posted 10-22-2008 08:32 AM               

Apollo is a photographic commemoration of the Apollo lunar missions as seen through the eyes of the astronauts. Each of the surviving 21 astronauts from the Apollo missions has chosen a favorite photograph from his space flight especially for this book. These selections are accompanied by other iconic photographs from the Apollo missions. Bestselling astrophysicist Stephen Hawking and his daughter Lucy Hawking contribute a foreword on the meaning of the space exploration. July 20, 2009, marks the 40th anniversary of the first manned landing on the Moon by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11. Apollo is the only photographic book on the Apollo missions to be created by NASA, and is the perfect commemorative volume about this epochal program, where legendary achievement was recorded in powerful images.

• Hardcover: 132 pages
  
• Publisher: Abrams; 1 edition (June 1, 2009)
  
• ISBN-10: 0810921464
  
• ISBN-13: 978-0810921467

Cover image updated: April 27, 2009

posted 10-22-2008 08:53 AM               

As the description notes, this is NASA's commemorative volume for the 40th anniversary of Apollo and all of the living astronauts have taken part in its creation. I think that should sufficiently distinguish this book from being labeled as just another title "cashing in" on the celebration.

posted 10-22-2008 09:54 AM               

One instance of that was when the flim "For All Mankind" came out in 1989. I think it was a great film, but in one scene the image of the lunar module on orbit was reversed. Very glaring to my eye since the LM is so assymetrical.

I was at a special screening when the movie first came out where Director Al Reinert was present. Afterwards he did a Q&A with the audience. I asked him if he was aware that the LM image was reversed.

He replied yes he was aware of that and they did it for artistic reasons. To this day I don't see how reversing the LM improved any artistic flow in the movie.

posted 10-22-2008 02:16 PM               

After I posted this today, noted space exploration author David Harland emailed me with the explanation. It makes perfect sense now and was something that I did not know.

David graciously consented to letting me post his answer.

I too wondered why everyone showed that in reverse, thinking it must have been due to carelessness early on in producing 'stock footage' for the media. But then I checked the flight plan, and saw that for such shots Collins fitted the 16mm camera sideways to the window and installed a 45-degree mirror, which reversed the image. So that's why it is reversed. Of course, what should have been done was that all such footage should've subsequently been reversed by NASA for release to the press to make it 'correct' - but they didn't.

posted 10-22-2008 03:01 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Jay:
It is never a good sign when the cover photo has been printed in reverse.

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The publisher didn't reverse the shot for artistic reasons (as I had incorrectly assumed) but rather used the photo as provided by NASA.

posted 10-22-2008 03:49 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
Discussing the cover with Bob Jacobs today, it turns out that NASA's archives have the photo in question in both orientations.

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posted 10-23-2008 12:24 AM            

Apollo is a photographic commemoration of the Apollo lunar missions as seen through the eyes of the astronauts. Each of the surviving 21 astronauts from the Apollo missions...

...is it me, or is 21 survivors an odd number to fix on?

If I count only "Apollo lunar missions" in its strictest sense, that is Apollos 8, and 10-17, I come up with 18 surviving people.

If I add in Apollo missions that did not go to the moon (not strictly 'lunar') but were nevertheless called Apollo missions, I add in Apollos 7, 9 and ASTP - and get 22 (adding in Skylab missions, which used Apollo spacecraft, would take us even higher).

The only way I hit 21 is if I count missions 7-17. I don't quite understand a rationale of "Apollo lunar missions" that includes the Earth-orbiting 7 and 9, but not the Earth-orbiting Apollo of ASTP.

posted 10-23-2008 12:41 AM               

If we had not debugged all of the flight systems to go to the Moon, the navigation, guidance, communications, tracking, the orbital calculations to produce launch windows that people would be betting their lives on and windows of orbit injection around the Moon that people were betting their lives on, if we hadn't gone through all of that in the timeframe that we did, Apollo 11 couldn't have happened.

posted 10-23-2008 02:59 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by cspg:
...maybe they ought to rephrase the following: "Apollo is a photographic commemoration of the Apollo lunar missions" to "Apollo is a photographic commemoration of the Apollo Moon program."

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posted 10-23-2008 04:11 PM               

Alan Bean confirmed that the photograph was flipped. He advised them, "Stop looking at the U.S. flag and start looking at Pete". The pocket on his right leg should be on the left and portable life support system (PLSS) connectors were reversed as well, as can be confirmed in other photos such as this one:

To avoid any future confusion, NASA will remove from its archives any copies of the flipped photo and the publisher will reverse their cover, as mocked up here:

posted 10-23-2008 06:15 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by gliderpilotuk:
I must be missing something here. THE most famous space photo - Earthrise - has been consistently shown in the wrong orientation without too many complaints!

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posted 04-27-2009 04:07 PM               

The Essential Book from NASA on the Apollo Missions to the Moon
Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts

Foreword by Stephen Hawking and Lucy Hawking
Edited by Robert Jacobs, Michael Cabbage, Constance Moore, and Bertram Ulrich

"First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space..." -- John F. Kennedy, May 25, 1961

July 20, 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11's first manned landing on the moon. Arriving to coincide with this milestone anniversary, Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts (Abrams; June 2009; hardcover), is the extensive and profusely illustrated account of nine Apollo missions, created by NASA. Featuring a foreword by Stephen Hawking and Lucy Hawking, Apollo is the first book by NASA to tell the stories of the astronauts on the Apollo missions in vivid photographs and a detailed text.

Apollo arrives at a time when American and international focus is turned to NASA's next step in its human space exploration program. As we say good-bye to the space shuttle and hello to the Constellation program, which promises future trips to the moon, now is the perfect time to take a detailed look at NASA's groundbreaking Apollo missions, which first brought us to our lunar neighbor.

Edited by Robert Jacobs, Michael Cabbage, Constance Moore, and Bertram Ulrich, Apollo looks at its namesake missions through the eyes of the astronauts that manned them. Each of the surviving twenty-one astronauts from the missions has selected a favorite photograph from his space flight especially for this book. The result is a visually compelling and authoritatively written book on a landmark endeavor in American history.

About the Authors:
Stephen Hawking is the bestselling author of A Brief History of Time and the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, England. Lucy Hawking is a journalist and novelist.

From NASA, Robert Jacobs is Deputy Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs; Michael Cabbage is Director, News Services Division; Constance Moore is Head Photo Researcher; and Bertram Ulrich is Curator and Multimedia Manager.

Apollo: Through The Eyes Of The Astronauts
80 full-color illustrations, 132 pages; 10 x 10"
June 2009; Abrams
US $24.95; CAN $32.50
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-8109-2146-7

posted 06-27-2009 09:57 AM               

The landing crew is safely aboard KITTY HAWK and the uninhabited ANTARES drifts into space.