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EDITORIAL INFORMATION

Where No Man... intends to show how the scientists interested in the moon and the engineers interested in landing human beings on the moon solved their differences and developed a program which became a major contribution to science as well as a stunning engineering accomplishment. The book primarily deals with the development of the scientific program of the Apollo project from its beginnings, while emphasizing the scientific exploration of the moon undertaken in the final missions, from Apollo 12 to Apollo 17. The author has likewise attempted to summarize the tentative conclusions the scientists have reached so far with regard to the scientific study of the data gathered in the program as well as their influence in our better understanding of the origin and history of the moon and the solar system. The arguments for and against the program in its technical and scientific aspects are reflected in as an objective way as possible. Last but not least, the author honors those scientists who made a commitment to the program and stayed with it to the end, of whom he says they are given less credit than they usually deserve for the ultimate scientific productivity of the Apollo program.

(Extracted from the preface)

GENERAL TABLE OF CONTENTS

-Preface.

-Acknowledgments.

-Contents.

-1. America Starts for the Moon: 1957-1963.
-2. Linking Science to Manned Spaceflight.
-3. Apollo's Lunar Exploration Plans.
-4. Handling Samples from the Moon.
-5. Selecting and Training the Crews.
-6. Mission and Science Planning: 1963-1966.
-7. Setback and Recovery: 1967.
-8. Final Preparations: 1968.
-9. Primary Mission Accomplished: 1969.
-10. Lunar Exploration Begins.
-11. First Phase of Lunar Exploration Completed: 1969-1970.
-12. Apollo Assumes Its Final Form: 1970-1971.
-13. Lunar Exploration Concluded.
-14. Project Apollo: The Conclusion.

-Source Notes.

-Appendix.

-1. Organization Charts.
-2. Apollo Funding History.
-3. Lunar Exploration Planning: 1961-1967.
-4. Chronology of Major Events in Manned Space Flight and in Project Apollo, 1957-1975.
-5. Summary Data on Apollo Missions.
-6. Prime and Backup Crews, Support Crews, and Capsule Communicators for Apollo Lunar Missions.
-7. Crew Training and Simulations.
-8. The Flight of Apollo 13.

-Bibliographic Essay.

-Index.

-The Author.

-The NASA History Series.

OUR REVIEW

Where No Man Has Gone Before... No, this is not about the famous Star Trek episode of the same title, despite what this may suggest to certain readers! As is seen in the subtitle, this is rather a history of the Apollo lunar exploration missions, made possible thanks to the NASA History Series. The data supplied by the documentation at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center constitute an invaluable legacy that the interested reader cannot ignore. This volume also provides numerous footnotes to explain the context the author refers to in each case. Besides, the book is complemented with sufficient black and white photographs and graphics. The author, using a clear, pleasant style, takes us along a historical walk through one of the most well-known programs of the american space agency. The Appendix containing the organization charts, the history of the funding of the program, planning, different aspects regarding the crews, Apollo XIII, as well as the numerous source notes the author has used to get us to know the Apollo program in its scientific and technical aspects, together with the author's final bibliographical essay, are likewise interesting per se for those readers who'd like a deeper insight in the history of astronautics. In conclusion, this book will no doubt become a valuable jewel to add to our library.