On 25 May 1961, John F Kennedy announced the goal of landing an American
man on the Moon by the end of the decade. This challenge forced NASA to
review the planned lunar landing of a three-man spaceship named Apollo
in the mid-1970s. In 1962, it was decided that a specialized vehicle
would accompany the main spacecraft, to make the lunar landing while the
mothership remained in lunar orbit. To send these vehicles to the Moon
would require the development of an enormous rocket. Development was
protracted, but in December 1968 Apollo 8 was launched on a pioneering
mission to perform an initial reconnaissance in lunar orbit. When Apollo
17 lifted off from the Moon in December 1972, the program was concluded.
Now, at long last, there is a real prospect of a resumption of human
exploration of the Moon.
This book provides an overview of the origins of the Apollo program and
descriptions of the ground facilities, launch vehicles and spacecraft
that will serve as an invaluable single-volume 'sourcebook' for space
enthusiasts, space historians, journalists, and programme-makers on
radio/TV. It supplements other books that have focused on the politics
and management of the Apollo program, the astronauts, and their training
and exploits.