Customer Reviews

Mission to the Moon: (Book and DVD)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mission to the Moon is informative and engaging, well laid out in an oversized format. Young people interested in space and science will find much here of interest. The real treasure though is the DVD, something that I particularly enjoyed.

The primary clip documents the moon landing and return of Apollo 11. On July 20, 1969 I sat with my grandfather - then nearly 80 - who cried as he watched the first moon walk. He told me how wondrous it seemed to him, saying that he had been born in the days of the horse and buggy and had never dreamed that he would live to see automobiles and airplanes, two world wars, electric lights, telephones, radios and now he sat in front of a television watching a man walk on the moon!

Today's children rarely see a space launch. Man has not walked the moon for nearly a half-century. It is perhaps hard - maybe even impossible - for them to understand the wonder that my generation of children felt as we watched rockets lifting off from earth or tracked satellites across the night sky. Mission to the Moon brings a small taste of the experience to life. Here they will find original footage of the first pictures of the earth seen from space, rocket launches, recoveries and so much more.

Highly recommended.

This product includes a book, a DVD, and a poster.

First of all, the book:

It took me about an hour to peruse the book. The book is written so that it can be understood by older children (perhaps 8+ years old), but was engaging enough to hold my attention until I had worked my way all the way through. The book contains a historical presentation of humanity's attraction to the moon, early assumptions and theories about the moon, a little about the history of rocketry, and a lot of photos and some supporting information about the history of the US space program, mainly through the Apollo program.

The inclusion of historical photos make this an engaging book for me.

OK, now about the DVD:

After spending at least an hour working my way through this 77 page book I decided to take a look at the DVD. I popped it into my DVD player and nothing happened. I checked the disc for damage, and none was evident. I tried the DVD again, and again, no go. I switched the DVD to a second DVD player and it gave me an error message suggesting that the disc may be damaged or have some other problem. At about that point I'd decided that I had recieved a bum disc, and got ready to write up this review. Then, on a whim, I popped it into the DVD drive on my computer, and it started up!

The DVD contains the story of Apollo 11 - the first mission that landed on the moon. The DVD looks and feels like it was originally produced in the late 1960s or early 1970s (perhaps it was!). It was actually produced by NASA, and it has that sort of dry NASA government documentary feel to it. It lacks high-tech special effects, but relies, rather, on historical footage and nostaligic motion and still images. The DVD starts with the archival footage of Neil Armstrong's descent down the lunar lander Eagle'd ladder and his first comments and steps on the moom. That was pretty neat - I'm old enough to remember that, but in my opinion, this DVD will be generally ignored by most younger viewers after they have seen it once...if they make it all the way through the first time. I liked it, but the DVD definitely does not target a younger audience, the way that that accompanying book tends to do.

Lastly, one side of the poster has a drawing showing the stages of the Apollo 11 flight plan and major events that took place during that historic mission. The other side of the poster shows a cut-away drawing of a lunar lander, as well as some photos of astronauts on the moon.

MAJOR FLAW: All in all I must say that I was somewhat disappointed to see this high quality photo-rich book teamed with what can only be described as an outdated DVD (in terms of what they could have done with this material, given modern technology, etc.). I was also disappointed that the DVD would not play on my DVD players. When I put the DVD in the DVD drive of my computer it showed the disc label as "MOON_FINAL_PAL." I believe that label indicates that this disc was recorded using in PAL format, that is the format used widely in Europe, southern Asia, parts of Africa, and South America. Most DVD players available in the USA will probably not recognize that format because they are designed to play discs recorded in the NTSC format...that's probably why the two players I have connected to my TV could not recognize this disc...BEWARE of this possibility if you are thinking of buying this product.

So, while I am thoroughly impressed with the book, the formatting of the DVD is wrong for the American market, and the quality of the DVD leaves a lot to be desired. The poster is neither a positive nor a negative for me.

So, in the end, this product probably rates 2.5 or 3 stars. I think that this subject has wide appeal, but the people that put this package together made some strategic and tactical errors in design and formatting. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and go with 3 stars - 4 stars for the book, and 2 stars for the DVD.

I hope this was helpful.

