Apollo in Perspective

From the second edition foreword
"I am sure there is a woman or a man alive today who will land on the Moon and on Mars. This book will certainly help them be ready for such a journey. Most importantly, it explains not only what happened 50 years ago, but how the Apollo missions happened, and the science that is required to do it again, or to go further, to Mars. If the reader is younger, still in school and perhaps considering the sciences, this book will introduce ideas that will help you choose the subjects to study which can help you to make your space travel a reality. For others, the book will be an exciting and thought provoking read that gives a vision of the near future in space, which all of us on planet Earth will be able to enjoy as the adventure unfolds."
— Michael Foale, CBE, former-NASA astronaut

Praise for the second edition:

"Allday’s update of his 1999 first edition is more than just another 50th-anniversary Moon landing retrospective. Still, the Apollo program is the thread tying together this informal yet fairly detailed account of the US human space flight program, from Mercury and Gemini to the Shuttle and on to the International Space Station era. NASA’s current plan to return to the Moon mission and move ahead to Mars is outlined in the final chapter. Allday provides answers to such questions as, "How did astronauts get to the Moon and land safely?" "What did we learn about the Moon?" "What caused the Challenger and Columbia accidents?" and "How will humans get to Mars?" Readers will even learn about pragmatic matters related to space exploration, from microgravity, space suits, food, and personal hygiene to the politics involved. Readers who know simple high school mathematics can also learn quite a bit about the physics behind rockets and orbital mechanics. Allday’s informal approach and self-styled “washing-machine terminology” make rocket science a good deal more understandable than readers might think. This edition would be a great high school or first-year college primer on basic physics, yet it also belongs on the shelf of any true space buff."
— T. D. Oswalt, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, in CHOICE, January 2020

"Apollo in Perspective occupies an enjoyable space somewhere between an academic textbook and a narrative history. The book provides a sound introduction to the basics of rocketry and orbit dynamics in the context of the Apollo programme. It does much more than that though. The reader is given a well-paced, informative and anecdotally rich tour of the systems that came together to make the Moon landings possible. The rationale for each of the missions is explained, along with key events, advances and problems encountered. Important elements of the complete Moon landing system are described – from flight computers to Moon suits – as well as their origins in early programmes like Mercury and Gemini.

Following on from the Apollo programme, the book goes on to provide a tour through subsequent US space programmes, including the Space Shuttle and the current efforts to re-establish a human launch capability able to reach the Moon and beyond. This book is suitable for browsing as well as cover-to-cover reading. It will be of interest to students of science and engineering, space enthusiasts and any with an interest in the history of technology. If you’ve ever wondered how the lunar rovers were stowed in the lander, how the on-board computer worked or if there ever was a place called Cape Kennedy – then you will get good value from this book.

The present 50-Year Anniversary Edition includes updates as of 2019, reflecting the current status of the US Artemis ‘Return-to the-Moon’ programme."

— Richard Lowe, MRAeS, in Aerospace (September 2020, Royal Aeronautical Society)

This special edition marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing in July 1969. Updated and revised throughout, it takes a retrospective look at the Apollo space program and the technology that was used to land a man on the Moon. In addition, there is a new chapter looking forward to the future of contemporary spaceflight in returning to the Moon (project Artemis) and going on to Mars. Using simple illustrations and school-level mathematics, it explains the basic physics and technology of spaceflight, from how rockets work to the dynamics of orbits and how to simulate gravity in a rotating spacecraft. A mathematical appendix shows how some of the formulas can be derived. This is an excellent introduction to astronautics for anyone interested in space and spaceflight.

— Welding and Cutting: Technical Journal for Welding and Applied Processes

If you didn’t get enough of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing last summer, this new book takes a scientific approach to all elements of the mission. Author Jonathan Allday reviews the technology using simple illustrations and school-level mathematics to explain the basic physics and technology of spaceflight, starting with the Mercury and Gemini missions, and leading up to the technological strides of Apollo. He goes into detail on the Saturn V rocket, orbits and trajectories, computer guidance systems and the astronauts’ life support systems. Beyond Apollo, he takes a similar scientific look at the space shuttle and international space station programs and the futuristic science behind missions to Mars in the decades to come.

— Industrial and Systems Engineering at Work Magazine

Praise for the first edition:

"An ideal summary of NASA's Apollo program and a good spaceflight primer. Highly recommended."
—W.E.Howard III, Universities Space Research Association

"… a book which should fascinate and stimulate the next generation of physics students. Written with an almost naive simplicity, yet backed up at every stage with an explanation of the basic physics and technology, Allday examines not only how NASA reached the Moon in 1969, but the viability of all the subsequent proposals for continuing the journey on to Mars and beyond. He explains with startling clarity that manned bases on Mars, which has a similar day/night cycle to Earth's, are much more practical than on the Moon."
—Astronomy Now

"Written in a friendly and informal style, this very readable book will serve as an excellent introduction to astronautics for teenagers/school students interested in space, science teachers, and general science readers. All school libraries should have a copy of this book."
—Spaceflight

"… all handled very nicely and the text is spiced with real-world examples and illustrated with clear diagrams and black-and-white photos."
—Earth Space Review

