Title: To a rocky moon : a geologist's history of lunar exploration /
Authors: Wilhelms, Don E.
Publisher: University of Arizona Press,
Year: 1993
Subjects: Lunar geology History.; Moon Exploration History.
Abstract: When human exploration of the lunar surface began in 1969, it marked not only an unprecedented technological achievement but also the culmination of scientific efforts to understand lunar geology. Memoirs of the Apollo astronauts have preserved the exploratory aspects of these missions; now a geologist who was an active participant in the lunar program offers a detailed historical view of those events - including the pre-Apollo era - from a heretofore untold scientific perspective.
Contents: 1. A Quiet Prelude 1892-1957 -- 2. The Quickening Pace 1957-1961 -- 3. The Earthbound View 1961-1963 -- 4. Preparing to Explore 1963-1965 -- 5. The Ranger Transition 1964-1965 -- 6. Back at the Main Event 1965 -- 7. The Glory Days 1966 -- 8. Surveyor and the Regolith 1966-1968 -- 9. The View from Lunar Orbiter 1966-1967 -- 10. Apollo Lifts Off 1967-1969 -- 11. Tranquillity Base 1969 -- 12. A Western Mare? 1969 -- 13. The Best-Laid Plans 1970 -- 14. Promising Fra Mauro 1971 -- 15. Golden Apennine-Hadley 1971 -- 16. Mysterious Descartes 1972 -- 17. Beautiful Taurus-Littrow 1972 -- 18. Debriefing 1973-1984 -- Appendix 1. Lunar Spaceflights -- Appendix 2. Scientific Experiments Carried by Apollo Missions -- Appendix 3. Progress Toward Scientific Objectives at Time of Apollo 17 Site Selection -- Appendix 4. Geologic Periods and Notable Events in Lunar History.