The First Men on the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11, (Paperback)

This book offers a lively and definitive account of the Apollo 11 mission. It is based on the in-flight transcripts and post-flight debriefing, including conversations among the crew in the spacecraft that were not transmitted. It presents a color section that features the high-resolution scans recently produced by NASA from the original Hasselblad film. The introductory chapters review the motivation to land on the Moon by the end of the 1960s, the development of the Saturn V rocket and the Apollo spacecraft as the means of doing so, the selection of potential landing sites, the precursor missions, and the backgrounds of the three men who were to fly Apollo 11. In contrast to most books about Apollo, which concentrate on how NASA geared up for the program, 75% of this book is devoted to Apollo 11. This comprehensive account dispels the myth that NASA faked the moon landings. The author's expertise and considerable experience of writing about the Moon landings shines through and seamlessly unites the myriad details of the mission.