The International Atlas of Lunar Exploration [Hardcover]

Philip J. Stooke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 14, 2008 | ISBN-10: 052181930X | ISBN-13: 978-0521819305 | Edition: 1

Bringing together a wealth of information from many sources, including some material never before published, this atlas is a comprehensive reference on lunar exploration. It tells the story of every spacecraft mission to the Moon since the dawn of the space age, illustrating each account with a unique combination of maps and annotated photographs. Many of the illustrations were created especially for this atlas, including panoramic photographs from every lunar mission. The missions are listed in chronological order, providing readers with an easy to follow history of lunar missions. Special attention has been given to describing the processes involved in choosing landing sites for Apollo and its precursors. The atlas also includes missions that were planned but never flown, before looking ahead to future missions as the world's space agencies prepare for a new phase of lunar exploration.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...worth its price. Stooke's maps are unique, valuable, and beautiful additions to lunar science and exploration. Viewing and reading this generally excellent book illuminates the Moon in a far more exciting light." - Donald F. Robertson, Sky & Telescope

"Bringing together a wealth of information from many sources, including some material never before published, this atlas is a comprehensive reference on lunar exploration." --Lunar and Planetary Institute

"Should you add this book to your lunar reference collection? My answer is a resounding yes...devoted lunaphiles will treasure it for the rest of their lives." --Chuck Wood: The Moon Wikispaces

Book Description

Bringing together a wealth of information, this atlas is a comprehensive reference on lunar exploration. It tells the story of every spacecraft mission to the Moon, providing readers with a step-by-step history of lunar missions. Each account is illustrated with a unique combination of maps and annotated photographs.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (January 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052181930X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521819305
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,007,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, September 4, 2009

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B. Pohnan (IL, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The International Atlas of Lunar Exploration (Hardcover)

By any standards, "The International Atlas of Lunar Exploration" by Philip J. Stooke is an utterly remarkable and fascinating tome. Its price is hefty enough to make one gasp, but those who purchase it will invariably conclude that they got their money's worth.

This is a difficult book to classify; it is an atlas, but it is also a combination source book and reference book. Arranged chronologically, it describes any mission that flew by, orbited, impacted on, or soft-landed on, the moon. For each mission the book includes diagrams of the photo coverage and detailed maps, at varying scales, of impact and landing sites. Crisp, newly enhanced lunar surface panoramas illustrate those sites visited by unmanned and manned missions that returned photographs to Earth. To give an idea of how comprehensive this book is, 37 illustrations and maps are devoted to the Apollo 14 landing site, the Apollo 14 SIVB impact site and the Apollo 14 LM ascent stage impact site. In addition to this, Stooke includes maps of alternate Fra Mauro landing sites and astronaut traverses. Proposed landing sites that were never explored are illustrated and some feature detailed traverse maps for astronauts or unmanned rovers. A map of an advanced Apollo, five-day, eight-EVA mission to the Marius Hills is a showcase of audacity. Tables of lunar landing site candidates, some assembled at the dawn of space exploration and during the early days of lunar mission planning, are a historical treasure trove. The thoroughness of Stooke's research for this book is awe inspiring.

What a reader won't find here, however, is a tidy story of how humanity decided where to send what. The text is dry and could have been written by Dragnet's Joe Friday, "Just the facts, ma'am." If a reader wants anecdotes, background color, names, personalities, geological explanations, and conflict, check out Don Wilhelms' indispensable "To a Rocky Moon, a Geologist's History of Lunar Explorations." Stooke's book nicely compliments Wilhelms'.

This book has one shortcoming that is not a deficiency but definitely an annoyance. The layout needs to be changed so the text is physically closer to the maps and illustrations being discussed. For example, the discussion of the Apollo 15 mission begins on a page with illustrations relating to Apollo 14 and 10 pages away from the first Apollo 15 illustration! One must always look at the captions to verify what is being shown. The need to constantly flip back and forth could have been avoided by simply resizing some maps and illustrations.

Despite this shortcoming, I recommend this book without hesitation. Philip J. Stooke has done lunar exploration, history and a future generation of planetary explorers a great service by compiling the material for this book. It was obviously a labor of love. I am certain that, in the not-too distant future, some scientist will remember this book from his or her youth and use it as a guideline to write one about the international exploration of Mars. One can only hope.