Daring Dozen: The Twelve Who Walked on the Moon [Hardcover]

A gorgeous introduction to the twelve brave men who have left footprints on the moon, just in time to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the first lunar landing.

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong took one small step and made history. Over the course of the next three-and-a-half years, twelve lunar explorers, including Alan Shepard and Gene Cernan, touched down on the moon's surface. Author and engineer Suzanne Slade reveals how the Apollo missions (1969-1972) built upon one another and led to important discoveries about our nearest neighbor in space. Back matter includes an afterword by Alan Bean (1932-2018), the fourth person to walk on the moon.♦ It's easy to forget the days of men on the moon were few and over swiftly. This look at the daring dozen tells their stories in brief, but with the fascination factor on full display. Beginning with the first moon landing in 1969, Slade introduces the Apollo astronauts, who fulfilled their tasks, be it finding a special kind of rock or exploring the moon's topography. Nor are the vehicles involved in the moon landings ignored: they are tucked in the text and on full display in the backmatter, where there's information and photos on both the spacecraft that brought the astronauts to the moon and back and the lunar rovers and modules that so ably assisted in the astronauts' tasks. While the backmatter is highlighted by photographs, the text's paintings are sweeping, capturing some of the wonder the 12 experienced as they found themselves in an environment untested by any but themselves. The pages depict the way several astronauts personalized their journeys, with a flag, golf club, or photo of their family, adding another layer to both the astronauts' and readers' experiences. An outstanding choice for children who are just beginning to know about moon landings and appended with enough information about each flight so that young students may use it too.
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