The Story of the Apollo Programme
It was May 1961 when US President Kennedy declared a national goal for the next decade: landing a man on the Moon. It was a momentous decision. At the time, America had no manned orbital flights to its name, only Alan Shepard's brief 'hop'. However, it was essential to respond to the recent successes of the Soviet Union—the launch of the Sputnik satellite and the flight of Yuri Gagarin—which were already alarming the American public, and to restore America's technical and technological superiority at all costs. The journey to the Moon presented a completely new challenge. It was a goal that put both the USSR and the USA on a new starting line.
Both rivals had to start from scratch. They needed to create a new spacecraft, a rocket, a spaceport... and figure out how to actually get to the Moon in the first place. Thus, the Apollo programme was born, full of obstacles and setbacks, but also of immense effort and a determination to push the boundaries of what was possible, culminating in a man standing on the lunar surface. 'Conquest of the Moon' presents this journey in detail.
This thrilling narrative is accompanied by over 450 photographs, which will give you a behind-the-scenes look at NASA and transport you half a century back to the greatest adventure in human history.
