Name: The Lunar Exploration Scrapbook
Brand: Apogee Books (US)
SKU: 9781894959698
Price: 20.99 GBP
Availability: InStock

The Lunar Exploration Scrapbook

A Pictorial History of Lunar Vehicles

By (author): Robert Godwin

Published by Apogee Books (US)

Temporarily Out-of-Stock Available to Pre-order

£20.99

Format: Paperback
Pages: 224
Illustrations: 800+ colour illus
ISBN: 9781894959698
Publication Date: 15-Nov-2007

Subjects:
Popular astronomy & space

Quantity

In 1938 a committee of the British Interplanetary Society drew up the first serious plans for a manned lunar spacecraft. The BIS moon ship would be the first in a long line of designs that would ultimately lead to Tranquility Base and beyond. Working alongside engineers and scientists from Britain, Canada and Germany, the elite of American industrial engineers turned their attention to not only reaching the moon but to establishing a long-term presence there. Between 1958 and 1971 millions of man-hours and untold amounts of money were spent to try and create the hardware necessary to accomplish this unprecedented goal. In this book for the first time in one place, is a pictorial register of many of these incredible designs. A remarkable story of what might have happened if the mighty Saturn V rocket had not been relegated to the status of an historical footnote. In his latest book, "The Lunar Exploration Scrapbook", noted editor and writer Robert Godwin, has distilled years of research into an unprecedented look at the many machines considered by the United States for lunar exploration. Combining the blueprints of the 1950s and 1960s with modern computer graphics, Godwin has brought to life many of the past, and packed them all into one tightly woven package of colour and facts. The Lunar Exploration Scrapbook features colour texture-wrapped renderings of dozens of designs that never left the drawing board, creating a unique look at what might have happened if money had been no object, and humanity had gone to the moon to stay.

Robert Godwin is the author and editor of dozens of books about space flight and science fiction. He produced the first ever virtual reality panoramas of the Apollo lunar surface photography and the first multi-camera move of the Apollo 11 Moonwalk. He was the Space Curator at the Canadian Air Space Museum in Toronto and he co-produced the movie 2001: The Science of Futures Past.

"This book offers a fascinating visual history of an endeavour that challenged and occupied some of the finest minds of the 20th century." -- Sir Arthur C Clarke

"It fills a notable gap in the literature and deserves a place in every scientific library. There is nothing else like it, splendid and carefully researched. Strongly recommended." -- Sir Patrick Moore, CBE, FRS.

"A fascinating and fun book...the perfect gift." -- Tom Hanks (Actor/Executive Producer - From The Earth to the Moon).

"The Lunar Exploration Scrapbook is a treasure for the serious student of space exploration and for historians following the twists and turns of creative designs for space vehicles." -- Captain Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14 Moonwalker/Lunar Module Pilot).

"This book should be on the desk of everyone working on the next lunar lander. It is full of history and lessons learned." -- Captain Richard Gordon (Apollo 12 Command Module Pilot).

"Should be on the bookshelf of any self-respecting space researcher. A fascinating book." -- Astronomy Magazine Sept 2008

"For people interested in history of space exploration and space technology or lunar exploration plans for the future, the book makes a fascinating read, along with a view of what might have been." -- The Observatory Magazine December 2008