. Having worked as an engineer on the Apollo program for eight years, I was very happy to add the book to my Apollo collection.

July 20, 2009 is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11's landing on the moon. In celebration of that historic event that represented 'one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind', the NASA team of Robert Jacobs (Deputy Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs), Michael Cabbage (Director of the News Services Division), Constance Moore (Head Photo Researcher), and Bertram Ulrich (Curator and Multimedia Manager) have collaborated to produce "Apollo: Through The Eyes Of The Astronauts". Each of the twenty-one astronauts from the Apollo program have selected a favorite photograph from his space flight to be included in this memorial book. Enhanced with an informative foreword by Stephen and Lucy Hawking, "Apollo: Through The Eyes Of The Astronauts" tells the individual stories of the astronauts on the Apollo missions. Profusely illustrated throughout in perfect complement to an informed and informative text, "Apollo: Through The Eyes Of The Astronauts" is an especially recommended addition to personal, school, and community library American Space & Aeronautics history and reference collections.