Apollo 12 - On the Ocean of Storms

In July 1969 the ‘amiable strangers’ that made up the crew of the historic Apollo 11 flight successfully achieved the first manned lunar landing. Several months later, three close friends set off on an even more challenging mission. Free of the burden of making history, the Apollo 12 astronauts were determined to really enjoy their experience while taking care of business. This is the story of their mission, told largely in their own words. Their exploits and accomplishments showed how conservative the inaugural mission had been. With its two moonwalks, deployment of the first geophysical station on the Moon, and geological sampling, Apollo 12 did what many had hoped would be achieved by the first men to land on the Moon. The Apollo 12 mission also spectacularly demonstrated the precision landing capability required for success in future lunar surface explorations. In addition to official documents, published prior to and after the mission, APOLLO 12 – ON THE OCEAN OF STORMS draws on the flight transcript and post-mission debriefing to recreate the drama.

Illustrations.- Author's Preface.- Acknowledgments.- Acronyms.- Chapter 1: Planning and preparations.- Chapter 2: Moonbound.- Chapter 3: A Visit to the Snowman.- Chapter 4: The Voyage Home.- Glossary.- Index.

Dr. David Harland has his PhD in Computer Science from the University of St. Andrews. He is a long-standing member of the British Interplanetary Society. He studied astronomy to degree level, but in his words, "telescopes are cold, and so I moved into the warmth of the computer room." A career ensued that involved lecturing in computer science, academic and industrial research. In 1995, Harland "retired" to resume his interest in space. He started to write and has had two dozen books published to date, and several others under contract. These days he considers himself "an amateur hermit and a professional space historian."