The Moon

The definitive reference work to mark the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing

A fascinating moment in history and the climax of a spellbinding adventure – on 20th July 1969, men set foot on the moon for the first time ever. Alexis von Croy describes the riveting story of the race between the superpowers of the USA and the USSR, at the time deeply entrenched in cold war conflict, as the adventurous voyage of discovery as well as the extraordinary scientific achievement it undoubtedly was. Who were these men, who were the first to set out to conquer another celestial body? What astoundingly complex technology was behind their mission? What setbacks and risks did they encounter, and how did they overcome them?
And what of the moon itself? How did Earth’s only natural satellite come into being? What is its significance for our blue planet? Based on painstakingly thorough research and introducing many hitherto unknown technical details, Alexis von Croy throws light on one of the most intriguing chapters in the history of science, and of mankind itself.


Alexis von Croy was born in 1959 and lives in Munich. A journalist specialising in aviation and space travel, he has also made a name for himself as a photographer of aeroplanes and holds a variety of pilot’s licences. From 1995 until 2002, he was editor and chief reporter of „fliegermagazin”, a journal for pilots, and from 2004 to 2008 editor-in-chief of „Planet Aerospace”, the inhouse magazine of Airbus. 2003 saw the publication of his book „Adventures in the Sky: The best stories about flying”. More information is available at www.airwork.biz.