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A Man on the Moon

Andrew Chaikin,

Tom Hanks (Foreword)

4.48 · Rating details · 6,024 ratings · 471 reviews

On the night of July 20, 1969, our world changed forever when two Americans, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, walked on the moon. Now the greatest event of the twentieth century

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Paperback, 688 pages

Published April 28th 1998 by Penguin Group (first published June 1st 1994)

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Nov 24, 2015 W rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, adventure

A thrilling book,a great adventure. Andrew Chaikin brings the astronauts to life. What is essentially a dry subject,becomes first rate entertainment.

The story of each moon mission is described in vivid detail.Lots of dramatic moments,the first view of the earth from lunar orbit,(Apollo 8),the selection of the first man to step on the moon (Apollo 11),the moment of near disaster for Apollo 12,the near catastrophic crisis aboard Apollo 13,and the landing of the last man on the moon (Apollo 17).

Apo ...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Ushan rated it it was ok

Shelves: space

The Apollo project was the culmination of the Soviet-American space race, the magnificently mad endeavor with no purpose other than national prestige, a twentieth century equivalent of the Great Sphinx of Giza. The Soviets were the first to orbit a satellite around the Earth, to orbit a man, and to land a probe on the Moon, Venus and Mars. Yet the Americans landed a man on the Moon, which the Soviets tried and failed to do. The project used machines more complicated than a Yamato class battleshi The Apollo project was the culmination of the Soviet-American space race, the magnificently mad endeavor with no purpose other than national prestige, a twentieth century equivalent of the Great Sphinx of Giza. The Soviets were the first to orbit a satellite around the Earth, to orbit a man, and to land a probe on the Moon, Venus and Mars. Yet the Americans landed a man on the Moon, which the Soviets tried and failed to do. The project used machines more complicated than a Yamato class battleship of thirty years before, pushing the envelope of technology in all directions. The history of how this was done is fascinating; unfortunately, it is not told in this book. Earlier in his career, the project director of the Saturn V rocket, which propelled the astronauts to the Moon, was the operations manager of the Mittelwerk underground factory in Germany, which produced the V-2 ballistic missile using the labor of inmates of the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp; of the 60,000 laborers, 20,000 died of starvation, disease and overwork. He was later stripped of his US citizenship, deported to Germany, and not given a visa to return for the 20th anniversary celebration of the Moon landings. This rocketeer, named Arthur Rudolph, is not even in the index of Chaikin's book! Dr. Wernher "I aim for the stars, but sometimes I hit London" von Braun is mentioned in passing three times. The failed Soviet manned moon program using the N-1 rocket is not mentioned at all, even though by 1994 its existence was well known: a CIA official revealed as early as 1976 that the agency knew about it; how could it not to, if American spy satellites routinely photographed the giant rocket on its launch pad?

Instead, Chaikin's book is a 600-page Life Magazine article about the astronauts: their early lives, their personalities and quirks, how they trained for the Moon missions, how they flew to the Moon and landed on it, what they did on the Moon (mostly walk around collecting rocks, though on later missions they also got to ride around in the Moon buggy), and what they did later in life (one became a one-term US Senator from New Mexico, another an artist, another a parapsychology nut). The designer of the Moon buggy, named Ferenc Pavlics, who emigrated after the failed 1956 Hungarian Revolution, is also not in the index. Apollo astronauts were the test pilots of spacecraft, which is not surprising given that many had earlier been test pilots of aircraft; Neil Armstrong once flew the North American X-15 suborbital spaceplane. They were heroes all right. Yet heroes are not uncommon; it was the engineers, including former Nazi rocketeers, who made the Apollo project succeed, and they are not given their rightful due in Chaikin's book. ...more

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Mar 26, 2008 Brad rated it really liked it

Shelves: history, biography, to-read-again

I am not a believer in the conspiracy theory of the moon landings. There were just too many people involved, and that many people simply can't be counted upon to keep their mouths shut for all these years.

