Apollo 8

In August 1968, NASA made a courageous decision: in just sixteen weeks, the United States would launch humanity's first flight to the moon. Only the year before, three astronauts had tragically lost their lives in a spacecraft fire, and since then, the Apollo programme had been plagued by one setback after another. Meanwhile, the Russians were edging ahead in the space race, the Cold War was intensifying, and it seemed increasingly unlikely that President Kennedy's ambitious promise to land a man on the moon by the decade's end would be fulfilled. But when Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders were summoned to a clandestine meeting and informed of the perilous mission, they eagerly accepted the challenge.

Apollo 8 transports readers from the bustling nerve centre of Mission Control to the intimate confines of the astronauts' homes, chronicling the frantic race to prepare an unproven rocket for an unprecedented journey. With meticulous detail, Jeffrey Kluger masterfully narrates the nail-biting adventure that culminates in the historic trip to the moon. Along the way, readers are treated to vivid recountings of the first-ever view of the moon's dark side, the breathtaking sight of Earthrise, and the harrowing re-entry through Earth's atmosphere following a voyage to deep space.

As the mission concludes, the once unattainable dream of walking on the moon suddenly seems within reach. The full narrative of Apollo 8 has remained untold in its entirety until now, and only Jeffrey Kluger, co-author of the bestselling book on Apollo 13 alongside Jim Lovell, can do it justice.

Apollo 8 is a riveting account of a mission that was both a calculated risk and a shot in the dark, eloquently capturing the spirit of adventure and the indomitable courage of three American heroes who forever altered our perception of our home planet. Through Kluger's compelling storytelling, the audacity, bravery, and sheer determination of the Apollo 8 mission are brought to life, offering readers an unforgettable glimpse into one of the most astonishing feats in human history.