Exploring the Moon: The Apollo Expeditions (Springer-Praxis Series in Space Science and Technology) (Paperback)

by David M. Harland (Author)
Key Phrases: surficial regolith, flight dynamics team, rake sample, Fra Mauro, Lunar Orbiter, South Ray (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"...a new way of recounting the Apollo missions; it places the reader on the rover with the astronauts." -- David Schrunk, Author of The Moon, Resources, Future Development and Colonization, from pre-publication reviews

"Exploring the Moon is your travelogue. The author has assembled a detailed guide to what the astronauts did during their stays on the lunar surface. Harland provides the on-the-surface narrative that Full Moon (Alfred A. Knopf, 1999) lacks..." -- Sky & Telescope, August 1999

"David Harland probably knows more about the nuts and bolts of the Russian and American space programmes than any other author and it shows.... Throughout, NASA's astonishing technical achievement shines through." -- The Sunday Express, July 4, 1999

"It could become a classic 'must have' for anyone who has a desire to know what it was all about. It is astonishing that it hasn't been done before." -- David Woods, from pre-publication reviews

From the reviews
"A detailed guide to what the astronauts did during their stays on the lunar surface. Walk(s) the reader through the prospecting excursions and then incorporate(s) decades of subsequent analysis to put the explorations of dust, rocks, craters, and rilles into geologic context."
SKY & TELESCOPE

FROM THE REVIEWS:

LUNAR & PLANETARY INFORMATION BULLETIN
"EXPLORING THE MOON is very well illustrated…All aficionados of the Apollo program will find much to appreciate in [this book].”

"…this is an interesting account of one of the most extraordinary decades in history…a very different book. David Harland probably knows more about the nuts and bolts of the Russian and American space programs than any other author and it shows.”

Product Description
Exploring the Moon focuses on the exploration carried out by the Apollo astronauts while on the lunar surface, and not on the technology of getting there.

It is a story of the great adventure of exploring the Moon, and combines the words of the astronauts themselves with the photographs they took. Exploring the Moon is a lunar travelogue, a minute-by-minute account of what the astronauts did, said and felt, enhanced by their subsequent reflections. As you read this book, you will seem to walk with the astronauts as they explore...

David Harland concentrates on the final three Moon landings - Apollos 15, 16 and 17 - each of which spent three days on the lunar surface and used the famous "lunar rover" vehicle to get around. The three missions accounted for three-quarters of all lunar surface activity to date.

Although you can read the text for its description of a unique human adventure, the work of the astronauts is related to studies of lunar geology and will enable those interested in planetary geology to understand how a "field trip" on the lunar surface was conducted. There is also a "before and after discussion" of the results of the Apollo programme.

If you have ever asked yourself What did the astronauts do on the lunar surface? What did they say while they were there? What did they photograph? How did their discoveries alter our understanding of lunar geology? Will we ever go back to the moon? If so, Exploring the Moon is the book for you. This unique insight into the three Apollo missions (15, 16 and 17) answers all these questions and much more. Using the actual transcripts of what the astronauts said to each other whilst carrying out their duties, and numerous photographs taken at each step of the exploration, this book provides a graphic illustration of what can arguably be described as Mankinds greatest feat of exploration.

Here is a uniquely readable contribution to studies of lunar science.

Product Details

• Paperback: 411 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (May 14, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852330996
• ISBN-13: 978-1852330996
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #978,769 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Highly Recommended!, July 30, 1999

By A Customer

`Exploring The Moon - The Apollo Expeditions' is an account of the manned Apollo lunar landing missions and their unmanned precursors and successors. It focuses on the three so-called 'J-missions', the extended 3-day stays on the lunar surface which brought the program to a conclusion, and delivered the bulk of its scientific results.

Having previously read the detailed accounts of lunar surface activities contained in the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal -- a web resource that documents the mission transcripts with a commentary -- it was a delight to read Harland's travelogue-style approach. The extremely lucid narrative really succeeds at putting the astronauts activities into context, with lunar geology being the scientific theme. One feels at times as though one is standing just a few feet away from the moonwalkers as they cope with the pressures of trying to perform work in the limited time available, the frustrations of apparatus not working as planned, and the exhilaration of surprise discoveries.

Supplementing the text are numerous maps, photos and some excellent assembled panoramas mosaicked specifically for this book. Appendices list the missions, the crews, and the moonrock samples described in the text. A glossary of geological terms and a description of all of the lunar surface experiments will be helpful to the non-geologist, non-scientist reader alike.

One will not likely find a better book on the subject of planetary field geology. Perhaps this ought to be required reading for the people who will someday return to the Moon.

Astronomer Patrick Moore provides the Foreword, and Apollo 15 Commander David Scott the Afterword to this exceptional work. Even the learned Dr. Moore, who has studied the Moon for many years, admits that he's learned new things from this book.

Having studied the lunar surface activities of the Apollo astronauts for some years now, I must say that this book is a must-have for any serious

Apollo buff. I'm sure that I'll be referring to my dog-eared copy for many years to come.

If you want to know what people did on the Moon, and why they did those things, read this book. I very highly recommend it.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on a topic that hadn't really been covered, June 4, 2000

By	Tyler Peterson (Waterloo, IA United States) - See all my reviews

Having written on the space shuttle and the Russian space station Mir, David Harland now ventures further back into the history of space exploration with this book. Exploring the Moon is a welcome addition to the plethora of books regarding the Apollo Program, providing an on-the-surface narrative and and scientific analysis of the missions reminiscient of the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal. After a section on the unmanned probes in the 1960's (Ranger, Lunar Orbiter, and Surveyor), he moves on to the Apollo flights, outlining the moonwalks on Apollo 11, 12, and 14, and then spends the bulk of the book outlining the Apollo "J" missions-Apollo 15, 16, and 17, which featured advanced life support systems in the lunar module and the astronauts' backpacks, an extended three days on the lunar surface, and a four-wheeled battery-powered buggy known as the Lunar Roving Vehicle. While most books focus on the technology that got America to the moon, few jave focused on the subsequent excursions of the spacesuit-clad astronauts on the lunar surface. This book does so magnificently, combining technical commentary with the words the astronauts spoke and the photographs they took. With the bonanza of lunar information provided by the last three Apollo missions, you will wonder why we felt inclined to cancel the Apollo missions 18, 19, and 20. Overall, I think this book covers lunar science and geology superbly, is a great adventure story, and a unique contribution to the studies of lunar science and planetary geology.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best descriptions of the moonwalks in print., June 4, 2000

By	Rogera Sauterer (Pell City, AL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Exploring the Moon" is a detailed review of the moon walks, especially (nearly 3/4 of the book) of the "J" missions of Apollo 15, 16, and 17. The book has detailed descriptions of the roving on the moon, the work done there and a fair amount about the geological discoveries. For those who spent hours glued to the TV watching these treks of discovery, this book takes you back and gives you new insights. The book also has hundreds of photos from the moon walks, although they are reproduced as tiny images. About the only criticism that I have is that the images are way too small and the book is available only in paperback. One hopes that a large format hardcover edition of this will be released, showing the photos in their full glory. For anybody interested in the actual moonwalks, this is the book to buy!