Back to the Moon - Softcover

Hickam, Homer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0440235383 ISBN 13: 9780440235385

Publisher: Random House USA Inc, 2000

Synopsis

The final mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia is hijacked by a group of NASA insiders determined to use the aging shuttle to travel back to the moon, and save the planet. Reprint.

About this title

From the Author:

Back to the Moon is meant to entertain...
... although it has a serious purpose, that of bringing alive the real personalities of people engaged in the present-day space business. It was also written somewhat in parallel with Rocket Boys (aka October Sky) to allow me a place as a writer to offset the soul-searching required to write the successful memoir. With Back to the Moon, I was able to simply enjoy telling a wild tale but one that was also set very solidly in scientific and engineering fact. All the events in this book could happen from an engineering standpoint. It is indeed feasible to outfit a shuttle to the moon - in fact, nearly anything can be sent to the moon if a large enough rocket engine is attached to it. Jack, Penny, Virgil, Paco, Sam and all the rest of the characters in this book have real-life counterparts that I've met during my years working in space. To compare this work to my memoir, however, is to miss the point of both works: The memoir came from my heart and soul, the techno-thriller from my imagination. Each should be approached as individual works. Any author who allows himself to be constrained to one type of writing is asking for trouble creatively and professionally. Approach Back to the Moon for what it is: a good read meant to entertain and, just perhaps, enlighten as to the possibilities of drama, fun and adventure in space.

About the Author:

Homer H. Hickam, Jr., was born and raised in Coalwood, West Virginia. The author of Torpedo Junction, a Military History Book of the Month Club selection, as well as numerous articles for such publications as Smithsonian Air and Space and American History Illustrated, he is a NASA payload training manager for the International Space Program and lives in Huntsville, Alabama.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0440235383
• ISBN 13: 9780440235385
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 512