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Cover image of Taking Science to the Moon
Cover image of Taking Science to the Moon
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Taking Science to the Moon

Lunar Experiments and the Apollo Program

Donald A. Beattie

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How did science get aboard the Apollo rockets, and what did scientists do with the space allotted to them? Taking Science to the Moon describes, from the perspective of NASA headquarters, the struggles that took place to include science payloads and lunar exploration as part of the Apollo program. Donald A. Beattie—who served at NASA from 1963 to 1973 in several management positions and finally as program manager, Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments—here supplies a detailed, insider's view of the events leading up to the acceptance of science activities on all the Apollo missions.

Reviews

Reviews

Taking Science to the Moon transports the reader behind NASAs facade, and into the 1960s' politics, planning sessions, turf battles, camaraderie, and jealousies of the world's major space agency. An absorbing, insightful, and revealing critical history of what eventually turned out to be a hugely successful scientific endeavor.

Comprehensive yet thoroughly readable, it will hold great appeal for rocket enthusiasts, providing as it does a behind-the-scenes look at one of the greatest adventures in history.

We get valuable insights into how committees worked and into the struggles for scientific payload space on lunar landers, and into how geological objectives were devised. We also discover how fears of contamination from lunar organisms led to the creation of an elaborate quarantine facility for the first men on the moon. This is a fascinating book.

This is a very detailed yet clearly written and interesting account of the tremendous effort involved in getting the greatest science return from the Apollo program, starting with having it included in the first place.

About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
352
ISBN
9780801872679
Illustration Description
37 halftones, 5 line drawings
Table of Contents

Contents:
1 From the Jungle to Washington
2 Early Theories and Questions About the Moon
3 What Do We Do After Apollo?
4 The USGS Joins Our Post-Apollo Team
5 Science Payloads for Apollo - The Struggle

Contents:
1 From the Jungle to Washington
2 Early Theories and Questions About the Moon
3 What Do We Do After Apollo?
4 The USGS Joins Our Post-Apollo Team
5 Science Payloads for Apollo - The Struggle Begins
6 Developing the Geological Equipment, Related Experiments and Sampling Protocols
7 The Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP), and Related Experiments
8 Walk, Fly, or Drive?
9 Astronaut Training and Mission Simulation
10 Studying the Moon from Orbit
11 On to the Moon - Science becomes the Focus
12 The "J" Missions - We Almost Achieve Our Early Dreams
13 The Legacy of Apollo

Author Bio
Featured Contributor

Donald A. Beattie

Donald A. Beattie is a former NASA engineer who has also worked with the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. He currently works as a private consultant. He is the author of History and Overview of Solar Heat Technologies.