Title: How we learned about the moon.   
Subject(s): TO a Rocky Moon (Book)
Source: Astronomy, Sep93, Vol. 21 Issue 9, p93, 1/2p
Author(s): Burnham, Robert
Abstract: Reviews the book `To a Rocky Moon: A Geologist's History of
Luna Exploration,' by Don E. Wilhelms.
AN: 9308110282
ISSN: 0091-6358
Note: Tucson-Pima Public Library subscribes to this magazine.
Database: MasterFILE Elite

Section: Astronomy Books

HOW WE LEARNED ABOUT THE MOON

To a Rocky Moon:A Geologist's History of Lunar Exploration, by Don E.
Wilhelms, (University of Arizona Press, 1993), ISBN
0-8165-1065-2, 479 pages, acid-free paper, sewn binding,
hardcover, $29.95.

Every Moon-buff will love this book. And you don't have to know norite
from troctolite to enjoy it immensely. Don Wilhelms has written a
marvelous history of the most extraordinary exploration ever.

He didn't title the book What We Learned About the Moon and How, but
he might as well have. The story starts at the turn of the 20th
century (with geologist Grove Karl Gilbert and his studies of Meteor
Crater) and runs up to 1984, when lunar scientists converged on the
current best theory for the origin of the Moon.

Wilhelms is an ideal author for the subject. He coordinated lunar
geological mapping in the Astrogeology Branch of the U. S. Geological
Survey (USGS) and worked on the Lunar Orbiter missions. He trained
Moon-bound Apollo astronauts, helped choose their landing sites, and
debriefed them when they returned. In 1987 he authored the
now-standard history of the Moon, a fine book buried in the
Professional Papers series of the USGS, where it remains invisible to
non-specialists. (The Geologic History of the Moon, USGS Prof. Paper
1348; 327 pages, hundreds of photos, $35; write USGS Books Section,
Federal Center, Box 25424, Denver, CO 80225. All Moon-aficionados: get
your copy before it goes out of print.)

Although To a Rocky Moon naturally focuses on people, you will still
come away with a clear sense of lunar history. You'll also appreciate
more fully the efforts that went into the Apollo program, whether by
engineers, scientists, or astronauts.

I suspect Wilhelms' greatest contribution was in getting fellow
scientists to "think big." Many would-be lunar geologists fell into
the trap of focusing narrowly on this or that special feature. Seizing
upon some oddly shaped crater or rille, they would use it to exemplify
the geology of the entire Moon. Wilhelms, however, insisted that USGS
mappers work with complete regions and not just individual features,
however intriguing. The shift in emphasis was critically important.
When scientists had to explain ordinary features before they tackled
exotic special cases, they couldn't help but develop a coherent global
picture.

At the end Wilhelms offers a careful assessment of what Apollo did and
voices considerable regret that it was truncated early. But had
Apollos 18, 19, and 20 actually flown as planned, Wilhelms would not
have prolonged the series much beyond them. Apollo had done most of
what it was intended to, he says, and it was time for new ideas and
new techniques.

To a Rocky Moon closes with a memorable summary of the Moon's history,
squeezing its 4.5 billion years into 45 minutes. Like the rest of the
book, it's you-are-there writing at its best. - Robert Burnham
_________________

Copyright of Astronomy is the property of Kalmbach Publishing Co. and
its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted
to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written
permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for
individual use.
Source: Astronomy, Sep93, Vol. 21 Issue 9, p93, 1/2p.
Item Number: 9308110282