I was 7 when Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon and was lucky enough to be allowed to stay up and watch it. It left a huge impression on me. In the following 50 years though, it never occurred to me to think about these guys after that momentous day or the other 10 astronauts that followed them on to the Moons surface. Originally written in 2005, this book is the experiences Andrew Smith had crossing the USA trying to find these guys. It is an incredible read. Not technical or full of history. Just real. It has made me realise that although these men belonged to an almost untouchable exclusive club, at the end of the day they were human beings, just like the rest of us.

This book covers the lunar missions of the 1960s and 1970s and the twelve astronauts who made these daring space explorations. Andrew Smith tracks down the nine surviving members of the missions and asks: Where do you go after going to the Moon?' The scope and ambition of this book is vast. Smith creates a part memoir, part essayist account, part historic narrative, and part cultural study of the 'last optimistic acts of the twentieth century'. It draws together the impacts of the technological advancements, the perception of the public idolising the astronauts, and the real struggles the heroic men endured privately. The interviews with Armstrong and Aldrin are particularly insightful and give a pathos to the missions that can easily be glossed over. It is a thrilling book that inspires awe at the ambition of the Apollo mission and creates a greater understanding of the long lasting impact and fascination of these explorations.