Roger D. Launius and J. D. Hunley

“ This thoughtful discussion of the development of the U.S. space program emphasizes the role of the frontier and the exploration imperative in the United States. Sidey, an extremely articulate commentator, suggests that nothing worthwhile is gained without sacrifice. This was a response to the naysayers of the space program after the January 1986 Challenger accident but emphasizes the 1961 Apollo decision of President Kennedy as the quintessential statement of a vision of exploring the unknown. ”

“ The new arms race in space is but another example--perhaps the last one--of leaders refusing to accept the limits of military power, of trying therefore to bring military solutions to bear on what are global political and social crises. The only real hope for national security in the Space Age lies in international security. ”

“ The author, then teaching at the University of California, Berkeley, argues that Apollo prompted the space program to become identified almost exclusively with high-profile, expensive, human space flight projects. This was because Apollo became a race against the Soviet Union for recognition as the world leader in science and technology, and by extension in other fields as well. McDougall juxtaposes the American effort of Apollo with the Soviet space program and the dreams of such designers as Sergei P. Korolev to land a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon. ”

“ He also describes what he thinks of as the most important perspective that emerged from his flight, a realization of the fragility of the Earth. He wrote that "from space there is no hint of ruggedness to it; smooth as a billiard ball, it seems delicately poised on its circular journey around the Sun, and above all it seems fragile.... ”

“ The former deputy administrator of NASA presents an insider's view of the history of the Apollo program dating back to the Eisenhower administration and discusses how its architects got the program started and its managers carried out its goals. He concludes that management needed continually to monitor the program's elements, formulate alternate plans when difficulties arose, ensure good vertical communication in both directions, remain flexible, and retain capable, dedicated people for "both making and executing decisions." ”

“ This and related efforts were critical in increasing public belief in the possibility of reaching the Moon, although it took the launching of Sputnik by the Soviets to propel the United States to establish a space program and the election of John F. Kennedy as president to establish a landing on the Moon within a decade as the goal of the Apollo program. Here, von Braun provided details about a space station he envisioned as "either the greatest force for peace ever devised, or one of the most terrible weapons of war--depending on who makes and controls it." ”

“ Eisenhower always opposed the idea of an aggressive lunar landing program, for as he said at a meeting in February 1958 "he would rather have a good Redstone than be able to hit the moon, for we didn't have any enemies on the moon."
Caiden, Martin. War for the Moon. New York: E.P. Dutton and Co., 1959. This presents a strong case for the U.S. to rush to the Moon, framed in the context of the Cold War rivalry with the Soviet Union, written at the time that the first lunar probes were being launched. ”

“ This article discusses the history of the Apollo 11 mission, including the policy decisions and technological development leading up to the lunar landing, the preliminary Ranger missions to study the surface of the Moon, the configuration of the mission, and the events from launch of the Saturn V booster through the landing of the Eagle on the Moon and the subsequent rendezvous with the Columbia lunar orbiting vehicle to the flight back to planet Earth.
Wilford, John Noble. We Reach the Moon: The New York Times Story of Man's Greatest Adventure. ”

“ This thorough and well-written book gives a detailed but highly readable account of the enormously complex process whereby the Marshall Space Flight Center under the direction of Wernher von Braun developed the launch vehicles used in the Apollo program ultimately to send twelve humans to the Moon. Based on exhaustive research and equipped with extensive bibliographic references, this book comes as close to being a definitive history of the Saturn rocket program as is ever likely to appear. ”

“ A few scientists favored formation of the Moon from particles in order around a growing Earth. Analysis of samples from the Apollo missions did not confirm any of these three theories of lunar origin. ”

“ Rockets, Missiles, and Men in Space. New York: Viking Press, 1968. This is the fourth and final edition of 21 printings of the work first published as Rockets. It emphasizes the possibilities of space flight as a reality rather than science fiction. Ley came to the U.S. in 1935, and this book became of the most significant textbooks available in the mid-twentieth century on the possibilities of space travel. Once again, the book emphasizes the importance of a trip to the Moon as the first step by humanity off the Earth and into the universe. ”