Author: Gerhard Wisnewski
By Clairview Books

Exhaustive research, solid evidence, 2008-05-09
I've been a little confused about the moon landing conspiracy for many years. I was aware that there were considerable holes in the photographic evidence presented to to the world by NASA, however was not yet prepared to accept that the entire Apollo program was fraudulent. Until I read this book. I am now 100% certain that this was a grand swindle and PR exercise. Wisnewski presents the evidence quietly, dispassionately and in detail. He sticks to the facts, and even goes so far as to prove that the claims of some conspiracy theorists are false in relation to some aspects of photographic analysis. He approaches his subject scientifically and maintains credibility at all times. No where in this book will you find claims regarding aliens, atlantis, or any other bunkum. Instead you get analysis for splash down accuracy, the descriptions and photographs of NASA's massive 'Simulation" facilities and a whole wealth of other data which leaves you with only one natural conclusion. Apollo was fake from start to finish.

Author: Piers Bizony
By Icon Books Ltd

Extremely interesting, 2007-09-06
I bought this book on a whim after a brief review in the BBC Focus magazine. I'm not much of a reader as I find my degree studies take my enthusiasm away from reading other material.

I have just finished it within 3 days and I was blown away. It is (in my opinion) very well written and gives an amazing insight into a fantastic age in space travel that is almost forgotten. It also helps the user understand the power stuggles in Washington when funding needed to secured.

Overall, this book does James Webb very proud - what an amazing man.

Author: Mike Mullane
By Simon & Schuster Ltd

Seat of the pants stuff, 2007-12-11
This is probably the best astronaut autobiography I have read with the possible exception of Michael Collin's book. Colonel Mike Mullane was the first generation of the space shuttle astronauts specifically selected to fly on the machine. His book is a no holds bared account of his time before and at NASA and the courage, terror and perhaps foolhardy nature it takes to ride into space on rocket which basically has no effective escape system. Personally I liked all the anecdotes that are scattered throughout the book, I particularly liked the way he described the meeting of two cultures, scientist astronaut and military astronaut. Having served in the infantry and being a scientist I can well appreciate the two would not initially get along. As Colonel Mullane describes he was a product of his environment, Vietnam veteran and survivor of a catholic school. However, the moral of his story and life education is the respect he developed for women who want a career and also people who are prepared to put their life on the line in pursuit of a common goal which is unobtainable to most. This is one of my selected `toilet' books and it is well thumbed companion. Friends who come to stay always get addicted when reading it and basically only emerge when nagged by their wives, who then get addicted to. Well worth the read.

Author: Andrew Smith
By Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Doesn't every product appeal to a different market?, 2008-02-05
This book appealed to me straight away, dealing with a subject that I have long been fascinated in- Man landing on the moon- but that I have not yet had the inclination to wonder about any further than the fact that this amazing event happened 5 years before I was born (my wife would debate this latter point, but anyway. . .)

Therefore I would have to say that, with the added concept of interviewing the last remaining humans to have walked upon another celestial body (literally a dying breed), I enjoyed this book like no other I have read in a long time.

The writers style is relaxed, he injects just enough technical detail into his writing to make you want to find out more and I think it was great to have his own experiences linked to the unfolding story of Mankinds greatest achievement.

Overall, a triumph. The wife even read it after me. . .

Author: Michael Light
By Jonathan Cape

The Apollo missions, completed between 1967 and 1972, were achieved due to the magnificent co-operative effort of 400,000 men and women, and resulted in the miraculous feat of no deaths, six lunar landings, and over 32,000 photographs. To mark the 30th anniversary of the first landing, the Hayward Gallery in London held an exhibition in Summer 1999 of a selection of those photographs under the title "Full Moon". Indulge yourself in the catalogue of the show and it will take your breath away. Artist and photographer Michael Light has drawn on Nasa's huge archive to put together an archetypal lunar journey in images, from take-off to landing. It is awesome. To communicate the necessary density required a special black ink --"Luna Nero" was developed solely for the printing of this book, and the latest digital resources were used to process miles of black-and-white negatives and colour transparencies to a unique razor-sharp clarity. With five gatefold montage panoramas included, this is landscape photography at its best. Astronauts take their first steps in space, their cables attaching them to their mother craft like giant umbilical cords. The moody surface of the moon ...
Its a truly beautiful book.......you'll want to keep forever., 2008-05-10
It is everything that previous reviewers have said, stunningly beautiful pictures and well put together panoramas, there are only the breifest of descriptions to each photo but that is all that is needed,the pictures speak for themselves.

