The Lunar Exploration Scrapbook : A Pictorial History of Lunar Vehicles (Paperback)

~ Robert Godwin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is a fascinating and fun book . . . the perfect gift."  —Tom Hanks, actor and executive producer, From The Earth to the Moon

"A fascinating visual history of an endeavour that challenged and occupied some of the finest minds of the 20th century, beginning with the early space cadets and rocket pioneers. NASA stood on the shoulders of many giants when it landed men on the moon."  —Sir Arthur C. Clarke

"This book should be on the desk of everyone working on the next lunar lander. It is full of history and lessons learned."  —Richard F. Gordon, Jr, Apollo 12 command module pilot

"Not just a pleasure for historians and students, this book could serve as inspiration for those working on our return to the Moon."  —Astronomy Magazine

"A fun book full of illustrations on a plethora of moon vehicles."  —Air & Space Magazine, Smithsonian Institution

"This book is certainly hard to put down."  —Spaceflight, British Interplanetary Society

"I was both impressed and amazed clear through to the last page."   —Ron Miller, Bonestell Space Art, and author, The Dream Machines

"A book unlike any other, meticulously researched and providing information not to be found elsewhere. Strongly recommended."  —Sir Patrick Moore, The Sky At Night, BBC

Product Description

In The Lunar Exploration Scrapbook, Godwin combines modern computer graphics with old blueprints to create a full color history of the golden era of lunar exploration.

 

Included in this remarkable book are over 80 different Lunar landers, over 80 lunar rovers and mobile laboratories (MOLAB), more than 50 lunar flying vehicles as well as sections on the Saturn and Nova rockets, lunar space suits, Command & Service module variants, LM laboratories and orbiters, training vehicles, lunar walkers and lunar shelters.

 

Altogether over 750 color pictures of designs for lunar exploration vehicles, all from NASA, Boeing, Lockheed, Grumman, USAF, US Army, GE, Chrysler, North American Rockwell, Bell Aerospace, Martin, Bendix and more.

 

No science fiction!

 

From single-seat landers to rocket backpacks and lunar bulldozers, this study takes readers into the imagination of the world’s top aerospace engineers by presenting NASA’s lunar spacecraft research. A unique blend of history and imagination, this resource covers not only the actual exploration of the moon conducted during the Apollo program of the 1960s and 1970s, but also includes a presentation of dozens of spacecraft that were never built. Vivid, colorful renderings of the conceptual crafts—many of which are not available anywhere else—are also included, providing a visual progression of NASA’s technological advancements.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Collector's Guide Publishing, Inc. (December 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894959698
• ISBN-13: 978-1894959698
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #782,574 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Must for Space Buffs, December 11, 2007

By	C. Waters (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Space Buffs will love the illustrations in this history of lunar vehicles that might-have-been and almost-where. An absolute must have if you're into the history of manned space exploration.

5.0 out of 5 stars Important Space History Work!, December 3, 2008

By	Paul Carsola - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book presents the space historian, or buff a level of subject coverage seldom found in most space history books. The majority of books on lunar exploration deal only with the actual hardware used in this endeavor. Mr. Godwin's work succeeds in revealing many of the conceptual hardware designs, created by scientists and engineers in the past seventy years. Superbly illustrated, with many historical photos and painstakingly created computer 3D imagery.
Paul Carsola

5.0 out of 5 stars Lunar non-travelers, February 4, 2008

By	Robert C. Ross (New Jersey) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

NASA has set a target date of 2020 for the next human landing on the moon. The lander is called the "Altair", and the agency has released drawings of a spindly legged space craft that would carry four astronauts to the moon's surface.

Would, that is, if the lander is ever built. If history is any guide, Altair will go through a number of iterations before its remote descendant actually kicks up some moon dust.

Robert Godwin reminds us of past iterations of would-be landers that never got off the drawing board in this beautifully illustrated book.

He describes more than 80 lunar lander concepts of the 1950s and early 1960s, more than 80 lunar rovers and mobile labs and more than 50 lunar flying vehicles. Many are portrayed in contemporary artwork, blue prints or photos. Others he portrays using modern computer graphics. The result is a comprehensive encyclopedia of devices that never flew.

Exhibit 1961 -- "In August of 1961, engineer John Houbolt gave one of many presentations to the Space Task Group [at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia, where he worked]. In attendance was Jim Chamberlin, the brilliant designer of the Canadian Avro Arrow fighter. Chamberlin was heading up what would become Project Gemini, and he had already begun to think about using the new larger "Advanced Mercury," as Gemini was called at the time, to do more than just fly in low Earth orbit. Chamberlin wanted to use Gemini to go to the moon, and he would make that exact suggestion later that year. His team's design for an accompanying lunar lander was similar to one proposed earlier in the year by the Langley staff. It was basically nothing more than a platform placed on top of a rocket engine, on which an intrepid astronaut would stand, surrounded by fuel tanks."

Exhibit 1963 -- the Chrysler Corporation's Manned Lunar Auxillary Vehicle, a nuclear tricycle. "The MLAV had a cargo tray 23 inches by 41 inches in size, and could be operated with a hand controller either by a riding astronaut or by remote control. A full size prototype was built and tested by Chrysler. The power source for this machine was to have been a SNAP 91 radioisotope thermoelectric generator, although it is not clear where this device would have been located. Other refinements would have included a television camera. The three wheels were tested with brushless DC motors which provided enough torque for its projected mission. Its primary use was as a "pack animal," but it could be used to carry one astronaut if required. The entire vehicle could be folded up flat."

This book is a fascinating history of our starts and false starts at making machines that could carry astronauts safely down to the surface, and then move around at speed. Great fun for anyone with an adventurous spirit.

Godwin has edited or contributed to a number of excellent books on space and space exploration: Mars (Pocket Space Guides), Russian Spacecraft Pocket Space Guide (Pocket Space Guides), Project Apollo: The Test Program, Volume 1 (Pocket Space Guides) and Dyna-Soar: Hypersonic Strategic Weapons System: Apogee Books Space Series 35 (Apogee Books Space Series), among others. There are at least 12 "Pocket Space Guides", several edited by Godwin, and all of them very useful and handy collections of information and illustrations on their subjects.

Robert C. Ross