Perhaps I am a little biased, though. As an expatriate Yankee, one who is shamed and saddened by much of what my country has done, the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions are one of the few things my country did in the Twentieth Century (and so far in the Twenty-First) for which I am actually p I am not a believer in the conspiracy theory of the moon landings. There were just too many people involved, and that many people simply can't be counted upon to keep their mouths shut for all these years.

Perhaps I am a little biased, though. As an expatriate Yankee, one who is shamed and saddened by much of what my country has done, the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions are one of the few things my country did in the Twentieth Century (and so far in the Twenty-First) for which I am actually proud.

Andrew Chaikin does an exceptional job of recounting the Apollo missions, ensuring that it is not all about Neil, Buzz and "What's-his-name?" (Michael Collins, for anyone who's interested).

Indeed, the most appealing aspect of A Man on the Moon is how Chaikin puts a face on the missions and men that are far from famous, from the other astronauts to the mission controllers and even those people involved in the design and manufacture of the space crafts.

One of my favourites is the story of Harrison Schmitt, a geologist who joined the Apollo program as an astronaut in the scientist group and made his moon walk on Apollo 17. Schmitt was instrumental in the geological training of his fellow astronauts, helping to turn Gene Cernan, Dave Scott, John Young, Charles Duke and James Irwin into Lunar Field Geologists. None of the astronauts were dumb men, in fact many of them were geniuses (including a genuine rocket scientist), but turning them into geologists on top of all their other duties and concerns was a huge undertaking, and one that gave us a far better understanding of the moon's geology than we could have achieved any other way.

Another fine account is Chaikin's re-telling of the landing pad fire aboard Apollo 1, which killed Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. It is one of the saddest moments in the history of the Apollo program, and Chaikin manages to strike a balance between respect for the fallen and the investigation that came to see the accident as a "failure of imagination." He avoids the temptation of the maudlin, and the three dead astronauts would undoubtedly have appreciated that.

If you're a space buff, especially if you're a fan of the moon missions, A Man on the Moon is a must read; and if you are coming to that landmark moment for the first time, it is the perfect book to get you started. ...more

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Jun 14, 2018 Tom Quinn rated it really liked it

Revisited upon watching PBS' "Chasing The Moon" at the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

Tells the story of the lucky few who have walked on the moon in a way that humanizes the characters and dramatizes (perhaps melodramatizes) the events. Certainly a worthy successor to Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff although this one is often more reserved and less exuberant. But by focusing on the players, the most significant feat of engineering in history is seamlessly folded into a quiet, moving human dra ...more

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Feb 14, 2018 Kristy Miller rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history, 2018-personal-challenge, non-fiction, science-nature

This is not about the scientists, or the engineers, or the thousands of people that made Apollo possible. This book is about the personal lives and inner thoughts of the astronauts. And it is fascinating. Chaikin's book served as the basis for the HBO series From the Earth to the Moon, which I must now watch.
We only have a few Apollo astronauts left living. And we have not been back to the moon. Our "president" this week announced that he wanted to privatize the International Space Station, and ...more

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Sep 28, 2019 Thomas rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-and-tech, history, nonfiction

I have this memory, I think it was Apollo 16 back in April of 1972. The television coverage had just closed for the day and I went to the back porch of our house and looked up at the sky. It was still daylight but the moon was out and I stared with wonder and thought to myself that there were actually people up there at that very moment. I was eight years old. That is my most vivid memory of the Apollo program.

I was five when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first walked on the moon. I have no me I have this memory, I think it was Apollo 16 back in April of 1972. The television coverage had just closed for the day and I went to the back porch of our house and looked up at the sky. It was still daylight but the moon was out and I stared with wonder and thought to myself that there were actually people up there at that very moment. I was eight years old. That is my most vivid memory of the Apollo program.

I was five when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first walked on the moon. I have no memory of it. By the time I was ten, I had memorized every stage of the trip to the moon, including the stages of the Saturn V rocket right up until the moment when the Command Module first links up with the Lunar Module and everything else all the way to splashdown. I believed then, and still believe, that it was one of the greatest adventures in all of human history.

