A Man on the Moon

by Chaikin, Andrew

• ISBN13: 9780143112358
• ISBN10: 014311235X
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-08-28
• Publisher: Penguin Group USA

Summary

This acclaimed portrait of heroism and ingenuity captures a watershed moment in human history. The astronauts themselves have called it the definitive account of their missions. On the night of July 20, 1969, our world changed forever when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. Based on in-depth interviews with twenty-three of the twenty-four moon voyagers, as well as those who struggled to get the program moving, A Man on the Moonconveys every aspect of the Apollo missions with breathtaking immediacy and stunning detail.

Author Biography

Andrew Chaikin has been writing about space exploration for more than 25 years. He is a commentator for National Public Radio-'s Morning Edition, and served as a consultant on the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, which was based in part on this book.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. v
Preface	p. viii
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Prologue	p. 1
"Fire in the Cockpit!"	p. 11
The Office	p. 27
First Around the Moon (Apollo 8)	p. 56
The Decision	p. 56
A Hole in the Stars	p. 82
"In the Beginning..."	p. 107
"It's All Over but the Shouting"	p. 125
"Before This Decade Is Out"	p. 135
The Parlay	p. 135
"We Is Down Among 'Em!"	p. 150
Down to the Wire	p. 160
The First Lunar Landing (Apollo 11)	p. 184
The Eagle Has Landed	p. 184
Magnificent Desolation	p. 200
"Before This Decade Is Out"	p. 219
Sailors on the Ocean of Storms (Apollo 12)	p. 231
The Education of Alan Bean	p. 231
Shore Leave	p. 253
In the Belly of the Snowman	p. 270
The Crown of an Astronaut's Career (Apollo 13)	p. 285
A Change of Fortune	p. 285
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress	p. 303
The Chill of Space	p. 318
The Story of a Full-up Mission (Apollo 14)	p. 337
Big Al Flies Again	p. 337
To the Promised Land	p. 352
Solo	p. 360
The Climb	p. 364
The Scientist	p. 383
A Fire to Be Lighted	p. 398
To the Mountains of the Moon (Apollo 15)	p. 411
"Exploration at Its Greatest"	p. 411
High Point	p. 423
The Spirit of Galileo	p. 437
The Final Selection	p. 444
The Unexpected Moon (Apollo 16)	p. 452
Luna Incognita	p. 452
"You Just Bit Off More Than You Can Chew"	p. 477
"...Or Wherever Geologists Go"	p. 482
The Last Men on the Moon (Apollo 17)	p. 495
Sunrise at Midnight	p. 495
Apollo at the Limit	p. 516
Witnesses to the Earthrise	p. 531
Epilogue: The Audiences of the Moon	p. 553
Afterword: A People Without Limits	p. 587
Astronaut Biographical Information	p. 597
Persons Interviewed	p. 607
Apollo Mission Data	p. 610
Bibliography	p. 615
Author's Notes	p. 621
Index	p. 663
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