On July 23, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin stepped from their spacecraft onto the alien soil of the Moon--Earth's sister world. Using archival images and explanatory text, this riveting title guides the reader through NASA's Apollo space program, including the tragic deaths of an entire flight crew and Apollo's ultimate triumph--the first lunar landing in 1969. Maps of the moon show where Apollo 11's lunar lander Eagle landed and the route taken by the Soviet robot lander Lunokhod 1 in 1970.

The Apollo program : to the moon! -- Wernher von Braun : mastermind in charge -- The mighty saturn : world's biggest rocket -- Command module : Spacecraft for three -- Lunar module : spider to the moon -- Deadly mistake : launch pad disaster -- Far side adventure : loop around the far side -- Final test flights : ready for landing -- Flying the LM : "that's one small step ..." -- Return to Earth : safe splashdown -- Moon flight facts -- Flight path to the surface -- From Ranger to Lunokhod.