Moon Rocks

The Dial Press, New York [Published date: 1970]. Hardcover, 197 pp, plus 8 unnumbered pages of black-and-white photograph reproductions; 22 cm. Stated first printing, 1970. Good in good dust jacket. Blue cloth covered boards lettered in silver on spine; some bumping, nicking, and scuffing to cloth along edges of covers, and some light overall soiling to covers as well. Binding tight. Discoloration from paste residue on front free endpaper and light toning to interior pages; otherwise pages are unmarked. Dust jacket features color micrograph images of lunar rocks (front and rear). Light shelfwear, a few small edge tears, and mild toning to flaps; not price clipped ($5.95). Now in an archival quality (removable) Brodart cover. [From front jacket flap] With the amount of attention that has been paid to piloting and engineering aspects of the recent Apollo moon landings, very little has been noted for the public of the scientific mission: the new knowledge and materials the astronauts brought back to Earth on their historic voyages. Following up his acclaimed anticipation of the moon landings, Apollo on the Moon, Henry S. F. Cooper, Jr., here reports, in the intimate form of a diary-journal, on what was going on at the Houston Space Center during the Apollo 11 mission and what occurred afterward among the scientists connected with the program. How did selenologists react to the often contradictory data furnished them day by day as to the nature and geological history of the Moon? What preparations were made for receiving the precious moon rocks, how were they handled, and what has been discovered from them? Mr. Cooper takes up these questions not from a remote or after-the-fact position, but as a direct witness to the euphoria and disappointments, the actions and exclamations, of the scientists participating in this most exciting event of their professional lives. Through the observations and intelligence of a masterful reporter, in terms wholly comprehensible to the layman, we share in a moment of unprecedented scientific discovery. Contents include: Author's Note; Some Conclusions: Washington, Sept 15 1969; Previews: June 25-July 20 1969; On the Moon: July 20 1969; Preparations: July 20-25; The First Rocks; P.E.T. Work I and II; Scattering; Interlude: Apollo 12; The Moon in Houston: Jan 5-8 1970; Appendix.…