Apollo in Perspective: Spaceflight Then and Now

Apollo in Perspective: Spaceflight Then and Now takes a retrospective look at the Apollo space program and the technology that was used to land a man on the Moon. Using simple illustrations and school-level mathematics, Jonathan Allday explains the basic physics and technology of spaceflight and conveys the huge technological strides that were made and the dedication of the people working on the program. Physics topics covered include the laws of motion, rocketry, how to maneuver in orbit, and more. Informal and engaging, the book also discusses the designs of the Apollo Command, Service and Lunar modules and how these changed as the plans for the manned mission evolved. Guidance systems, computers, and engines all had to be developed for the first time. With Apollo as background, the book proceeds to look at the space shuttle, the technology being developed for its replacement, the International Space Station, and the possibilities for a manned Mars mission. The book concludes with an exploration of the far future, including Mars colonies and journeys to other stars.

Table of Contents:
Apollo in outline. The best driver in physics. Intermission 1 - The Saturn v Booster rocket. Rocketry. Intermission 2 - From Mercury to Gemini. Orbits and trajectories. The Apollo command and service modules. Intermission 3 - Inertial guidance and computers. The lunar module. Intermission 4 - The three 'ings'. The shuttle and its followers. Intermission 5 - The politics of Apollo. Mars. Intermission 6 - Godspeed John Glenn. Journeys to the stars. Appendices. Index.

Review :
..."a book which should fascinate and stimulate the next generation of physics students. Written with an almost naive simplicity, yet back up at every stage with an explanation of the basic physics and technology. Allday examines not only how NASA reached the Moon in 1969, but the viability of all the subsequent proposals for continuing the journey on to Mars and beyond. He explains with startling clarity that manned bases on mars, which has a similar day/night cycle to Earth's are much more practical than on the Moon." Astronomy Now "Written in a friendly and informal style, this very readable book will serve as an excellent introduction to astronautics for teenagers/school students interested in space, science teachers and general science readers. All school libraries should have a copy of this book." Spaceflight "An ideal summary of NASA's Apollo program and a good spaceflight primer. Highly recommended." W.E.Howard III, Universityies Space Research Association .." all handled very nicely and the text is spiced with real-world examples and illustrated with clear diagrams and black-and-white photos." Earth Space Review ook which should fascinate and stimulate the next generation of physics students. Written with an almost naive simplicity, yet back up at every stage with an explanation of the basic physics and technology. Allday examines not only how NASA reached the Moon in 1969, but the viability of all the subsequent proposals for continuing the journey on to Mars and beyond. He explains with startling clarity that manned bases on mars, which has a similar day/night cycle to Earth's are much more practical than on the Moon." Astronomy Now "Written in a friendly and informal style, this very readable book will serve as an excellent introduction to astronautics for teenagers/school students interested in space, science teachers and general science readers. All school libraries should have a copy of this book." Spaceflight "An ideal summary of NASA's Apollo program and a good spaceflight primer. Highly recommended." W.E.Howard III, Universityies Space Research Association .." all handled very nicely and the text is spiced with real-world examples and illustrated with clear diagrams and black-and-white photos." Earth Space Review