From the second edition foreword
"I am sure there is a woman or a man alive today who will land on the Moon and on Mars. This book will certainly help them be ready for such a journey. Most importantly, it explains not only what happened 50 years ago, but how the Apollo missions happened, and the science that is required to do it again, or to go further, to Mars. If the reader is younger, still in school and perhaps considering the sciences, this book will introduce ideas that will help you choose the subjects to study which can help you to make your space travel a reality. For others, the book will be an exciting and thought provoking read that gives a vision of the near future in space, which all of us on planet Earth will be able to enjoy as the adventure unfolds."
— Michael Foale, CBE, former-NASA astronaut

Praise for the second edition:

"Allday’s update of his 1999 first edition is more than just another 50th-anniversary Moon landing retrospective. Still, the Apollo program is the thread tying together this informal yet fairly detailed account of the US human space flight program, from Mercury and Gemini to the Shuttle and on to the International Space Station era. NASA’s current plan to return to the Moon mission and move ahead to Mars is outlined in the final chapter. Allday provides answers to such questions as, "How did astronauts get to the Moon and land safely?" "What did we learn about the Moon?" "What caused the Challenger and Columbia accidents?" and "How will humans get to Mars?" Readers will even learn about pragmatic matters related to space exploration, from microgravity, space suits, food, and personal hygiene to the politics involved. Readers who know simple high school mathematics can also learn quite a bit about the physics behind rockets and orbital mechanics. Allday’s informal approach and self-styled “washing-machine terminology” make rocket science a good deal more understandable than readers might think. This edition would be a great high school or first-year college primer on basic physics, yet it also belongs on the shelf of any true space buff."
— T. D. Oswalt, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, in CHOICE, January 2020

"Apollo in Perspective occupies an enjoyable space somewhere between an academic textbook and a narrative history. The book provides a sound introduction to the basics of rocketry and orbit dynamics in the context of the Apollo programme. It does much more than that though. The reader is given a well-paced, informative and anecdotally rich tour of the systems that came together to make the Moon landings possible. The rationale for each of the missions is explained, along with key events, advances and problems encountered. Important elements of the complete Moon landing system are described – from flight computers to Moon suits – as well as their origins in early programmes like Mercury and Gemini.

Following on from the Apollo programme, the book goes on to provide a tour through subsequent US space programmes, including the Space Shuttle and the current efforts to re-establish a human launch capability able to reach the Moon and beyond. This book is suitable for browsing as well as cover-to-cover reading. It will be of interest to students of science and engineering, space enthusiasts and any with an interest in the history of technology. If you’ve ever wondered how the lunar rovers were stowed in the lander, how the on-board computer worked or if there ever was a place called Cape Kennedy – then you will get good value from this book.

The present 50-Year Anniversary Edition includes updates as of 2019, reflecting the current status of the US Artemis ‘Return-to the-Moon’ programme."

— Richard Lowe, MRAeS, in Aerospace (September 2020, Royal Aeronautical Society)

This special edition marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing in July 1969. Updated and revised throughout, it takes a retrospective look at the Apollo space program and the technology that was used to land a man on the Moon. In addition, there is a new chapter looking forward to the future of contemporary spaceflight in returning to the Moon (project Artemis) and going on to Mars. Using simple illustrations and school-level mathematics, it explains the basic physics and technology of spaceflight, from how rockets work to the dynamics of orbits and how to simulate gravity in a rotating spacecraft. A mathematical appendix shows how some of the formulas can be derived. This is an excellent introduction to astronautics for anyone interested in space and spaceflight.

— Welding and Cutting: Technical Journal for Welding and Applied Processes

If you didn’t get enough of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing last summer, this new book takes a scientific approach to all elements of the mission. Author Jonathan Allday reviews the technology using simple illustrations and school-level mathematics to explain the basic physics and technology of spaceflight, starting with the Mercury and Gemini missions, and leading up to the technological strides of Apollo. He goes into detail on the Saturn V rocket, orbits and trajectories, computer guidance systems and the astronauts’ life support systems. Beyond Apollo, he takes a similar scientific look at the space shuttle and international space station programs and the futuristic science behind missions to Mars in the decades to come.

— Industrial and Systems Engineering at Work Magazine

Praise for the first edition:

"An ideal summary of NASA's Apollo program and a good spaceflight primer. Highly recommended."
—W.E.Howard III, Universities Space Research Association

"… a book which should fascinate and stimulate the next generation of physics students. Written with an almost naive simplicity, yet backed up at every stage with an explanation of the basic physics and technology, Allday examines not only how NASA reached the Moon in 1969, but the viability of all the subsequent proposals for continuing the journey on to Mars and beyond. He explains with startling clarity that manned bases on Mars, which has a similar day/night cycle to Earth's, are much more practical than on the Moon."
—Astronomy Now

"Written in a friendly and informal style, this very readable book will serve as an excellent introduction to astronautics for teenagers/school students interested in space, science teachers, and general science readers. All school libraries should have a copy of this book."
—Spaceflight

"… all handled very nicely and the text is spiced with real-world examples and illustrated with clear diagrams and black-and-white photos."
—Earth Space Review