The world mostly remembers Armstrong climbing out of the lander and onto the Sea of Tranquility, uttering those famous words, “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” We all know he meant to say “a man” but he didn’t. One thing people tend to forget is that five other missions, excluding Apollo 13, landed on the moon. In all, the Apollo Program sent twenty-four men to the moon, twelve of whom walked on it. What they did when they got there is an incredible story onto itself and one most of us don’t know very well. This book addresses that beautifully.

The author loves this subject and it shows. The story of the Apollo astronauts is far more interesting that you might think. They weren’t just a bunch of cookie-cutter flyboys. They were all, to a man, dedicated to the mission and its success, but their many divergent personalities make for a fascinating story.

As I already pointed out, I’ve been captivated by the space program since I was a kid. I knew I didn’t have the right stuff, so I never dreamed of being an astronaut myself. At that age, I dreamed of moving to the woods and living in a log cabin, like Grizzly Adams, and having adventures in the wilderness, but that’s a different story. My point is, I may be biased in favor of this subject, or maybe I’m in a good position to know that this book hits the right notes.

If you’re interested in humanity’s journey outward into space, even if, unlike me, you’re not a lifelong science fiction fan, you will still enjoy this book. It is a wonderful chronicle of the most epic voyage of modern times. When you’re done, you’ll not only have a greater appreciation for all of the missions to the moon but just maybe you too will look forward to the day when we go back there.

...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Brad rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history, adventure, lost-reviews

This review was written in the late nineties (just for myself), and it was buried in amongst my things until today, when I uncovered the journal it was written in. I have transcribed it verbatim from all those years ago (although square brackets indicate some additional information for the sake of readability). It is one of my lost reviews.

What a personally powerful book. A Man on the Moon is such a wonderful reminder of what we are capable of as a species and what wonderful things we can accomp ...more

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Dec 30, 2017 Alec Ritchie rated it it was amazing

Very thorough history of the Apollo moon-landing. Chaikin is obviously very passionate about the subject-matter and his prose is pleasing to read. If you have ever wanted to know what the birth of NASA and the subsequent Apollo program is all about, I think you'd be hard pressed to do better than this book. ...more

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Oct 05, 2010 Lara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-nature, read-in-2016, biography-autobiography-memoir, space, history, non-fiction, audiobooks

Dude, totally amazing.

Okay, so, I've owned this book for at least five years now and I kept putting off reading it because I've read a bunch of books about NASA before and also because...I mean, it's really big. When's the last time you read a nonfiction book that is 720 pages long?!? Holy shit! I mainly read YA and graphic novels these days, so it was kind of intimidating. But anyway, I think there was recently some deal where I got it for $5 on audible and I figured I'd put it off long enough ...more

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Aug 25, 2019 Kurt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, history, science

As a young boy in the mid-1960’s I was fascinated with the space program. My father would make sure not to miss any of the live broadcasts of the manned launches (which seemed to always be impossibly early in the morning), and I insisted that he wake me in time to see them also. The excitement that I felt then, as I imagined myself seated inside the tiny capsule at the top of a huge and powerful rocket, still reverberates in me today when I think back on it.

I was 10 years old when Neil Armstrong As a young boy in the mid-1960’s I was fascinated with the space program. My father would make sure not to miss any of the live broadcasts of the manned launches (which seemed to always be impossibly early in the morning), and I insisted that he wake me in time to see them also. The excitement that I felt then, as I imagined myself seated inside the tiny capsule at the top of a huge and powerful rocket, still reverberates in me today when I think back on it.

I was 10 years old when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. I truly felt that this “giant leap for mankind” represented not so much the culmination and achievement of a hard-fought, eight-year goal, but more of a new beginning of a far more wondrous and adventurous future. It inspired me to want to be an active participant in the shaping of that future.