Boys and girls learn differently, that fact has been known by teachers for generations. It has taken a while for the libraries in our schools to get the same message and adjust so boys have access to information focused on their learning styles as well.

This book is about as boy as boy gets! Space travel, adventures, cool ships and inventions! Girls will find value in this book as well but probably more as background for concepts and ideas as opposed to factoids and pictures.

While there is a great wealth of information on the space program and specifically the Apollo missions, it is laid out in a manner that can be digested and analyzed in small chunks. Lots of pictures are paired with short, concise entries on the topics. Yes, it is a little USA Todayish and short-attention span focused but this book is not meant as research at a high-school or college level.

The included DVD explains well what it is presenting and serves even more in drawing kids to the topic to provide them with information. The book and DVD provide enough information for kids to be conversant on the moon missions without overloading them on facts.

There aren't many books that succeed at grabbing the attention of the youth while still having the facts that educate them in the process. This is one of them. I think this book should be in almost every classroom in the upper elementary grades!

Who will ever forget those immortal words?

On July 20, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to land on the Moon, while Mike Collins orbited above in the command module.

Many of us recall living through that amazing decade. Even today, I am astonished by NASA's achievement. As we are all accustomed to desktop computers, laptops & the Internet it is a miracle that these people achieved President John F. Kennedy's goal of landing on the moon in a mere ten years. And they did it with slide rules!!!!

Background:

During that time, everything stopped as people watched the moon landing. We all remember Walter Cronkite's glee as he led the broadcast that night.

The Apollo 11 mission was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. It was the fifth human spaceflight of the Apollo launches and the third human voyage to the Moon or Moon orbit. Launched on July 16, 1969, it carried Mission Commander Neil Alden Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Eugene 'Buzz' Aldrin, Jr.

I remember going for a walk with my Dad and the family dog the next day. It was an overcast, humid, gray day in New York. Nothing would ever be the same again. In honor of the moment, a vine of "moon flowers" was glowing brilliantly along the walk. How appropriate, I remember thinking. Moon flowers..................

This is a masterpiece that beautifully recaptures those days, in both well photographed & well written book as well as a stunning DVD.

This is a must for anyone wishing to see an excellent chronicle of the moon mission.

This is a short review based on feedback from my 11 year old.

- It was really interesting and had some excellent pictures.

- The DVD was much better that I expected. It was really cool to see the fil footage that is on the disc.

Most important, he says he would pay his own money for it!

All in all "Mission to the Moon" is a great book packed full of information that people of all ages should find engaging and informative. It's not a book with a lot of narrative, rather, it's a book packed with pictures and brief facts about the moon detailed mainly through the Apollo space program. It begins with our view of the moon, or myths about it, and our desires to reach it. It also talks a lot about the space program and how rocketry works, how exactly it is we were able to propel a rocket ship to the moon (very cool), and all the people it took to put three men on the moon (talk about teamwork!).

The book covers a lot of ground in simple enough terms for kids, but with the complexity of space travel. For an adult the book takes about a good hour to cover. There are a lot of facts, archival photos, information about such things as the first animals in space, Cape Canaveral, training astronauts for their mission, and our future journey back to the Moon in 2020.

It's a nice book and would make a fine gift for any child interested in space travel. My only complains is with the DVD. Our DVD did work in our regular player, but it's not like your good quality documentary; NASA probably put this one out as the narration is bland. My one main problem was the "flash" pictures that were inserted near the beginning. The pictures come at you so fast I felt sick and had to look away! It was like subliminal messages flying at you and made it difficult to relax and enjoy the rest of the DVD. Not very impressed, and as a previous reviewer noted, it's strange how the two (book and DVD) got paired together, but I also see some people liked it.

I got this book for my son (age 5 at the time) to learn about the Apollo missions. This book is so good, that my husband sat down and read it! The DVD and poster included are great too.

What I like, you can pick and choose how deep you go into the book, so it's appropriate to read to young children as well as adults.

Highly recommended. Beautiful layout and design, interesting content, and keeps the reader engaged.

As a full-fledged Moon Maniac, when I saw this book, I just knew I had to have it. Fortunately for me I got it through the wonderful amazon Vine program. The book is well manufactured and the photos are incredibly well thought-out and informative.

