Footprints in the Dust

Following the fortieth anniversary ofApollo 11, as NASA prepares to return astronauts to the moon,Footprints in the Dustoffers a thorough, engrossing, and multifaceted account of the Apollo missions. The flight ofApollo 11was a triumph of human endeavor, persistence, and technology, one of the greatest achievements in human history. This book begins with the mission that sent Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin to the moon, then follows American spaceflight through the harrowing rescue ofApollo 13before moving on to the successful joint Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975. Drawing on extensive research and interviews with key figures in the space program, the authors convey the human drama and chart the technological marvels that went into the Apollo missions. They also put the accomplishments of American spaceflight into historical context, examining the competitive space race with the Soviet Union, the roles of politics and personality in launching the mission, and the consequences, practical and profound, of this giant leap for mankind.

Colin Burgess is the coauthor of Fallen Astronauts: Heroes Who Died Reaching for the Moon; Into That Silent Sea: Trailblazers of the Space Era, 1961–1969; and In the Shadow of the Moon: A Challenging Journey to Tranquility, 1965–1969, all available from the University of Nebraska Press. Richard F. Gordon was one of the third group of astronauts named by NASA in October 1963. He completed two space flights, as pilot and spacewalker on the Gemini 11 mission and as command module pilot for Apollo 12.