Here at space.com, we’re gearing up for the 50th anniversary of NASA’s Apollo 11 moon landing in July, and with that anniversary comes an avalanche of books explaining, analyzing, and addressing humanity’s first foray in other world. Get into the anniversary spirit with the following, which are just a few of many, many new books that look at this critical milestone and look ahead to future lunar missions.
Skip through the sections above, or read on to see our lists of Apollo narratives; books about the moon, past and future; understanding apollo; and apollo picture books. And check back as we get closer to the anniversary for more information!
You are reading: Books on apollo 11
related: apollo 11 at 50: a complete guide to the historic moon landing mission
apollo tales
‘carrying the fire’ (opens in a new tab)
by michael collins (farrar straus and giroux, anniversary edition 2019)
This autobiography of astronaut Michael Collins, who orbited the moon alone while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the lunar surface, sets the standard for memoirs written by astronauts and provides a definitive yet personal account of Apollo 11. “Wearing the Fire: An Astronaut’s Journey” has been republished as a 50th anniversary edition.
read an interview with collins about the book and apollo 50 years later here.
‘moonbound’ (opens in a new tab)
by jonathan fetter-vorm (hill and wang, 2019)
“moonbound: apollo 11 and the dream of spaceflight” is a full-color graphic novel that tells the story of apollo 11, beginning when the movements of the planets were calculated and rapidly moving forward to the development of new technologies and science that made the first steps on the moon possible.
‘rocket men’ (opens in a new tab)
by robert kurson (random house, 2019)
Apollo 11 astronauts may have been the first to land on the moon, but Apollo 8 was the first to reach the celestial body, reuniting in four hectic months and demonstrating the best technology NASA had to offer. Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man’s First Trip to the Moon centers on Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders, as well as their families, as they make humanity’s first trip to a the new World.
‘throw at the moon’ (opens in a new tab)
by james donovan (small, brown and company, 2019)
“shoot for the moon: the space race and the extraordinary voyage of apollo 11” is a story focused on the moon landing narrative that apollo 11 astronaut michael collins called “the best book on apollo that [he] ever I had read .” what else is there to say?
read a question and answer session with the author here.
‘apollo 11’ (opens in a new tab)
by david whitehouse (icon books, 2019)
“Apollo 11: The Inside Story” intertwines in-depth interviews with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Gene Cernan, David Scott, John Young, Alan Shepard, Charlie Duke, Al Bean, Gordon Cooper, Al Worden, Walt Cunningham, Tom stafford, dick gordon, john glenn, pete conrad, edgar mitchel, james irwin, stu roosa, ron evans, deke slayton, wally schirra and more to tell an authorized story about nasa’s mission to land on the moon.
‘reaching for the moon’ (opens in a new tab)
by katherine johnson (atheneum books for young readers, 2019) – available july
Children’s books will be on an upcoming list, but we just had to mention this new autobiography from NASA computing legend Katherine Johnson. Johnson’s story was publicized by the book and movie “Hidden Figures,” and through her work with early NASA she gained insight into the new science and mathematics developed for the epic journey to the moon. Johnson’s work made the Apollo missions possible, and this book is sure to inspire kids (mathematically and otherwise) to reach for the stars.
read more about the autobiography here and watch space.com for an upcoming excerpt.
- best science fiction and space books
moon, past and future
‘moon: an illustrated story’ (opens in a new tab)
by david warmflash (sterling, 2019)
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From the formation of the moon 4.5 billion years ago to possible lunar colonies, “The Moon: An Illustrated History” traces 100 past (and near future) milestones of our neighboring world. The moon has fascinated mankind for millennia, sparking ancient cults, scientific developments, and much more. With this book and its rich illustrations, astrobiologist David Warmflash weaves a story of lunar geology and humanity’s relationship with the dusty orb.
‘moon rush’ (opens in a new tab)
by leonard david (national geographic, 2019)
space.com contributor and space journalist leonard david explores the moon’s past and future, detailing how private companies, the u.s. uu. and its allies and competitors could reach the moon and harvest potential resources there. Is a new space race imminent? and if so, how could it be?
and what will we find?
Read the space.com Q&A with the author here.
‘the moon’ (opens in a new tab)
by oliver morton (economist books, 2019)
In “The Moon: A Story for the Future,” Oliver Morton poetically explores how human understanding of the Moon has shaped our understanding of the Earth, and how it has stimulated technological growth and scientific thought, as well as sci-fi fantasy flights.
- more astronomy and astrophysics books
understanding apollo
‘space age heroes’ (opens in a new tab)
by rod pyle (Protheus books, 2019)
Space author (and Space.com contributor) Rod Pyle describes the pilots, scientists, and engineers who worked behind the scenes to make Apollo possible, as well as the people in the spotlight of the Space Race. Some examples from promotional material: “Joe Engle was a fearless test pilot who set multiple records in the dangerous X-15 rocket plane and later commandeered the Space Shuttle three times. John Houbolt was an engineer who convinced NASA leaders to that the most effective way to land on the moon was to use a seemingly risky technique called ‘lunar orbit rendezvous’, which worried nasa planners but was the only way to make landing possible in 1969. margaret hamilton was a consummate mathematician and one of the first female software engineers to design spaceflight software programs that were instrumental in the success of the moon landing john casani was a fearless young engineer who took charge of the voyager program, struggling to recognize the outer planets at one point in which success was far from certain, and valentina tereshkova was the first woman to travel to space aboard the spaceship soviet cial vostok 6”. Pyle also includes profiles of more well-known figures such as Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Yuri Gagarin.
