This comprehensive must-read for everyone fascinated by the Moon landings is both a history of the Apollo program and an all-encompassing look at the way the space race forever changed US society. As historian Roger D. Launius relates in this book, the Apollo missions the first journeys in which humans left Earth's orbit and visited another world- loom large in our collective memory, yet there is no single, unified way in which we think about the six manned Moon landings that the US space agency undertook between 1969 and 1972. Apollo is remembered as both the epitome of American technological know-how and a massive expenditure of funds perhaps better used to solve the country's social problems. Some recall the Moon landings as a source of key scientific advances, while others believe they stymied research on more essential topics. Some celebrate humanity's first steps on the Moon. Others criticize them. Some claim they never happened at all.into Apollo as it has been recalled in critiques from both the left and the right and even the conspiracy-minded fringes of the American political spectrum and weaving in stories from key moments in the space race to illuminate his analysis. Apollo's Legacy is an essential resource both for space buffs who want to truly understand the many sides of the Apollo story and for those seeking a historical perspective on humankind's reach for the stars.

ISBN: 9781588346490