Over the past decades, many books have been published about the history of Moon research, interplanetary probes and launch vehicles, the “lunar race,” as well as various programs, plans, and achievements. But the edition “Moon. History, People, Technology” can rightfully be called the most complete, as detailed as possible, and chronologically organized: it brings together previously unpublished materials, as well as reports, documents, and photographs that quite recently had the classification “Secret.” About how quickly humanity was moving toward its celestial neighbor—what stages, tests, and discoveries this journey went through—Pavel Shubin tells us. He is a mathematician, the author of popular science books and articles on the history of space exploration, and a specialist in interplanetary stations and scientific equipment.
The first volume covers the period 1953–1965.