Mission Moon 3-D

The book covers the American space program from Mercury through Apollo and beyond. There is also coverage of the Soviet program, and it concludes with a brief account of the 3Dphotogenic International Space Station.Brian May gives a basic account of 3D imaging, and the various ways the images in the book were obtained. In many cases this involved the considerable work of searching NASA records for ‘accidental’ 3D-pairs. Examples include: astronauts on the moon taking several shots of the same scene between moving around; pairs of photos of the same portion of the lunar surface taken from the orbiting command module taken a short time apart; etc. Of course, NASA also took some deliberate 3D shots. The captions of the stereo pairs often describe how they were made, and there is also a brief summary at the back of the book.I bought this book as a treat to look forward to during the long wait for my second cataract operation, and was able to see the 3D images the day after this surgery. Some images are more difficult than others, but none were impossible for me. Once caught, the 3D image is stable. A problem can arise when one’s brain makes a false match between the two images. For example, on page 146 there is a stereo image of the lunar rover seen in profile. I initially had the difficulty that the front wheel of the rover seen in one eye would merge with and ‘lock on to’ the rear wheel as seen in the other. Persistence and luck overcame this.The excellent OWL viewer supplied with the book is essential – at least for me. A trick I found useful is to rotate it (clockwise or anticlockwise) slightly about the tip of my nose, which has the effect of shifting the images vertically – one going up and the other down. This has value in two ways: it gives you extra information about how close you are to merging the images correctly; also, the images merge much more easily when there is no vertical separation between them (I have astigmatism, and have to hold the viewer slightly anticlockwise).The 3D images are instructive as well as delightful. One of many examples is that the bizarre shape of Comet 67P/C-G (page 178) could not be fully appreciated in any single photograph.Some of the images of craters taken from orbit give a greatly exaggerated impression of their depths. This is because of the large baseline between photos. The captions give the proper dimensions.One tiny gripe I have is that the gossamer font of the text is difficult and tiring to read for anyone with visual problems.To sum up, this is a wonderful book for anyone with an interest is astronomy and space travel.

It was bought as a present for my husband. He’s absolutely fascinated by it and but for one thing would have given it five stars. The one thing being that the majority of the 3D pairs of photographs can be viewed without the use of the supplied 3D viewer by simply relaxing the eyes and allowing each picture of the pair to be viewed by the separate eyes then pulled together to form a 3D image. Some of the pictures (a small number) can only be viewed using the viewer, however. Apart from this very minor problem the book is absolutely amazing. Bring on the next one!

This book is excellent if you want a visual stunning book the uses stereoscopic images.The book is a great companion to the 50 years anniversary of the moon landing as well as inspiring the Next Generation.I found the text is suitable for 14 year olds and above while younger readers will get the 3D images to inspire them to take up an interest in astronomy and space exploration.Well written book but doesn't go into much detail. Is the images that helps the book comes alive. As a 34 year old male I've found it absolutely interesting and inspired me to read more on the subject.Highly recommended for those interested in space exploration and astronomy as well as Queen fans.

This book falls short on two counts. Firstly, the writing is poor and superficial with very few fresh insights. Secondly, the 3D photography doesn't add hugely to the offering either and often comes across as a gimmick. A few pics are very evocative, yes, but many of them are of images that don't benefit from being seen in 3D (eg mugshots of the authors and Yuri Gargarin). The 'owl' viewer supplied with the book isn't very good either. You have to hold it steady at exactly the right distance above the page to get the effect. The viewer supplied with the A Village Lost and Found (also co-produced by Brian May) is part of a frame where the viewing height is set. That book provides a far superior experience all round and comes highly recommended.

Great book with lost of interesting history - but most of all, it has stereoscopic photographs throughout. Absolutely amazing to look at - once you get the knack of using the provided viewer.If you love astronomy, or want to get your kids interested in the subject then do yourself a favour a grab yourself a copy. Not only is it a book but it’s almost a toy too. Much better than YouTube or an App.