Prepare for the Next Great Space Race with ‘Moon Rush’ [REVIEW]

We’ve set foot on the moon before, and we will again. Space journalist Leonard David explains the process in his new book, Moon Rush. (Photo courtesy Pexels)

On July 20, 1969, two men stepped foot on the moon for the very first time: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Now, 50 years later, man still has his eyes set on the sky, on our nearest luminary satellite, and a new space race is in the works. But what has changed since that initial landing? Who is behind these renewed ventures? Why are we still so fascinated with the moon and what secrets does it hold? Find out in veteran space journalist Leonard David’s intriguing new book, Moon Rush: The New Space Race. 

National Geographic

From the first moment man looked toward the heavens and saw the moon, it has intrigued us. Steeped in ancient myth, it may also hold promises for our future. In fact, it is very possible that one day in the not-so-distant future, it could even become home to a “moon village,” complete with a moon elevator which will make it easier to study both the planet and the vast expanse of space beyond.

Featuring pages of stunning photography and gorgeous illustrations (this book is published by National Geographic after all), David pulls back the curtain on what the U.S., its allies and competitors are planning for the future. But this time around, it’s not just government agencies involved in the race to space, private corporations like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin are making headway in their plans to inhabit and even harvest the moon in the decades to come.

But this volume is more than just an oracle for the future. It also takes a look toward the past and reveals little known history about the Apollo missions and Cold War plans for space that feel eerily all too familiar now with the proposed Space Force. Plus, this tome is bookended with an introduction by Buzz Aldrin himself and an afterword by Harrison Schmitt, thus framing the book with sage insights from the first and last men aboard Apollo missions.

Moon Rush is truly an eye-opening book jam-packed with scientific insights that are destined to broaden our minds and keep us focused on the vast potential of the moon. Even if you’re a critic of the space program, you’re sure to find new nuggets of information here that are sure to test your critique, to make you ponder why we may want to live up there in the first place, and what value and advantages the moon may actually have for us. Even if you never leave terra firma, did you know that a moon rock is incredibly valuable? I mean, literally. Get your hands on one of these and you’re talking big bucks, like a million of them!

I also like the way David writes this book in a linear manner, providing us an in-depth timeline which begins long before man ever launched a rocket into the stratosphere. He covers practically everything we could ever want to know about a trip to the moon, including what minerals we will find there, and how we may even get water from the moon, something Celine Dion once seemed to think was impossible.

If you’re a hard-core science geek however, this may not be the best book to add to your library, as it is really targeted at a mainstream audience who has at most a passing fascination with space exploration. But if you’re like me, the everyman whose dreams of space began with movies like Apollo 13, then Houston, it’s a go. Pick up this book and enlighten yourself, because the race to the moon is happening whether you keep up with it or not, and isn’t it better to be informed? Let Moon Rush be your guide into the future and learn to see the expanse beyond our planet in a whole new way.

Leonard David (Photo by Nancy Berton)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leonard David has been reporting on space exploration for more than 50 years, with writings widely published including in Astronomy, Aerospace America, Foreign Policy, the Financial Times, and Scientific American.

He has been a consultant to NASA and currently contributes as Space Insider columnist to Space.com. He is the author of National Geographic’s Mars and co-author of Buzz Aldrin’s Mission to Mars.

MOON RUSH: THE NEW SPACE RACE
By Leonard David
224 pp. National Geographic. $26.

Purchase Moon Rush at one of these fine online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, National Geographic, and Powell’s.

Moon Rush is brought to you in association with TLC Book Tours.