Magnificent Achievement

8/29/2018

Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon
by Suzanne Slade ill Thomas Gonzales

"...it will not be one man going to the moon...it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there."
President John F. Kennedy, May 25, 1961

Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon chronicles events leading up to and concluding with the first lunar landing on July 20, 1969. The narrative begins with the challenge uttered by President John F. Kennedy in May 1961.

I believe that this nation should commit itself
to achieving the goal, before this decade it out,
of landing a man on the moon
and returning him safely to the earth

Suzanne Slade, a mechanical engineer who worked on several space projects including the development of Saturn V rocket, is well qualified to write this superlative work of nonfiction. Her lyrical text vivify the marvel of space exploration. The free verse is accompanied by direct quotations, systematically describing each of the eleven Apollo missions.

Then he spots something surprising
almost surreal.
A brilliant blue ball,
wrapped in wispy white cotton,
rising above the stark horizon.
Earthrise on Christmas Eve, 1968.

Throughout the narrative, Slade adroitly ratchets up the tension. Readers experience the triumphal achievements, small moments of wonder, near misses, and heartbreakingly tragic disasters encountered my NASA teams during the eight-year-long venture.

The computer flashes a warning.
"It's a 1202," Armstrong informs Mission Control.
He's never seen this alarm in a simulator.
Not once.
"What is it?" he asks Aldrin.
He gets no response.

Fear slithers in.
Will they crash?
Will they have to abort?
Will they be able to return home?

Seconds feel like hours,

Thomas Gonzalez carefully detailed, realistic paintings capture the wonder of space exploration. His style allows the readers to place themselves directly into the experience. In addition to sweeping majestic vistas, he includes personal touches. One of my favorite images features silhouettes of family members, eyes riveted to the television screen, watching the progress of Apollo 11. Included in the family portrait is a faithful family dog, joining in witnessing this extraordinary event.

Gonzalez' paintings are enhanced with infographic spreads located between chapters. They include NASA photos of the flight and brief astronaut bios, complete with official head shots. A nice touch is an image of the commemorative patch designed for the flight.

Book design is stellar. Generous trim size (10.3" x 11") while accessible and easy to handle, gives added emphasis to the grandeur of this achievement. The book's text, with clear clean font is thoughtful placed, awarding the narrative added significance. For contrast, pages describing the Apollo 8 expedition as it moves to the far side of the moon are black with striking white text.

Brilliant page design allows the images to bleed beautifully and naturally across the gutters, creating a seamless fusion of image and text.

Back matter nicely rounds out the volume with additional textual information titled “More About Team Apollo” and “Bringing Apollo 11 Home.” Notes from both author and illustrator, Selected Bibliography, Sources for Quotations, and Photo credits are included.

This handsome volume heralds the significance of this seminal event in the history of the United States and space exploration. A worthy commemorative of the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing and a valuable addition to public, school, classroom, and home libraries, Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon, will inspire future generations of explorers.