I Was a Teenage Space Reporter From Apollo 11 to Our Future in Space

“ That’ s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind,” were the words spoken by astronaut Neil Armstrong as he stepped off the Apollo 11. This was the first and most famous manned mission to land on the Moon. As a 19-year-old college journalist, author David Chudwin covered the launch from Florida in July 1969. Chudwin was the only journalist with official NASA press credentials representing the college press and had extraordinary access to the astronauts, rocket scientists, launch pads, rockets, and control centers. 2019 will be the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 — a time to look back to celebrate that mission, and forward to our future in space. Divided into three parts, this book provides: the author’ s account of covering the first landing on the Moon in 1969; lessons learned from the Apollo program and their relevance to future space activities; and our future in space including new rockets, space stations, and trips back to the Moon and to Mars.

David Chudwin MD decided to go into medicine instead of journalism, but his Apollo 11 experiences led to a lifelong interest in space exploration. Chudwin has written about Apollo 11 in a variety of media outlets and has spoken at schools and at space meetings, including Spacefest. Chudwin was the only teenager to be granted a press pass for the 1969 moon landing.