American Heroes on Apollo 8: The True Story

Written by the best-selling author of Apollo 13, this book is about the thrilling true story of Apollo 8. It was the first crewed spaceship to break free from Earth's orbit and reach the moon. What could be more exhilarating than spaceships and astronauts? How about a spaceship carrying the first astronauts to ever lay eyes on the moon firsthand - and on Christmas!

In 1968, only a year after the tragic spacecraft fire that claimed the lives of the Apollo 1 crew, the American people were still in shock. To add to the pressure, there were rumors circulating that Russian cosmonauts were preparing to orbit the moon. NASA knew they had to take decisive action, and they had to do it immediately. The goal was to win the space race against Russia and fulfill President Kennedy's pledge to land a man on the moon before the end of the decade.

In a daring move just days before Christmas, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders were sent on a mission to the moon. This book recounts their incredible journey, the frantic race to prepare their spacecraft, and the perspective it offered the American people and the world on our planet and the vastness of space.

Packed with the necessary science and training to launch a person into space, as well as the intricate details of living on a spaceship for days at a time (including the logistics of using the bathroom), this book is bound to ignite curiosity in kids and leave them dreaming of one day joining a mission to outer space.

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