Bibliography and WWW Links
Last updated 2006-09-13
As a topic, space history and the Apollo program in particular are quite well represented in print and on the World Wide Web. Below is a list of books and web resources which were invaluable to us while compiling this journal. The list is not exhaustive but a fuller list can be found on the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal.
Books
A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts
Andrew Chaikin, Viking Penguin Inc., 1994. The best general read about the achievements of the Apollo program. Well balanced, well written and well researched.
Angle of Attack: Harrison Storms And The Race To The Moon
Michael Gray, W. W. Norton & Co., 1992. Originally conceived as a film script, this is a good read, though not necessarily a historical account of Harrison Storms, the North American Aviation manager who brought the Apollo spacecraft to the company.
Apollo EECOM: Journey of a Lifetime
Sy Liebergot with David M. Harland, Apogee Books, 2003. This was the first biography of the Apollo genre that featured a flight controller. Sy's position in space history was sintered in the crucible of the Apollo 13 explosion as it fell to him to make sense of the sparce information coming down from the newly crippled spacecraft. Unusually, this is a fuller biography than most Apollo accounts in that Sy tells a wide ranging story of his life and the book is better for it. Real rags to riches stuff.
Apollo Expeditions to the Moon
Edited by Edgar M. Cortright, NASA SP-350, 1975. Now an online document, compiled by Hans-Peter Engel, this is a collection of articles outlining the history of Apollo and written by senior managers of the Apollo program and by some of the Apollo astronauts.
The Apollo Spacecraft - A Chronology. (Four volumes)
NASA SP-4009. These four volumes are available online from the NASA History website. They are a detailed chronology covering the design and construction of the Apollo hardware. Volume I, edited by Ivan D. Eertel and Mary Louise Morse, was published in 1969 and covers up until November 7, 1962. Volume II, edited by Mary Louise Morse and Jean Kernahan Bays, was published in 1973 and covers the period November 8, 1962-September 30, 1964. Volume III, edited by Courtney G. Brooks and Ivan D. Ertel, also was published in 1973 and covers the period October 1, 1964-January 20, 1966. Volume IV, edited by Ivan D. Ertel and Roland W. Newkirk with Courtney G. Brooks, was published in 1978 and covers the period January 21, 1966-July 13, 1974.
Apollo: The Race to the Moon
Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox, Simon and Schuster, 1989. Unmissable by any student of Apollo, this is a deep though not comprehensive account of the development and success of Apollo as a human achievement. Instead it uses the technique of following a series of threads in detail to illustrate the human involvement in one of history's great megaprojects. It has a dual climax; first in the successful story of Apollo 11, then it peaks again with an utterly gripping account of Apollo 13's travails, showing why this perilous mission came to be known as NASA finest hour.
The writers have recently re-published this book as "Apollo", available from their website and it comes very highly recommended.
Atlas of the Moon
Antonín Rükl, edited by Dr. T. W. Rackham, Kalmbach Books, 1990. As far as the near side of the Moon is concerned, this lovingly and skilfully crafted book is a gem. Rükl's painstaking maps have been my companion since I began the Apollo Flight Journal. My only wish is that it would have been extended properly to the far side. However, it is intended as an astronomer's book and its Earth-bound perspective fulfils its role beautifully. Includes good essays on the Moon's movements, surface and observation.
The Bell System Technical Journal
May-June 1972, Vol. 51, No. 5.
Carrying the Fire
Michael Collins; Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1974. Collins came up with the best of all the astronaut biographies. Written without ghost help, it is honest, funny and glorious; and a must for all Apollo students.
Chariots for Apollo: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft.
James M. Grimwood and Loyd S. Swenson, NASA SP-5205, 1978. This book can be accessed online. It is an excellent account of the gestation of the Apollo spacecraft; Command, Service and Lunar Modules.
