How Apollo Flew to the Moon

In his spare time, W. David Woods, took up studying the Apollo program and contributing to its documentation on the web. In 1994, he began scanning NASA history books under the aegis of the NASA History Division for presentation on the web. In 1997, David was presented with a Public Service Award in Washington D.C. by the NASA Administrator. In 1998, David began publishing the Apollo Flight Journal online, hosted by NASA. again under the aegis of the NASA History Division. This project is a companion to the highly regarded Apollo Lunar Surface Journal and both are considered canonical references about the Apollo missions. An AFJ consists of a core transcript of a mission. This is carefully corrected, commentary is added and is used as a structure upon which many multimedia types relevant to the mission can be hung. This includes audio, video, and photography from NASA's archives. The knowledge and experience gained while researching and writing for the AFJ led to the publication in 2008 of "How Apollo Flew to the Moon." This book has been very well received and reviewed. Many commentators place it within the top few books about the Apollo flights.

From the reviews of the second edition: "This book was written for those ... to learn without the prerequisite degree in aeronautics. ... Due to the high level of detail that is paid to virtually all aspects of Apollo, this book is well worth the price and should be considered a must have for space aficionados. ... There are additional stories of Apollo's engineering triumphs both on the surface of the Moon as well as in flight, much of which reflects my continuing journey into the technical achievement that was Apollo." (Jason Rhian, Aviation Week, March, 2011) "How Apollo Flew to the Moon is the consummate technical narrative about the Apollo lunar program for the nontechnical reader. ... for those who have a long-held interest in the Apollo program and always wondered how things worked this is a treasure trove. ... is not only a fun and accessible tech-read but also a very valuable reference book, where you will find detail and minutia that is difficult to find anywhere else. ... no comparable work which is so accessible or rewarding to read." (Rod Pyle, Quest, Vol. 19 (3), 2012)

• Illustrations.- Author's Preface.- Acknowledgements.- Foreword.- Chapter 1: Apollo - an extraordinary adventure.- Chapter 2: The Apollo Flights - a brief history.- Chapter 3: Launch - a fiery departure.- Chapter 4: Earth orbit and TLI.- Chapter 5: Retrieving the lander.- Chapter 6: Navigating to the Moon.- Chapter 7: Coasting to the Moon.- Chapter 8: Entering lunar orbit  - the LOI manoeuvre.- Chapter 9: Preparation for landing.- Chapter 10: Next stop - the Moon.- Chapter 11: Down in the dust.- Chapter 12: Exploration at its greatest.- Chapter 13: Rendezvous and docking.- Chapter 14: Heading for home.- Chapter 15: Re-entry.- Epilogue.- Glossary.- Appendix 1: Computer programs.- Appendix 2: Mission data.- Further reading.- Index.