We landed on the Moon! Like, today – as I write this! Intuitive Machines, a US-based company, successfully landed the Odysseus lander on the Moon. This is the first private company to land on the Moon and the first US landing on the Moon in over 50 years! That may be why this book is the Planetary Society book club pick for February 2024.
Moon Rush: The New Space Race
Author: Leonard David
Pages: 224
Format: Hardcover
Published: May 7, 2019
Publisher: National Geographic
View on Goodreads
Date Completed: February 21, 2024
My rating: 
Review
Overall, this book reads like a long essay, or even a collection of essays, about the Moon. It’s got some history. A lot of history, in fact. It’s also got a lot of ideas about what we should do with the moon, if anything.
I’m always fascinated by the Apollo program, largely because it’s what took Americans to the Moon. Actually, it’s what took human beings to the Moon. So I really enjoyed the early parts of the book with the history of the Apollo program and short sections on the different Apollo missions.
What I was mostly interested in here were the ideas of getting back to the Moon and how we’ll do it. I like the idea of private companies – meaning non-governmental agencies – designing, building, and flying landers to the Moon. What a boost to the global economy that could be!
I also found it very interesting the different ways we can exploit the Moon’s resources. I understand the viewpoint of leaving the Moon and other celestial bodies alone. However, I think mining materials from the Moon’s surface, including materials needed for the manufacture of space exploration-related paraphernalia, seems smart. And hey, why not start with the far side of the Moon since we don’t see that anyway! Let’s work smarter, not harder!
Conclusion
I gave this book a 3 on Goodreads, but it’s really more of a 3 1/2. I couldn’t really give it much higher just because there was quite a bit of repetition but also because it got oddly political. I understand that NASA is a government-funded venture. However, I would have preferred a lot more ideas of how nations could work together, without government involvement, to learn more about and use the Moon. We’ve now proven that the private sector can get us to the Moon.