Unfortunately, the future I envisioned and hoped for (and which showcased itself spectacularly in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey) never materialized. The last manned lunar flight was 47 years ago, in 1972. Today, of the 12 men who walked on the moon, only four are still alive. Of the additional 14 men who went to the moon without setting foot on it, only eight are still living. All of these living lunar explorers are now very old. I feel fortunate to have witnessed such a unique and great achievement in my lifetime. But, as NASA administrator George Low said to retiring lunar astronaut Stu Roosa, “You know, there will never be another Apollo in anybody’s life.”

Today, at the NASA space centers in Houston and Florida, the Saturn Vs for Apollo 18 and 19 [both missions canceled] lie on tourist stands, like unfinished obelisks, reminders of a time that seems now as remote as the moon itself. Across the distance of a [half] century, Apollo is an anomaly. There was a rare confluence of historical forces in 1961: A perceived threat to national prestige from the Soviet Union was met by a dynamic leader, John Kennedy, and economic prosperity allowed him to launch a massive effort to demonstrate America’s capabilities. The moon was the ideal target – close enough to reach, audacious enough to capture the imagination.

… from 1961 to 1972, the objective was as clear and inspiring as any you could ask for. You had only to go outside at night and look at it.

I loved this book, even though I loved Carrying the Fire by Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins just a bit more. Focusing on the separate missions of project Apollo and on the lives of its astronauts and NASA administrators, A Man on the Moon sucked me in and kept me enthralled for the duration. Like the manned lunar missions themselves, I did not want this book to end.

My favorite passage relates the thoughts of Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders after he had just seen and photographed the earth as no human had ever done before – in its entirety, from the distance of the moon:

On his way into a fitful sleep, Anders began to realize: We came all this way to explore the moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the earth.

I mourn the fact that in the half century since then it seems humanity has forgotten (or perhaps it never really registered with most of us in the first place) what a unique, special, isolated, and fragile planet we all live on and on which we all depend – for everything. ...more

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May 23, 2020 Scott Wilson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This was a longer audiobook project than I'd figured on, but the lack of commute time while working from home the past two months will do that. And I didn't figure out for some time that there were available listening pockets after all, though that has depended on the weather.

The Apollo astronauts make good company on long walks. They all come from a bygone era of American innovation and ambition, and it's easy to feel stirred by the sheer accomplishment gathered in one talent pool. Buzz Aldrin ...more

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Dec 25, 2010 Marceline Smith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-favourite-books, expeditions, non-fiction, space, real-books-i-own

I got this for Christmas and it was all I could do not to sit sit down and read the whole thing from cover to cover, enormous though it is. I’ve been a space nut since I was very small (wait, I am still very small) and this book is just a joy. It describes NASA’s Apollo program in great detail, going through each mission from the disastrous beginnings through to the six Moon landings. While sometimes bogged down by technical language and military customs, it does a great job of explaining how it ...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Steve Mitchell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is the true story of what was – arguably – the greatest technological and engineering achievement of the twentieth century. (No less a commentator that Arthur C. Clarke said that the moon landings will be the defining moment of our age that will be remembered in a thousand years time!) Anybody that doubts the genuine significance of the moon landings upon our understanding of the formation of the solar system and how the universe works should read this book. If you are one of those people t ...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Jonathan Deaux rated it it was amazing

This is the "go to" book for nearly all things related to the Apollo Program for the average person interested in one of the greatest achievements of human history and the faces that made the trip. If you can only afford one book about Apollo, this is it. One reviewer seems to think that there may not be enough actual "political background" and "engineering" involved with this account. I read aviation and engineering books more often than not and this is not a book on the in depth engineering in ...more

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Jan 25, 2017 Just A. Bean rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, history, aviation-space

If you want to know about the astronauts of the Apollo Program, this is the best book I've read. It really digs into their lives and what it was like to work in space in that period. The book is funny and interesting, and covers a lot of the technical challenges, the training, and how the crews worked together.

It does not try to cover any other aspect of the Apollo Program. Mission Control is mentioned as a place that exists, but mostly in so far as the astronauts interact with it. An engineerin ...more

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Apr 28, 2018 Jake Cooper rated it really liked it

Shelves: male-author, science, non-fiction, history, space

600 pages of the Apollo missions as experienced by the astronauts. There's almost no engineering, politics, etc. But the stories are very readable, and you'll learn the differences between Apollos 12-17.