‘the legacy of apollo’ (opens in a new tab)
by roger launius (smithsonian books, 2019)
how do we understand a transformative event like the apollo missions to the moon? many present it as a test of American ingenuity and success, but there is much more to the story. In “The Legacy of Apollo: Perspectives on the Moon Landings,” space historian Roger Launiuis investigates the technological, scientific, and political impacts of Apollo, as well as what we can learn from it to understand the nation’s modern space program. . The slim volume is written like an academic text but is accessible to anyone interested in space history and the circumstances that spawned Apollo.
Read the space.com Q&A with the author here.
‘chasing the moon’ (opens in a new tab)
by robert stone and alan andres (ballantine books, 2019)
This companion book to the upcoming pbs series “chasing the moon,” which will air in three parts July 8-10, provides a deeper look at “science fiction writers, filmmakers, military geniuses, and offending scientists. whose imagination led to the apollo missions. the book incorporates science and history, as well as those key personalities, to tell the story of the historical moment.
‘a giant leap’ (opens in a new tab)
by charles fishman (simon & schuster, 2019)
The Apollo 11 moon landing was an incredible achievement, and “One Leap: The Impossible Mission That Landed Us on the Moon” puts that achievement into the context of social and political history, as well as showing the sweeping effects of the project has had in American society ever since. Apollo didn’t necessarily usher in the expected space age, but it certainly ushered in the digital age, and we’re still experiencing the impact of that significant milestone.
smithsonian published an excerpt from the book which you can read here.
‘your life’s mission’ (opens in a new tab)
by basil hero (great central publication, 2019)
In “The Mission of a Lifetime: Lessons from the Men Who Went to the Moon,” author Basil Hero delves into the psychology of what it takes to be a lunar explorer through in-depth interviews with twelve people who are still alive who have gone there, whom he calls eagles. The book explores the life lessons that we can draw from his experiences: master emotions, overcome fears and become leaders.
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according to the editor: “in ‘the mission of a lifetime,’ the eagles share their wisdom and urge us to reframe our vision of earth to theirs: no identifiable nations, borders, or races; just earthlings working together as a collective civilization.”
Come back to space.com soon for an interview with hero about the new book.
‘american moonshot’ (opens in a new tab)
by douglas brinkley (harper, 2019)
Historian Douglas Brinkley delves into the mindset and decisions of President John F. Kennedy in “American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race.” Through newly analyzed interviews and primary sources, Brinkley explores the geopolitical tensions and thought process that led Kennedy to drive the development of the United States. space program. Kennedy had a huge impact on that burgeoning program, coming to define his presidency.
If you’re in the New York City area, you can relive Apollo with Brinkley through an event at the Intrepid Museum in June.
‘escape from earth’ (opens in a new tab)
by fraser macdonald (public affairs, 2019) – available June 25
Frank Malina founded NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and designed the first American rocket to reach space, but he is still relatively unknown. “Escape from Earth: A Secret History of the Space Rocket” incorporates recently released FBI files, archived materials and interviews to tell the story of that engineer and his colleagues, including the controversial Jack Parsons, and the wacky story of the early years of space flights.
- more books on spaceflight and space history
apollo photo books
‘imagining apollo 11’ (opens in a new tab)
by j.l. pickering and john bisney (florida university press, 2019)
In the new book “Representing Apollo 11: Rare Sights and Undiscovered Moments,” spaceflight historian J.L. Pickering and journalist John Bisney paint an incredible and vivid picture of what it was really like to be a part of the Apollo 11 mission. The book features a large amount of footage from 1969, mostly from January to the July landing, showing lesser-seen scenes. of the apollo program. From rough training moments to mundane reunions, the images in this book truly humanize the gargantuan astronauts of Apollo 11. It’s easy to look back at Apollo 11 through a romantic lens, but this book makes it clear just how raw, funny, and real was really the mission. read our coverage of the book here.
‘the nasa archives’ (opens in a new tab)
by piers bizony, roger launius, and andrew chaikin (taschen, 2019)
“The NASA Archives: 60 Years in Space” is a large-format visual guide to NASA’s history illustrated through hundreds of archival photographs, rare concept drawings, and more, taking viewers from the beginning of the agency to the present.
‘the space age presidency of john f. kennedy’ (opens in a new tab)
by john bisney and j.l. pickering (new mexico university press, 2019)
Dive deeper into the politics of early spaceflight with “John F. Kennedy’s Space Age Presidency: A Rare Photographic History,” which combines a descriptive history with photographs documenting a critical 3-year period near the beginning of space the race. The book also includes once-secret White House speeches, press conferences, and recordings to help illuminate Kennedy’s thoughts in his own words, complicating our view of him as a champion of the Apollo Project. p>
‘first on the moon’ (opens in a new tab)
by rod pyle (sterling publishing, 2019)
“first on the moon: the apollo 11 50th anniversary experience,” with a foreword by buzz aldrin, combines first-hand accounts of the mission, archival photos, reproductions of mission documents and more to tell the story of the apollo program, the technology created to make it happen and the forces that drive it. The book also features exclusive interviews with adult children of the Apollo 11 astronauts. Seasoned space writer (and Space.com contributor) Rod Pyle weaves it all together with a deft hand to tell the story of an era.
‘apollo to the moon’ (opens in a new tab)
by teasel e. muir-harmony (national geographic, 2018)
Cardon e. Muir-Harmony, Curator of the Apollo Spacecraft Collection at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, offers an offbeat chronicle in “Apollo to the Moon: A Story in 50 Objects.” This book tells the story of Apollo through a mix of artifacts (and the stories behind them) and short biographies of key Apollo figures. Many of the objects can be found in the halls of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. — but for fans of the armchair apollo, these stunning photos may be perfect.
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