Exploring the Moon: The Apollo Expeditions

At last,a book about the Apollo missions that does not dwell on Buzz's drinking, one-small-steps or the "unfolding human near-tragedy" that was Apollo 13. These are all great topics but they have been done to death. What Harland has done is chronicle the real reason - well, it later became the real reason - that Nasa went to the Moon. Once the euphoria ofbeating the Russians had worn off, six missions were sent to explore the surface of another planet. One failed, but the 10 men who followed in Aldrin's and Armstrong's footsteps managed to revolutionise our knowledge about the big white disc in the sky. Most of what they did was geology - so there are plenty of rocks here. If you don't know your pyroxenes from your olivines you might struggle a bit, but there is a helpful glossary. You are struck by just how damn hard these men worked in the precious hours and days they had on the lunar surface. there is human drama in this book, but it is in the imagined sweat and tears that must have been exuded to get these results. Finally, you are left reeling by the tragedy of "what might have been". Apollos 18-thru-20 were cancelled, and the Saturn 5s that were to carry further lunar missions now sit rusting in a Nasa carpark. As Harland points out, "they got bored with exploring another planet".If you are interested in the Moon, or simply in why humanity goes into space, read this book.

"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!

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.

`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 seriousApollo 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.

I felt a little trepidation in buying this book because my geology background is limited at best. However, when I started reading I couldn't put the book down. I finally, after all these years, got a clear idea of the evolution of those first trips to another planet. The geology is there but it does not detract at all. I really started to understand what it was like to explore the moon on foot and rover - the time rush, the excitement of seeing things for the first time, the dissapointment of having to drop planned stops, and the overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I've read many books about Apollo but this is the first to convey what it was like "to be there". One minor complaint is that I felt the Apollo CSM J-missions were not discussed sufficiently. All the attention has always been on the men on the ground but one lonely astronaut spent several days doing very valuable science. It is discussed but I would have liked to have seen some more depth. However, all in all, I unreservedly recommend this book to all interested in those halcyon days.