Across the Airless Wilds: The Lunar Rover and the Triumph of the Final Moon Landings

Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt landed at Nansen Crater, marking the extreme of exploration for a species born to wander. They used an electric go-cart to travel fifty-six miles, bringing deep science and a swashbuckling style of exploration to the moon. Earl Swift's book "Across the Airless Wilds" celebrates human genius, perseverance, and daring.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 18 August 2022
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc

A captivating and groundbreaking exploration of the final Apollo moon landings, this book offers a fresh perspective on these extraordinary yet often overlooked missions. Distinguished by the revolutionary use of the lunar roving vehicle, these missions represent the pinnacle of human adventure and exploration.

One of The Wall Street Journal's 10 Best Books of the Month, published on December 12, 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt found themselves in a desolate and boulder-strewn landscape, far from home. They had traveled nearly a quarter-million miles to reach the man on the moon's left eye, landing at its edge and then driving five miles into this remote and barren terrain. As they collected samples, they pushed the boundaries of human exploration to their utmost limits.

Just a few feet away, sat the machine that made this achievement possible: an electric go-cart that folded like a business letter, weighed less than eighty pounds in the reduced gravity of the moon, and effortlessly navigated mountains, craters, and undulating plains on America's last three lunar surface ventures.

In the decades since, the accomplishments of the astronauts on those final expeditions have been overshadowed by the first moon landing. However, Apollo 11 was merely a precursor to what followed: while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin explored a small sliver of flat lunar desert smaller than a football field, Apollos 15, 16, and 17 each commanded mountainous areas the size of Manhattan. Together, their crews traveled a staggering fifty-six miles, bringing deep scientific knowledge and a daring and adventurous spirit of exploration.

This book offers a captivating and insightful journey into the final Apollo moon landings, shedding light on the reasons why these missions deserve to be celebrated as the pinnacle of human achievement. It is a must-read for anyone interested in space exploration, history, and the indomitable human spirit.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 203 x 135 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780062986542