Describes how a group of men and women accomplished the feat of landing men on the moon and returning them to earth.

The fascinating and true story of one of America's greatest scientific achievements: the race to put a man on the Moon and bring him home safely.

Long has the moon captured the imagination of world; from science fiction to astrology; howling wolves to lunar calendars. To President John F. Kennedy, however, the moon was a destination. To put a man on the moon would be to challenge Russia's recent achievements in space exploration and assert the US's technological prowess on the world stage. As we know, the mission was a success, and yet while everyone is familiar with Neil Armstrong's iconic line and his bold tread on the moon's dusty surface, few are privy to the events leading up to this moment. Former NASA engineer, David Baker, gives a behind-the-scenes account of the space race, including the political impetus behind the mission, the Apollo 8's lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, as well as some of the tale's tragedies. Bursting with fascinating stories, striking photographs of the team and exclusive material provided by NASA personnel, this book perfectly captures the risk, complexity and gravitas of this immense journey.

In 1961, President Kennedy issued a challenge: before the end of the decade, the United States would land a person on the moon and return him safely to Earth—a bold proclamation at the time given that only one US astronaut had ever been to space, for just 15 minutes. To answer President Kennedy's call, NASA embarked on the Apollo missions: a complicated, dangerous, and expensive adventure involving 400,000 people. Before the missions were over, NASA astronauts had made eleven Apollo flights, six of which landed on the moon, and eight astronauts had lost their lives. The Apollo Missions for Kids tells the story of this pivotal era in space exploration from the perspective of those who lived it—the astronauts and their families, the controllers and engineers, and the technicians and politicians who made the impossible possible. The book includes a time line, resources for further study, and places to visit to see Apollo mission artifacts, along with 21 hands-on activities to better understand the missions and the science behind them. Kids will: Determine what they would weigh on the moon Learn to identify the moon's features Demonstrate orbital mechanics with a marble and a shallow bowl Calculate how far away the moon is using sports equipment Recreate the shape and size of the command module Eat like an astronaut and make "space food" Design a mission patch And much more!

In graphic novel format, presents the story of two world superpowers racing to land a man on the moon, and the people who worked on the project.

Winner of the Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature Award A Bloomberg View Must-Read Book of the Year A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year “A substance-rich, original on every page exploration of how the space program interacted with the environmental movement, and also with the peace and ‘Whole Earth’ movements of the 1960s.” —Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution The summer of 1969 saw astronauts land on the moon for the first time and hippie hordes descend on Woodstock. This lively and original account of the space race makes the case that the conjunction of these two era-defining events was not entirely coincidental. With its lavishly funded mandate to put a man on the moon, the Apollo mission promised to reinvigorate a country that had lost its way. But a new breed of activists denounced it as a colossal waste of resources needed to solve pressing problems at home. Neil Maher reveals that there were actually unexpected synergies between the space program and the budding environmental, feminist and civil rights movements as photos from space galvanized environmentalists, women challenged the astronauts’ boys club and NASA’s engineers helped tackle inner city housing problems. Against a backdrop of Saturn V moonshots and Neil Armstrong’s giant leap for mankind, Apollo in the Age of Aquarius brings the cultural politics of the space race back down to planet Earth. “As a child in the 1960s, I was aware of both NASA’s achievements and social unrest, but unaware of the clashes between those two historical currents. Maher [captures] the maelstrom of the 1960s and 1970s as it collided with NASA’s program for human spaceflight.” —George Zamka, Colonel USMC (Ret.) and former NASA astronaut “NASA and Woodstock may now seem polarized, but this illuminating, original chronicle...traces multiple crosscurrents between them.” —Nature

Part activity book, part adventure novel, The Escape This Book series makes YOU the star of history! Doodle, decide, and demolish your way through the Apollo 11 Moon landing--the perfect book for fun and educational reading! Reader beware! This book is filled with adventure that is out of this world! You will have three chances to join the space program and help the Apollo missions reach the moon! Flight Director: You're the boss at Mission Control! Can you make split second decisions to keep the astronauts safe on their trip to the moon? Flight Commander: You're the astronaut in charge on the spacecraft. You'll face problems as big as an explosion on the ship and as small as what to eat in space! Moon Buggy Driver: You get to explore the moon's surface...if you can safely land on its surface first! In the Escape This Book series, YOU are the star of history! In this third book, you'll complete challenges similar to what the astronauts faced on Apollo 11 and 13 and get to meet famous NASA employees like Neil Armstrong and Katherine Johnson! Don't be afraid to rip or fold a page. Your mission might depend on it!