Review by Choice Review
The last time humans walked on the moon was in 1972. The new plans at NASA to continue lunar exploration are part of the Constellation Program, which views the moon missions as stepping-stones to human missions to Mars. In this beautifully illustrated, large-format book, science writer/artist Carroll begins with a review of unmanned and manned explorations of the moon. Highlighted boxes on special topics such as an interview with Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean appear throughout the book. The author presents the details of Constellation including the designs of the Ares rockets, the Orion moon capsule, and the Altair lander. Orion looks like a large Apollo capsule, but it is designed to be reused and will be available for missions to the International Space Station as well as to the moon. The projected landing site is near the lunar south pole, due to a near constant level of illumination. At first, there will be shorter missions, but the goal is to establish a permanent human outpost on the moon. Carroll outlines how some in the spaceflight community view the lunar missions as a distraction from the main goal of human missions to Mars. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels of general readers and undergraduate students interested in space exploration. J. Z. Kiss Miami University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