Chariots for Apollo: The Untold Story Behind the Race to the Moon
Charles R. Pellegrino and Joshua Stoff, Avon Science, 1985. An entertaining book written in a good narrative style which concentrates on the procurement of the Lunar Module. Not to be confused with a book of the same name from the NASA History Series.
Countdown
Frank Borman with Robert J. Serling, Silver Arrow Books/William Morrow, 1988. Borman is a no-nonsense, mission-oriented hard driver. This biography shows hoe he applied those attributes both to his pioneering role on Gemini 7 and Apollo 8, and then as president of Eastern Airlines. An illuminating read.
Deke!
Donald K. Slayton with Michael Cassutt, Tom Doherty Associates Inc., 1994. It is very good that Deke Slayton got this book out of his system before he left us. Honest and to the point, it is an excellent antidote to his earlier flawed collaboration with Alan Shepard.
Exploring the Moon: The Apollo Expeditions
David M. Harland, Springer-Verlag/Praxis Publishing Ltd., 1999. Harland does what should have been done years ago. Mixing a narrative style with solid science, he takes the reader with the crews on their voyages of discovery and all the while informs. Excellent stuff.
Flight: My Life in Mission Control
Chris Kraft, Dutton, 2001. Kraft defined the role of the omnipotent Flight Director and was a linch-pin of NASA's operational management. This good account is illuminating throughout.
Full Moon
Michael Light, Alfred A. Knopf, 1999. Unusual and astonishing. This reminds us that the Apollo crews took some of the best cameras in the world to record their explorations. Michael Light gained access to the master transparencies and negatives to produce this glorious imaginary journey to the Moon. After page upon page of stunning pictures, we get an explanation of them all and an essay from Andrew Chaikin. The book is highlighted on the Web at www.projectfullmoon.com and has been extensively translated. An exhibition of large-scale reproductions of the Full Moon images are on show at the Rose Center For Earth and Space, the American Museum of Natural History in New York. I had the pleasure of seeing them in April 2001.
Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8
Robert Zimmerman, Dell Publishing, 1998. Robert takes a parallel track in this account of the first human expedition out of Earth's sphere of influence. On one hand, it is a well-researched description of the flight. Throughout, Robert weaves stories of contemporary world events that set the meaning of this flight in context.
Hello Earth: Greetings from Endeavour
Alfred M. Worden, Nash Publishing, 1974. Al Worden's post-mission reflections captured in a little book of poetry. Out of print now but an evocative expression of a flight to the Moon.
The Last Man on the Moon
Eugene Cernan and Don Davis, St. Martin's Press, 1999. Cernan is the archetypal patriotic, can-do American astronaut. This book is above par in its type and his account of his EVA during Gemini IX is at once terrifying and gripping but he holds back somewhat on Apollo 17.
Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13
Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger, Houghton Mifflin, 1994. Lovell's testimony of the harrowing events surrounding Apollo 13 was the foundation for Ron Howard's successful film, Apollo 13 starring Tom Hanks.
Lunar Impact: A History of Project Ranger
R. Cargill Hall, NASA SP-4210, 1977. NASA's account of the trials, tribulation and achievements of the ground-breaking Project Ranger.
Lunar Sourcebook: A User's Guide to the Moon
Edited by Grant H. Heiken, David T. Vaniman, and Bevan M. French, Cambridge University Press, 1991. A very comprehensive collection of just about all we know of the Moon as a physical body.
Men From Earth
Buzz Aldrin and Malcolm McConnell, Bantam Press, 1989. Aldrin mixes a history lesson on the American/Soviet race to the Moon with his own story of achievement culminating in Apollo 11.
Moondust: In Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth
Andrew Smith, Bloomsbury, 2005. This is an unusual book in the Apollo canon, being an account by a journalist of his attempts to understand what Apollo meant by trying to meet up with the nine Moonwalkers who remain. Non-technical, very human story intended for a general readership, it is nevertheless to be recommended, despite some bloopers, to give the reader a wider cultural context for the Apollo story.
Moon Lander: How We Developed the Apollo Lunar Module.