"How could the most futuristic thing humans have ever done be so far in the past?" ...more

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Jan 09, 2020 Eric Mesa rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, non-fiction, started-2019-finished-2020

The book that was used by Ron Howard, et al to make the Apollo 13 movie!

I got this book as part of a space-themed Humble Audiobook Bundle. As I was choosing the next audiobook I'd listen to whenever I ran out of podcast, I decided to go for non-fiction book. And so I started my journey through a couple decades of NASA history. Once things get going (ie the men are on their way to the moon), Chaikin does an excellent job of switching POVs throughout the mission to give us some insight into each ...more

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Nov 20, 2020 Tina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: outer-space, 2020, non-fiction

Took me a long, long time to get through this one. I read more than I ever thought I would about the Apollo missions, and most likely will retain little of it. It was a great read for space nerds, glad I read it.

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Jan 15, 2019 Jack Cunningham rated it it was amazing

Like most kids from a young age I have always had an interest in space travel and astrology. However this is my first time reading about the missions and the individual pioneers who first traversed out of earths orbit 5 decades ago.

Chaikins 'A man on the Moon' is a comprehensive and chronological story about the people, the engineering and the politics allied to the completion of John F Kennedy's mission to reach the moon. In terms of the Apollo missions this book is the authoritative masterpiec Like most kids from a young age I have always had an interest in space travel and astrology. However this is my first time reading about the missions and the individual pioneers who first traversed out of earths orbit 5 decades ago.

Chaikins 'A man on the Moon' is a comprehensive and chronological story about the people, the engineering and the politics allied to the completion of John F Kennedy's mission to reach the moon. In terms of the Apollo missions this book is the authoritative masterpiece.

If you ask anyone about the topic of 'astronauts' and the 'moon' the frequent return of data starts with 'Neil Armstrong'. Before reading this book much of my knowledge of the moon landings were hazy and my ability to recall the 12 men who have walked on the moon extremely limited. Chaikin explores the lives of the Apollo astronauts in detail and as a reader I found this personal development crucial.

If you were to ask me before I read this book "who is Frank Borman?" I would not have been able to tell you. Commander of Apollo 8, they were the first crew to complete trans-lunar injection and travel the quarter of a billion miles to reach lunar orbit. The first crew to ever orbit the moon. There were numerous times during this book where I had to stop reading and fully comprehend the importance and synergistic meaning behind each Apollo mission.

Aside from explaining the technicalities of trans-lunar injection Chaikin does something more throughout this book. He allows the reader to see beyond the public image of what an astronaut is and understand their inner thoughts. How they felt preparing for each mission, the emotions and thoughts they experienced on the moon and the loss some of them felt once they returned to earth.

A quote which summed up the enormity and meaning of space travel to me was captured in a recording from Apollo 11 (first moon landing) astronaut Mike Collins from the far side of the moon. While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made historic footprints on eons old moon soil at the other side of the moon, he was orbiting through the far side of the moon on his own.
He said,

" I am alone now, truely alone and absolutely isolated from any known life. I am it. If a count were taken the score would be three billion plus two over on the other side of the moon, and one plus God knows what on this side. I feel this powerfully-not as fear or loneliness-but as awareness, anticipation, satisfaction, confidence, almost exultation"

Chaikin talks about the spiritual awakening that astronauts experienced once they walked on the moon and looked up into the bleak lunar sky to see the earth floating above them. So much so was this feeling one astronaut left NASA on his return to earth to set up a christian religious outreach organisation.

