Colonization of the Moon the Soviet leadership made some of its first public pronouncements about landing a man on the Moon and establishing a lunar base. Crewed exploration of the lunar surface began in 1968 when the Apollo 8 spacecraft orbited the Moon with three astronauts on board. This was mankind's first direct view of the far side. The following year, the Apollo 11 Apollo Lunar Module landed two astronauts on the Moon, proving the ability of humans to travel to the Moon, perform scientific research work there, and bring back sample materials. Additional missions to the Moon continued this exploration phase. In 1969,
First Men to the Moon investigating the interior of the moon using seismograph-equipped solid propellant rockets. According to WorldCat, the book is in 413 libraries. Floyd C. Gale said that the fictional moon trip was "highly detailed and absorbing", and praised the "exceptional" illustrations. He concluded that "Even the best grounded SF buff will find new and astonishing material over which to dream". First Men to the Moon First Men to the Moon is a novel by rocketry expert Wernher von Braun, published in 1960. It tells the story of John Mason and Larry Carter, fictional astronauts traveling to the moon. Von Braun's book is