Thomas J. Kelly, Smithsonian, 2001. Tom Kelly was at the helm of the team at Grumman who were responsible for the extraordinary Lunar Module. His book is an enjoyable personal history of how he and his 7,000 co-workers brought their project to a successful conclusion, landing six times on the Moon, and on one occasion, saving the lives of three astronauts.
Moonwalker
Charlie and Dotty Duke, Oliver Nelson, 1990. Mostly written by Dotty Duke, this is a very worthwhile astronaut biography. Split between Charlie's life as an astronaut and as a born-again Christian, it portrays the pressures endured by so many during the Apollo program.
Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations.
Charles D. Benson and William Barnaby Faherty, NASA SP-4204, 1978. This detailed history of the development of Kennedy Space Center through its construction and operation is available online.
On The Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini
Barton C. Hacker and James M. Grimwood, NASA SP-4203. Available online, this account of the Gemini program is important for tracing the development of those spaceflight techniques that were crucial to Apollo - particularly rendezvous and docking, from both a management and operational standpoint.
The Once and Future Moon
Paul D. Spudis, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1996. Very readable and authoritative, Spudis picks up on lunar exploration in the generation after Apollo, and in this book, gives the reader a tremendous overview of our current knowledge.
The Partnership: A History of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
Edward Clinton Ezell and Linda Neuman Ezell, NASA SP-4209, 1978. Available online, this is NASA's account of the first example of manned cooperation in space.
Stages to Saturn: A Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicles
Roger E. Bilstein, NASA SP-4206, 1980. With greater technical detail than most other of the NASA History Series, this book describes the immense engineering challenges that went into the Saturn launch vehicles.
This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury.
Loyd S. Swenson Jr., James M. Grimwood, Charles C. Alexander; NASA SP-4201, 1966. This account of Project Mercury is available online.
To A Rocky Moon: A Geologist's History of Lunar Exploration
Don E. Wilhelms, University of Arizona Press, 1993. Informative, entertaining and well written, Wilhelms helped train the crews and provides insight into what they found and its context, scientifically and politically.
Tracking Apollo to the Moon
Hamish Lindsay, Springer, 2001. Lavishly illustrated and well presented, this is a detailed telling of the Apollo flights from the point of view of a participant who helped man the Honeysuckle in Australia.
Two Sides of the Moon
David Scott & Alexei Leonov with Christine Toomey, Simon & Schuster, 2004. Scott and Leonov take an unusual line in this excellent dual astronaut biography. Toomey expertly weaves together parallel tales of courage, near-disaster, loss and achievement. These two Cold Warriors have astonishing tales to tell and this book lets them speak.
Virtual Apollo
Scott P. Sullivan, Apogee Books, 2002. The Apollo command and service modules were among the most complex devices of their time and it can be difficult to visualise how so much equipment could be squeezed into a very small space. Scott has brought 3D modelling technology to help us all come to know these exquisite machines.
The Way of the Explorer: An Apollo Astronaut's Journey Through the Material and Mystical Worlds
Dr. Edgar Mitchell with Dwight Williams, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1996. This is two books in one. It usefully relates Mitchell's Apollo 14 experience and recounts his search for a reconciliation between science and the mystical.
We Have Capture: Tom Stafford and the Space Race
Tom Stafford with Michael Cassutt, Smithsonian, 2002. Stafford took on important roles during Gemini and Apollo, both in flight and management, all related in this biography.
Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of Apollo Lunar Exploration Missions
William David Compton, NASA SP-4214, 1989. Rather than detailing the lunar exploration itself, this book primarily studies how various exploration issues developed from conception to execution. Available online.
Web sites
Apollo by the Numbers. is a statistical reference on all the Apollo missions.
Apollo Lunar Surface Journal.
APOLLO Manned Missions
Apollo PressKits
Biomedical Results of Apollo
Exploring the Moon: Apollo Missions
Kipp Teague's "Project Apollo Archive"
Papertrainer publish stunning colour posters of the instrument panel of Apollo 13's Command Module Odyssey.
