Book Review : Moondust - Still Potent After All These Years

I've been thoroughly enjoying much of the coverage of the 40th anniversary of the first moon landings over the past couple of weeks. I was always fascinated by the space programme when I was young, although I was a bit too young to catch the initial element where the Russians were showing the Americans a clean pair of heels. By the time I was interested, much of the Cold War element had subsided to reveal an endeavour allegedly for the good of all mankind.

I think my first vivid memory was of the fated Apollo 1 mission where the three astronauts were fried in their capsule as they were testing. It was another 18 months before another mission launched into space, but what seems astonishing now is the huge leaps that were taken to get to the ultimate goal of Apollo 11.

One of the programmes I watched recently was Being Neil Armstrong which was presented by Andrew Smith. It was an attempt to delve further into the enigma that is the first man to step onto the Moon, and I was impressed by the presenters enthusiasm and his sensitivity towards Armstrong. As I knew from the programme that he'd written a book I resolved to check it out. As is my want, I not only got this but also two other books in a 3 for 2 offer! (The others were an authorised biography of Armstrong and a book details the political wheeling and dealing that went alongside the altruistic endeavours of NASA).

I'm halfway through Moondust and can say that the characteristics of the author that I identified with on the television programme are on full display here. He (like me) remains fascinated not only by the moon landings but also by the fact that we haven't done anything vaguely as adventurous or inspiring since. The book attempts to look at the remaining astronauts involved in the moon landings and the impact that it's had on their subsequent lives. They are an interesting bunch of people who have all been impacted in different ways, although the uniting factor is that none of them was unaffected by their experiences.

And then there was Buzz Aldrin! I won't reveal any of the intriguing, and in some cases, slightly bizarre stories about Aldrin but suffice to say he could fill a book in his own right.

It's an easy read but also an interesting way for the less-committed to discover some of what drove the guys who made the trip to the moon in the certain knowledge that the likelihood of success on most trips seldom exceeded 50%.

And, yes, it is emblazoned with "The Richard & Judy Bestseller" on the cover!