Author: W. David Woods
By Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

From pre-launch to splashdown, 2008-05-27
I have just finished reading this excellent book and I would certainly recommend it to anyone interested in the Apollo project, or space flight in general.

Without getting bogged down in equations, this book explains how the space craft of the Apollo era worked and where flown. Following the journey from the launch pad to splash down, every stage of this grand adventure are explained in detail. Each section contains examples from the real missions to show how a staggering series of procedures allowed the first humans to walk on the Moon.

Well worth reading!

Author: Jim Lovell, Jeffrey Klugar
By Houghton Mifflin (Trade)

Great!!!, 2005-01-12
An outstanding account of the events of that week in April 1970. If you enjoyed the film, you'll love this book!

Author: Colin Burgess, Francis French
By University of Nebraska Press

One of the 5 books on spaceflight to have, 2008-07-29
Francis French and Colin Burgess' latest book travelled with me during a short trip to Gdansk/Poland last year, and it took me this week to read it from start to end. It was time very pleasantly spent - excellently written, and a smooth composition from the beginning to the end. If I hadn't come for some other things to see, I probably wouldn't have stopped reading before the last page would have been turned. That is quite an achievement for a non-fiction book.

Many of us had read the individual astronauts' autobiographies that are on the market. On those astronauts of course, little new could probably be said. However, French and Burgess unearth stories and backgrounds from those others that have not yet shared their life with the readers. In this context, I particularly enjoyed the extensive descriptions from Bill Anders, Rusty Schweickart, Donn Eisele that figure prominently in the book.

If I "missed something" after having read the first volume, it is the stories from NASA's competitor, the Soviet space programme. The first volume had covered the stories of Gagarin, Titov and Tereshkova. The 2nd volume only briefly mentions Komarov, and a longer paragraph on the joint flight of Soyuz 4 and 5. I feel a larger coverage of the parallel events in the Soviet Union would have been in

Author: Andrew Chaikin
By Penguin Books Ltd

These Men dared to sit on top of Rockets!, 2008-08-27
This is a comprehensive book about the Apollo space program that does an exceptional job of capturing one of the most incredible times in human history. It was a time when the belief was that we could do just about anything we set our minds to.

Andrew Chaikin does an amazing job of capturing the courage, the commitment, the sacrifices, the driving motives and vision of the astronauts, supporting crews, wives and more. This 600+ page book hardly wastes a word. The book was so good it was turned into a mini series by HBO.

It is clear that Chaikin has a deep passion and respect for the space program and the people in it. He brings the truth to this writing without much dirty laundry being exposed.

This book deserves a place on any space buff's book shelf. It is also a great read for anyone interested in true life adventure of men who dared to sit on the top of rockets and go where no one had gone before. Highly recommended!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

Failure is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond (Thorndike Paperback Bestsellers)

The Last Man on the Moon: Astronaut Eugene Cernan and America's Race in Space

Author: Francis French; Colin Burgess
By University of Nebraska Press

enjoyable, flowing, well-paced, accessible, exciting, 2007-12-21
There are many reasons why I regard this book so highly.

The writing style and narrative is enjoyable, flowing, well-paced, accessible, exciting. The book is superbly researched. The events and human subjects covered in the book are interesting, anything but dull, the authors uncovered uncommon stories about them.

Most of all, I felt like I had walked away after reading this book seeing these spacefarers and astronauts as humans, real people, not celebrities. The authors managed to show us their humanity without losing respect for their accomplishments. In fact, in spite of their humanity, their weaknesses, their environment, I have even more respect for so many of these spacefarers now that I can appreciate what they went through and had to overcome to achieve what they were able to.

I even came away with a much deeper appreciation and understanding of people I've often considered enemies at worst (i.e., Russian spacefarers), and objects of derision at best.

The stories in this book touch the human spirit in a way that is universal, beyond politics, beyond creed, beyond country. That's because the authors were able to capture an underlying essence most humans on our planet share: the curiosity and wonder to explore and give one's life to a cause greater than one's own agenda or paradigm.