Description

David Harland opens with a review of the robotic probes, namely the Rangers which returned television before crashing into the Moon, the Surveyors which 'soft landed' in order to investigate the nature of the surface, and the Lunar Orbiters which mapped prospective Apollo landing sites. He then outlines the historic landing by Apollo 11 in terms of what was discovered. He concludes with a review of the robotic spacecraft that made remote-sensing observations of the Moon. The book develops the scientific theme of lunar geology, and therefore will be of use as background reading for undergraduate students of planetary sciences. Highlighted as a "Commemorative Edition" on the cover, this second edition has a new Foreword by one of the original astronauts and a short extra section at the end previewing the prospect of a renewal of human exploration of the Moon. It includes new extra high quality graphics which are only now available and 32 pages of color illustrations.