Gateway to the Moon presents the definitive history of the origins, design, and construction of the lunar launch facilities at Kennedy Space Center, the terrestrial site of one of the greatest achievements of humankind: the first trip to the moon. It includes archival illustrations and diagrams of locations, personnel, and equipment, from aerial views of sandy, undeveloped Cape Canaveral to some of the first photos of the mobile launchers and crawler-transporters. Filled with the sense of wonder and pride that the earliest U.S. space achievements inspired, the book focuses on some of the most impressive buildings ever constructed, including launch complexes 39A and 39B, the gigantic assemblies from which the Apollo-Saturn vehicles departed for trips into space; the massive eight-acre Vertical Assembly Building (renamed the Vehicle Assembly Building); and the attached Launch Control Center. It also analyzes the technological and governmental interactions necessary to ensure success of the launches. Originally part of Moonport, one of the volumes of the NASA History Series, this volume is based on extensive interviews with participants in the space program and wide access to official documents, letters, and memoranda. The authors air criticisms directed at the Kennedy Space Center team and address mistakes in launch operations and conflicts within the program. Gateway to the Moon offers a faithful account of technology in service to humanity.

Gateway to the Moon

History

Benson, Charles D.

Faherty, William B.

Americas

University Press of Florida

"The one thing for which this century will be remembered 500 years from now was: This was the century when we began the exploration of space."--Arthur M. Schlesinger
Tributes to Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations "A thorough account of the complex scientific, engineering, and managerial efforts that undergirded the astounding events that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration carried out."--Journal of American History
"Another simply superb NASA official history. . . . Construction, administration, and technology are carefully interwoven in an unusually candid and frank treatment of the history of America’s first lunar launching facility."--Aerospace Historian
Moon Launch! re-creates the exciting story of the astronauts and engineers, scientists and technicians, politicians and public citizens who expanded the world’s understanding of humanity’s potential, the people responsible for the Project Apollo flights to the moon. Through their teamwork at the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral became the spaceport for the nation and, in the mind of many, the gateway to the universe.
A companion to Gateway to the Moon and also part of the 1978 NASA History Series Moonport volume, this illustrated book describes the seven missions to the moon launched between 1969 and 1972. With the exception of the abortive Apollo 13 flight, all landed successfully. As the story progresses, astronauts explore the moon’s surface in the lunar rover (complete with bucket seats and power steering), set up experiments, and bring back hundreds of pounds of lunar geological samples. The book concludes with a description of the last and most spectacular liftoff, Apollo 17, launched on a dark December night before a crowd of nearly 500,000 visitors.
Charles D. Benson, a retired colonel of the U.S. Army, is the coauthor of the official history of the Skylab orbital workshop.
William B. Faherty, director of the Museum of the Western Jesuit Missions in Hazelwood, Missouri, retired professor of history at St. Louis University, and archivist emeritus of the Midwest Jesuit Archives, is the author of 25 books, including the historical novel The Call of Pope Octavian.

Moon Launch! (The NASA History Series)

"An important, interesting study of the relations between the Kennedy Space Center and the communities of Brevard County, Florida."--Roger D. Launius, chief historian, NASA, Washington, D.C.
"This outstanding book provides readers of Florida history our first insight into the impact that high technology has had on the state. Brevard County is a veritable laboratory for understanding what happens when space science and engineering put down roots in a wilderness setting. Faherty's writing is direct, simple, even folksy at times. I devoured it!"--Michael Gannon, author of Pearl Harbor Betrayed and A Short History of Florida
Florida’s Space Coast tells the compelling story of America's half century in space exploration, from the successful launch of the first two-stage rocket in 1950 through the latest space shuttle missions of 2000. Told from the unique viewpoint of the people who built the Spaceport, this book shows how the space program transformed the east central Florida coast from a traditional citrus production and tourist area to one of the most influential high-tech centers in the nation.
Cape Canaveral was chosen as a missile launch site because of its many geographical advantages. However, in the early years of the space program, the area was far from an ideal place for NASA employees to raise their families. NASA brought in thousands of space-related workers, who, besides sending machines and men into space, had to meet the challenge of moving their families from urban environs to a rural southern county. This book engagingly recounts the parallel stories of the establishment of America's space program and its impact on the development of Brevard County.
William Barnaby Faherty is professor emeritus of history at St. Louis University and director of the Museum of the Western Jesuit Missions in Hazelwood, Missouri.

Florida's Space Coast: The Impact of NASA on the Sunshine State (Florida History and Culture)

Another novel by the author of A Wall for San Sebastian. Travel to Rome with a St. Louis newspaperwoman, who, like so many other well-educated Catholics, has many questions of her Church. Hike around the city with her and a seminarian tour guide. Get to know Rome. Take part in the Council over the shoulders of a Cardinal Archbishop as Progressives face Traditionalists. Follow the maneuverings in the sessions. Witness the formality of a papal election. The first Pope of the new millennium, elected when Pope John Paul II resigns early in the 21st Century, takes the name of Octavian to indicate his conviction of the great need of the Church. Just as the Roman Emperor found a city government trying to run the world, and gave Rome the machinery to function in the wider area, so Pope Octavian takes a mechanism adequate when the Church had narrow boundaries, and develops a system to give leadership to the world. Color photo on front cover.

The Call of Pope Octavian: A Novel of the 21st Century

Literature & Fiction

Jkl Associates

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Faherty, William B.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Faherty, William B.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Faherty, William B.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Gateway to the Moon

Moon Launch! (The NASA History Series)

Florida's Space Coast: The Impact of NASA on the Sunshine State (Florida History and Culture)

Florida's Space Coast: The Impact of NASA on the Sunshine State (Florida History and Culture)

The Call of Pope Octavian: A Novel of the 21st Century