I think it is important people know the struggles and accomplishments which first put Neil Armstrong on the moon, to the final of the twelve moon walkers Gene Cernan. Explorers who traveled in peace for the progression of scientific knowledge, with a hope of sparking the interest of generations to come. This was a five star read that will stay with me for years to come. ...more

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Aug 23, 2017 Maarten Koller rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook

[Audiobook] Wow, this was 23 hours of awesome! Brilliantly read by Bronson Pinchot the detail was exquisite and perfect. Not only do you get the technical details, but you also go inside the astronauts' mind and sometimes even those of his family, while going along on the moonvoyages!
What's life like during the voyage (ejecting pee in space is supposed to be an awesome sight, although the process of getting it out there can sometimes be somewhat painful and also a bit 'messy' on the inside... ;) ...more

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Nov 10, 2018 Joan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Based on hundreds of hours of in-depth interviews with each of the moon voyagers, as well as those working behind the scenes, “A Man on the Moon” speaks to every aspect of the missions undertaken during the Apollo program. Unfolding from the tragic beginning with the Apollo 1 fire that claimed the lives of three astronauts and reaching to the lunar mountains where astronauts searched for clues to the origin of the solar system, the Apollo missions are the stories of a handful of men who braved t ...more

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Apr 23, 2018 Victor Villas rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is a non-fiction book so amazing that makes me wonder if I'm ever going to read Science Fiction again - of course I am, but damn it Chaikin you've set an unreasonable high bar now. The story has everything in it: inspiration, awe, struggles, personality, style.

And after reading the afterword by Chaikin on how hard was to translate the magic surrounding every aspect of the space program into a book, and the amazing performance in the Audiobook by Pinchot, I dare to say that this is one of th ...more

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May 03, 2019 Denise rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, read-2019

Originally published in 1994, 25 years after the first moon landing, Chaikin's book covers all the Apollo missions from Apollo 8 onwards in detail, largely as seen through the eyes of the astronauts on these missions. Previous space missions are also discussed in passing, as is the history of the US space programme itself. Now, coming up on the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 in July, these astronauts from the 60s and 70s still remain the only humans to ever set foot on the moon - and their travel ...more

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Jan 07, 2018 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook

This was an incredible accomplishment of space documentation. Andrew Chaikin's writing kept me spellbound through the many stories of the Apollo space missions to the moon. Bronson Pinchot was the perfect narrator for the audiobook, his voice filled with wonder, reverence, and urgency at the right times during each mission. An essential book for anyone interested in the history of manned space flight. ...more

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Aug 27, 2018 Nick Rolston rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

One of my favorite books, a tale of mankind's greatest adventure documenting each of the Apollo missions through the eyes of the astonauts and scientists who experienced the journeys. The book reads like a novel and vividly portrays the imagery and exhilaration of what it is like to leave the only place we've ever called home. ...more

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Oct 26, 2017 Kieran rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A tale of the greatest adventure ever undertaken by humanity. And every day it strikes me as simply crazy that no one has walked on the moon in 45 years...

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Jan 09, 2018 Jacob Folkman rated it it was amazing

Hyper-engaging, cinematic coverage of the Apollo missions. Can’t recommend enough if you have even a passing interest in human space travel.

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May 31, 2017 John Behle rated it liked it

The moon landings and those joyous lunar walks (later they brought along a car) will always make a superb story. The science, the passion, the skills involved are a pinnacle of human achievement. Add the feelings extracted from days of interviews with not just the astronauts, but the engineers, the geologists, wives (current and ex) and the resulting souffle of a work is fine listening (I enjoyed the 19 CD package) indeed. The clarion timbre of Bronson Pinchot holds true throughout.

Andrew Chaiki ...more

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Aug 30, 2019 Samuel rated it really liked it

The Apollo Missions were truly spectacular. As the author notes in the Epilogue, JFK’s call for and the subsequent follow through to send men to the moon was like taking a snippet from the 21st century and inserting it into the 1960s. Indeed, here we are 50 years following the first lunar landing and only now are a handful of countries and private companies making serious plans to return to the moon. In honor and remembrance of this anniversary, I listened to this book’s recording. It is a fasci ...more

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Feb 28, 2021 Jared Nelson rated it it was amazing

It was a fantastic story of the men who and people who sought to make US President Kennedy’s goal come true. They did. Against all odds. At great risk. And on time. That’s the kind of stuff that keep humanity dreaming. Loved it.

