Across the Airless Wilds: The Lunar Rover and the Triumph of the Final Moon Landings
Description
"THRILLING. ... Up-end[s] the Apollo narrative entirely." --The Times (London)
A "brilliantly observed" (Newsweek) and "endlessly fascinating" (WSJ) rediscovery of the final Apollo moon landings, revealing why these extraordinary yet overshadowed missions--distinguished by the use of the revolutionary lunar roving vehicle--deserve to be celebrated as the pinnacle of human adventure and exploration.
One of The Wall Street Journal's 10 Best Books of the Month
8:36 P.M. EST, December 12, 1972: Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt braked to a stop alongside Nansen Crater, keenly aware that they were far, far from home. They had flown nearly a quarter-million miles to the man in the moon's left eye, landed at its edge, and then driven five miles in to this desolate, boulder-strewn landscape. As they gathered samples, they strode at the outermost edge of mankind's travels. This place, this moment, marked the extreme of exploration for a species born to wander.
A few feet away sat the machine that made the achievement possible: an electric go-cart that folded like a business letter, weighed less than eighty pounds in the moon's reduced gravity, and muscled its way up mountains, around craters, and over undulating plains on America's last three ventures to the lunar surface.
In the decades since, the exploits of the astronauts on those final expeditions have dimmed in the shadow cast by the first moon landing. But Apollo 11 was but a prelude to what came later: while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin trod a sliver of flat lunar desert smaller than a football field, Apollos 15, 16, and 17 each commanded a mountainous area the size of Manhattan. All told, their crews traveled fifty-six miles, and brought deep science and a far more swashbuckling style of exploration to the moon. And they triumphed for one very American reason: they drove.
In this fast-moving history of the rover and the adventures it ignited, Earl Swift puts the reader alongside the men who dreamed of driving on the moon and designed and built the vehicle, troubleshot its flaws, and drove it on the moon's surface. Finally shining a deserved spotlight on these overlooked characters and the missions they created, Across the Airless Wilds is a celebration of human genius, perseverance, and daring.
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Reviews
"The literature of lunar exploration has tended to focus on the earlier Apollo missions, with scant attention paid to the extraordinary achievements of the later rover expeditions--which were, in many respects, scientifically bolder and taught us a great deal more about our moon. Earl Swift lays out this great unsung saga with verve and magisterial sweep. After reading Across the Airless Wilds, you'll begin to think of NASA's true golden age not in terms of 'one small step, ' but as a series of cosmic car rides.--Hampton Sides, author of In the Kingdom of Ice
"An expert account... An overlooked achievement in the initial series of moon landings gets a well-deserved spotlight."--Kirkus Reviews
"In Across the Airless Wilds, Earl Swift skillfully tells the remarkable story of how vision, ingenuity, and some pretty fine engineering transformed lunar and planetary exploration. A rare and compelling celebration of the human spirit." --Andrew H. Knoll, professor of Earth and Planetary Science at Harvard University; member of the science team of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission; and author of A Brief History of Earth
"This is not just a book about the lunar rover--it's also a book about humans, and the great things they can do when inspired. There are people here who jump off the page--and sometimes, off the moon's surface. Vividly written, engaging, and fascinating. I started it one day and finished it the next, and I'm not a fast reader. I just didn't want to stop."--James Donovan, author of Shoot for the Moon: The Space Race and the Extraordinary Voyage of Apollo 11
"Swift details the story of the development of the lunar rover, focusing in particular on three pioneering engineers who made the craft a reality. ... Swift ably outlines their achievements in technology and project management, clarifying complex issues in layperson's language. Even those who think they already know plenty about America's space program will find deeper insights here." --Booklist (starred review)
"Swift relays the awe-inspiring story of Apollo 17 and the lunar vehicle in a way that makes it all feel brand new. From the sheer human ingenuity of the moon missions to the deeply human figures inside the space suits, this book is a brilliantly observed homage to the human spirit."--Newsweek