Welcome to the NSSDC!
Unpublished Documents
Apollo 15, Apollo Stowage List, Mission J-1, CM-112/LM-10, August 10, 1971.
Apollo 15, Apollo Stowage List Revision Notice, Mission J-1, CM-112/LM-10, August 10, 1971.
Apollo 15, Command Module, Onboard Voice Transcription, Recorded on the Data Storage Equipment (DSE), MSC-04559, August 1971.
Apollo 15, Crew Debriefing for Science and Photography, MSC-04562, August 23, 1971.
Apollo 15, CSM Entry Checklist, Revision A, June 11, 1971.
Apollo 15, CSM G&C Checklist, Basic, March 22, 1971.
Apollo 15, CSM Launch Checklist, Change C, July 9, 1971.
Apollo 15, CSM Systems Checklist, Basic, March 15, 1971.
Apollo 15, Debriefing for Visual Observations, MSC-04593, October 1971.
Apollo 15, Debriefing Summary, Eugene Kranz.
Apollo 15, Helicopter Crew Debriefing.
Apollo 15, EECOM Post Mission Report (Memorandum), August 20, 1971.
Apollo 15, Flight Plan, Final, June 21, 1971.
Apollo 15, Index of 70-mm Photographs, January 12, 1972.
Apollo 15, LM Activation Checklist, Change A, May 4, 1971.
Apollo 15, LM Activation Checklist, Revision A, June 14, 1971.
Apollo 15, LM Contingency Checklist, Change B, June 14, 1971.
Apollo 15, LM Cue Cards, Basic, May 10, 1971.
Apollo 15, LM Lunar Surface Checklist, Change A, July 13, 1971.
Apollo 15, Lunar Module, Onboard Voice Transcription, Recorded on the Data Storage Equipment (DSE), MSC-04560, August 1971.
Apollo 15, Mission 5-Day Report, Mission Evaluation Team, MSC-04768, August 1971.
Apollo 15, Mission Operation Report, Rocco Petrone, (Pre Mission), M-933-71-15, 17 July 1971.
Apollo 15, Mission Operation Report, Apollo Supplement, Revision 4, M-933-71, July 1971.
Apollo 15, Mission Report, MSC-05161, December 1971.
Apollo 15, Mission Report, Supplement 1, Guidance, Navigation and Control System Performance Analysis Report, MSC-05161-Supplement 1, September 1972.
Apollo 15, Mission (AS-510) Post Launch Mission Operation Report No. 1, Rocco Petrone, M-933-71-15, 17 July 1971.
Apollo 15, Post Mission Report (Memorandum), August 10, 1971.
Apollo 15, Preliminary Science Report, NASA SP-289, 1972.
Apollo 15, Press Kit, Release No: 71-119K, July 15, 1971.
Apollo 15, Spacecraft Commentary (PAO Transcript), July/August 1971.
Apollo 15, Technical Air-to-Ground Voice Transcription, MSC-04558, August 1971.
Apollo 15, Technical Crew Debriefing, MSC-04561, August 14, 1971.
Apollo Operations Handbook, CSM J-Series Missions, CSM 112 thru 115, Volume 2, Operational Procedures.
CM Software (Also known as the AC Delco Manual).
Command/Service Module, Systems Handbook, CSM 112-114, March 12, 1971.
Mission Director's Summary Report (Memorandum), August 7, 1971.
MSFC Five Day (After Mission Completion) Flight Evaluation Report, Apollo 15 (AS-510) Mission, August 11, 1971.
Report of Preliminary Scientific Results of Apollo 15 (Memorandum), September 28, 1971.
Saturn V Flight Manual, SA-510, MSFC-MAN-510, 25 June 1971.
Saturn V Launch Vehicle, Flight Evaluation Report, AS-510, MSFC-MPR-SAT-FE-71-2, October 28, 1971.
© 2000 by W. David Woods and Frank O'Brien. All rights reserved.
