First Men to the Moon

First Men to the Moon is a novel by rocketry expert Wernher von Braun,[1] published in 1960.[2][3] It tells the story of John Mason and Larry Carter, fictional astronauts traveling to the Moon.[4]

First edition
(publ. Holt, Rinehart and Winston)

Von Braun's book is dedicated to his daughters Iris and Margrit, who he believed would live in a world in which flights to the Moon were commonplace.

Along with detailed illustrations by Fred Freeman,[5] von Braun's story is based on his own scientific knowledge and includes technical explanations of a journey into space. The novel describes the use of a method of investigating the interior of the Moon using seismograph-equipped solid propellant rockets.[6]

According to WorldCat, the book is in 413 libraries.[7]

Reception

Floyd C. Gale said that the fictional Moon trip was "highly detailed and absorbing", and praised the "exceptional" illustrations. He concluded that "Even the best grounded SF buff will find new and astonishing material over which to dream".[8]

References
  1. "The End of the Space Age". The Economist.
  2. "A Bibliography of Werner von Braun with selected biographical supplement 1930-1969". Mitchell R. Sharpe, National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
  3. Howard E. McCurdy (24 January 2011). Space and the American Imagination. JHU Press. p. 328. ISBN 978-0-8018-9868-6.
  4. "1960s spacesuit designs from Wernher von Braun's science fiction novel" Matt Novak, I09
  5. David Meerman Scott; Richard Jurek (28 February 2014). Marketing the Moon: The Selling of the Apollo Lunar Program. MIT Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-262-02696-3.
  6. "Robotics: Pushing the Envelope". Centauri Dreams by Paul Gilster on September 5, 2012
  7. WorldCat item record
  8. Gale, Floyd C. (June 1961). "Galaxy's 5 Star Shelf". Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 94–97.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.