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EDITORIAL INFORMATION

Gateway to the Moon presents the definitive history of the origins, design, and construction of the lunar launch facilities at Kennedy Space Center, the terrestrial site of one of the greatest national adventures of the 20th century, humanity's first trip to the moon. It includes archival illustrations and diagrams of locations, personnel, and equipment, from aerial views of sandy, undeveloped Cape Canaveral to some of the first phots of the mobile launchers and crawler-transporters. Filled with the sense of wonder and pride that the earliest US space achievements inspired, the book focuses on launch complexes 39A and 39B, the assemblies from which the Apollo-Saturn vehicles departed for trips into space, and on the massive eight-acre Vertical Assembly Building (renamed VehicleAssembly Building) and the attached Launch Control Center-some of the most awesome buildings ever constructed. It also analyzes the technological and governmental interactions necessary to ensure success of the launches.

Originally part of Moonport, one of the volumes of the NASA History Series, the book is based on extensive interviews with participants in the space program and wide access to official documents, letters, and memoranda; in addition, the authors air criticism directed at the Kennedy Space Center team and treat in detail mistakes in launch operations and conflicts within the program. Written for a general-interest audience, with jargon and acronyms translated into everyday language, the book offers a faithful account of technology in service to humanity.

(Extracted from the press release).

GENERAL TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

-Contents.

-Foreword.

-Preface.

-1. The First Steps.

-2. Launch Complex.

-3. Launching the First Saturn I Booster.

-4. Origins of the Mobile Moonport.

-5. Acquiring a Launch Site.

-6. LC-39 Plans Take Shape.

-7. The Launch Directorate Becomes an Operating Center.

-8. Funding the Project.

-9. Apollo Integration.

-10. Saturn I Launches (1962-1965).

-11. Ground Plans for Outer-Space Ventures.

-12. From Designs to Structures.

-13. New Devices for New Deeds.

-14. Socio-Economic Problems on the Space Coast.

-Source Notes.

-Bibliography.

-Index.