Destination Moon: The Remarkable and Improbable Voyage of Apollo 11 - Hardcover

Maurer, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1626727457 ISBN 13: 9781626727458

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 2019

Synopsis

The history of NASA's Apollo program from Earth orbital missions to lunar landings in a propulsive nonfiction narrative.

Only now, it is becoming clear how exceptional and unrepeatable Apollo was. At its height, it employed almost half a million people, many working seven days a week and each determined that “it will not fail because of me.”

Beginning with fighter pilots in World War II, Maurer traces the origins of the Apollo program to a few exceptional soldiers, a Nazi engineer, and a young eager man who would become president.

Packed with adventure, new stories about familiar people, and undeniable danger, Destination Moon takes an unflinching look at a tumultuous time in American history, told expertly by nonfiction author Richard Maurer.

About this title

About the Author

Richard Maurer is a writer, photo researcher, and exhibit designer. His books for young readers include The Wright Sister: Katharine Wright and her Famous Brothers. The Wild Colorado, winner of the Western Writers Spur Award, and Airborne: The Search for the Secret of Flight, winner of the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award. A native of West Texas, he now lives in Central Massachusetts with his wife and two sons.

Reviews

Gr 5–8—Starting with a short biography of each key figure prior to their involvement in NASA, Maurer details the series of space missions that put a man on the moon. Each individual involved with Apollo 11 is given his moment in the limelight, explaining their roles in World War II and how they became involved in the spaceflight industry. Maurer gives equal attention to the men behind the scenes—i.e., those managing, designing, and engineering the spacecraft—and to the astronauts who risked their lives to accomplish this unfathomable dream. A helpful table of contents and cast of characters are at the front of the book and there is a one-page briefing before and after each individual part with information that didn't seem to fit anywhere else. The notes and references at the end are extensive and very well organized. A brief time line and an index are included. The illustrations transport readers back to the Space Race by detailing magazine covers and posters from the time period and by containing drawings created during the design process of the spacecraft. Additionally, there are many photographs of people and objects involved in the Space Race. VERDICT This comprehensive history of the Space Race is a solid addition to any collection where literary nonfiction and/or space-related books are popular.—Kristin Unruh, Siersma Elementary School, Warren, MI

Edition details

• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1626727457
• ISBN 13: 9781626727458
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 400