While there was very little new information (for me) to discover in the book, what is there is incredibly well done. Some photos I had never seen before and there are included some really well done drawings which go a long way to describe just how large a project going to the moon truly was. To think that in the 40 years since we went to the moon, no country on earth--including America--has built a rocket bigger or more powerful than the Saturn V is almost impossible to comprehend. The drawing which compares it to the earlier Mercury and later Gemini rockets gives you just a small inkling as to how much bigger the entire Moon Mission was in every conceivable way.

In the years since NASA did the unthinkable--and did it within the time frame given by JFK--there has been an unbelievable leap in technology. The average iPod is hundreds to thousands of times more sophisticated than the virtually prehistoric computers they landed on the moon with...and yet in MY opinion, sending 3 men to the moon, land 2 of them, and bringing them all home safely is without a doubt THE pinnacle achievement of humanity--technologically speaking of course. And to think, they did it using the most rudimentary electronics you can imagine! ('Course it was all beyond cutting edge at that time)

I look forward to that time when we make the trip back again...unfortunately it seems as though China and/or India will beat us, but no matter, I believe it will rekindle the world's facination with the moon yet again...or at least I hope so.

BTW the accompanying dvd is a VERY nice addition, too. If you consider yourself an avid Moon Maniac like me, your library simply is incomplete without this book. 'Nuff said.

I firmly believe that our youngsters should learn about and embrace the technological and political achievements of prior generations. The Space Race of the 50's and 60's was a defining quality of American enterprise, freedom, and ingenuity, and yes, optimism. Aside from the political capital and scientific knowledge that the American space programs delivered, they inspired youths to dream big and pursue careers in science and technology. The Space Shuttle and IIS programs just don't provide that sort of excitement for children today. It's critical that we not only continue to teach our young about past accomplishments, but challenge them to do more. This book does an effective job of presenting the history, science, hardware, missions, and people that put Americans on the moon. It has lots of excellent color illustrations, photographs, and diagrams. Topics range from mankind's fascination with the moon over time, in-depth coverage of Apollo, and future plans like the Ares / Constellation programs. While the included DVD can't compare to the awe inspiring In the Shadow of the Moon, it's a nice added, albeit somewhat remedial, bonus that your child will enjoy. This book is easy to read and comprehend for youngsters and it provides a great forum for a child to learn about the Apollo program. The book's content and level of detail is well suited for a young readers, and is even sufficient to hold the attention of a discriminating adult like myself. Unlike others, we had no problems with playing the DVD in a newer DVD player and Sony Blu-Ray player.

Interesting facts that we learned from the book:

- NASA actually built and tested a moon motorcycle prototype

- Eight women tested and qualified for astronaut training during the 60's.

- The USSR put a woman in space in 1963. The US did it in the early 80's.

- The words "Lunacy" and "Lunatic" come from "Lunar"

- The moon buggy was propelled by a separate electric motor in each wheel.

- Apollo astronauts spent weeks in jungles and deserts learning survival skills that might be needed if their capsule landed off-course.

For the $13, this book is a great value and a worthy source of Apollo program information for a young reader.

Since we have children we've ended up with a number of these "juvenile encyclopedias." I think they usually come as gifts from grandparents but most of them are overly basic and try to cover so many topics as to be generally worthless. The kids usually enjoy them for a little while, however. But that's one thing I really like about this book - it focuses just on the moon and the mission to land men there. It's basic enough that the younger children can learn from it, but has enough detail for the older ones as well, and maybe even be useful for school reports. I was a little surprised to see the graphic that shows how far away the moon is from the earth - most pictures we see make it look so much closer than it really is.

The DVD that comes with it was very nice, too. It has a lot of footage from the mission to the moon and runs about 30 minutes. It has the look and sound of some of those educational movies they made back in the 70s - lots of weird sounds and music in the background, but also not dumbed down so much like everything geared towards kids anymore. It wouldn't play in either of my DVD players, but it did play on the computers (maybe our players are old). But a nice combination of book and video that gives much better information than most of this type of book.