The International Atlas of Lunar Exploration

Description

Bringing together a wealth of information from many sources, including some material never before published, this atlas is a comprehensive reference on lunar exploration. It tells the story of every spacecraft mission to the Moon since the dawn of the space age, illustrating each account with a unique combination of maps and annotated photographs. Many of the illustrations were created especially for this atlas, including panoramic photographs from every lunar mission. The missions are listed in chronological order, providing readers with an easy to follow history of lunar missions. Special attention has been given to describing the processes involved in choosing landing sites for Apollo and its precursors. The atlas also includes missions that were planned but never flown, before looking ahead to future missions as the world's space agencies prepare for a new phase of lunar exploration.

Philip Stooke is Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at The University of Western Ontario. He is also a planetary cartographer and has won the National Geographic Society Award in Cartography. He has contributed numerous maps and data to NASA's Planetary Data System, and helped locate the Viking Lander 2 on Mars and several spacecraft on the Moon.

'... a magnificent cartographic history of lunar exploration containing 464 pages of maps, photos and text describing every spacecraft mission that has flown near or imaged the Moon. ... The great value of this labor of love is its thorough documentation of every lunar mission, flown or planned. ... Should you add this book to your lunar reference collection? My answer is a resounding yes ... devoted lunaphiles will treasure it for the rest of their lives.' http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/LPOD 'Many publications may describe lunar spacecraft missions but this book does far more; it brings those many missions back to life through its beautiful array of maps and images, many of which haven't been seen in print before. ... you ... get a huge amount of information for your money and I think it very unlikely that this seamless assemblage documenting the exploration of the Moon will be surpassed before humankind once again sets foot on the lunar surface.' Astronomy Now '... a wealth of information from many sources ...' Spaceflight 'A tour de force account of the human race's exploration of its nearest celestial neighbour.' New Scientist 'This book is an absolute[ly] unique and valuable collection of the human exploration of the moon since the dawn of the space age.' Reviews of Astronomical Tools