Apollo 12 - On the Ocean of Storms

In July 1969 the ‘amiable strangers’ that made up the crew of the historic Apollo 11 flight successfully achieved the first manned lunar landing. Several months later, three close friends set off on an even more challenging mission. Free of the burden of making history, the Apollo 12 astronauts were determined to really enjoy their experience while taking care of business. This is the story of their mission, told largely in their own words. Their exploits and accomplishments showed how conservative the inaugural mission had been. With its two moonwalks, deployment of the first geophysical station on the Moon, and geological sampling, Apollo 12 did what many had hoped would be achieved by the first men to land on the Moon. The Apollo 12 mission also spectacularly demonstrated the precision landing capability required for success in future lunar surface explorations. In addition to official documents, published prior to and after the mission, APOLLO 12 – ON THE OCEAN OF STORMS draws on the flight transcript and post-mission debriefing to recreate the drama.

From the reviews:

“The book is entitle; Apollo 12 On the Ocean of Storms. Strangely, this is the first time that the full story of man’s first trip to the Ocean of Storms – has never been written down. … Springer Praxis has developed a virtual library’s worth of books regarding space flight. Apollo 12 On the Ocean of Storms is a very worthy addition to this collection … . At 530 pages and with dozens of color images, the book is well-worth … .” (Jason Rhian, AmericaSpace, March, 2011)

“More than 40 years ago Apollo 12 made man’s second Moon-landing, and it could be as long again before humans return. But David Harland is keeping the memories fresh with a series of books covering each of the landings, this being the second. One can relive the whole mission in 500 dense pages from lift-off to analysing the 74lbs of moon rocks they brought back … . Some of the early planning chapters are so detailed … and reads as excitingly as a good novel.” (Reginald Turnill, Astronomy Now, September, 2011)

“Space historian/writer Harland (NASA’s Moon Program, CH, Dec’09, 47-1969) tells the complete story of Apollo 12, from planning stages to travel back to Earth. … this mission was very successful: the scientific objectives were accomplished, and part of the Surveyor probe was returned to Earth for analysis. The book is nicely illustrated with halftone and color photographs. A welcome addition to the library of space history enthusiasts. Summing Up: Recommended. All general readers and undergraduate students.” (J. Z. Kiss, Choice, Vol. 49 (1), September, 2011)

“Harland turns all the minutiae into a ‘you-are-there’ experience. He diligently and unobtrusively provides background and explanation to make each of the step-by-step events interesting, and makes us constantly feel enlightened rather than instructed. We are very lucky to have this fellow turning these volumes out on a regular basis. … I daresay that all readers without exception will find illustrative material of interest here. … Apollo 12: On the Ocean of Storms is a fine case study of an important mission.” (David West Reynolds, Quest: The History of Spaceflight, Vol. 19 (1), 2012)

“I would recommend that all serious space historians find room on their bookshelves for this in-depth retrospective. … The author has drawn on numerous primary sources, including the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, a record of surface operations which includes a transcript of all recorded conversations between the moonwalkers and mission control. … As a stand-alone historical account of an individual mission, the book is one of the best I have come across.” (Peter Bond, The Observatory, Vol. 132 (1226), February, 2012)

Dr. David Harland has his PhD in Computer Science from the University of St. Andrews. He is a long-standing member of the British Interplanetary Society. He studied astronomy to degree level, but in his words, "telescopes are cold, and so I moved into the warmth of the computer room." A career ensued that involved lecturing in computer science, academic and industrial research. In 1995, Harland "retired" to resume his interest in space. He started to write and has had two dozen books published to date, and several others under contract. These days he considers himself "an amateur hermit and a professional space historian."