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About Andrew Chaikin

Andrew Chaikin

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Award-winning science journalist and space historian Andrew Chaikin has authored books and articles about space exploration and astronomy for more than 25 years. Writer-director and explorer James Cameron (Titanic, Aliens of the Deep) called him “our best historian of the space age.”

Chaikin is best known as the author of A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts, widely regarded as Award-winning science journalist and space historian Andrew Chaikin has authored books and articles about space exploration and astronomy for more than 25 years. Writer-director and explorer James Cameron (Titanic, Aliens of the Deep) called him “our best historian of the space age.”

Chaikin is best known as the author of A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts, widely regarded as the definitive account of the moon missions. First published in 1994, this acclaimed work was the main basis for Tom Hanks' 12-part HBO miniseries, From the Earth to the Moon, which won the Emmy for best miniseries in 1998. Chaikin spent eight years writing and researching A Man on the Moon, including over 150 hours of personal interviews with 23 of the 24 lunar astronauts (Apollo 13's Jack Swigert was already deceased). Apollo moonwalker Gene Cernan said of the book, "I've been there. Chaikin took me back." A new edition of the book, with a new afterword for the 50th anniversary of the space age, was published by Penguin in 2007.

Chaikin’s newest book is A Passion for Mars, published in September 2008 by Abrams. Apollo 11 astronaut and author Michael Collins called it a “masterpiece of a book,” and Rocket Boys author Homer Hickam said, “I am completely and utterly in love with this book.”

Upcoming works to be published in May 2009 are Voices from the Moon (Viking Studio) featuring excerpts from his conversations with Apollo astronauts, and Mission Control, This is Apollo (Viking Childrens) a book for middle-school readers illustrated with paintings by Apollo moonwalker Alan Bean.

He is also the author of Air and Space: The National Air and Space Museum Story of Flight, published in 1997 by Bulfinch Press. Chaikin's illustrated narrative of space exploration, SPACE: A History of Space Exploration in Photographs, was published in 2002 by Carlton Books. He co-authored the text for the highly successful collection of Apollo photography, Full Moon, which was published by Knopf in 1999.

Chaikin collaborated with moonwalker-turned-artist Alan Bean to write Apollo: An Eyewitness Account, published in 1998 by the Greenwich Workshop Press. He also co-edited The New Solar System, a compendium of writings by planetary scientists, now in its fourth edition. His essays include the chapter on human spaceflight in The National Geographic Encyclopedia of Space, published in 2004, and Live from the Moon: The Societal Impact of Apollo for NASA’s 2007 book The Societal Impact of Spaceflight.

From 1999 to 2001 Chaikin served as Executive Editor for Space and Science at SPACE.com, the definitive website for all things space. He was also the editor of SPACE.com's print magazine, Space Illustrated.

Chaikin is a commentator for National Public Radio's Morning Edition, and has appeared on Good Morning America, Nightline, and the NPR programs Fresh Air and Talk of the Nation. He has been an advisor to NASA on space policy and public communications.

A former editor of Sky & Telescope magazine, Chaikin has also been a contributing editor of Popular Science and has written for Newsweek, Air&Space/Smithsonian, World Book Encyclopedia, Scientific American, and other publications.

A graduate of Brown University, Chaikin served on the Viking missions to Mars at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and was a researcher at the Smithsonian's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies before becoming a science journalist in 1980. He is an amateur musician and songwriter; he has also been an occasional space artist, and is one of the founders of the International Association of Astronomical Artists.
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Books by Andrew Chaikin

Mission Control, This is Apollo: The Story of the First Voyages to the Moon

Voices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar Experiences

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Quotes from A Man on the Moon

“It's almost as if Kennedy grabbed a decade out of the 21st century," Cernan said, "and spliced it into the 1960s." That helps to explain why, as I wrote in 1993 in the preface of this book, we weren't entirely ready for Apollo, and why we have struggled to absorb its impact ever since it happened. How could the most futuristic thing humans have ever done be so far in the past?” — 2 likes

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