L'homme sur la Lune

Albert Ducrocq
Year1969
PublisherJulliard
PlaceParis
LanguageFR
Pages283
Rating★★★☆☆ (3/5)
AudienceGeneral, Student
LevelBeginner
Keywords
artificial satelliteMoonextraterrestrial lifespace utopia
ThemesOther Worlds, Human Spaceflight, Lunar Exploration

A forward-looking essay printed on 5 June 1969, five weeks before Apollo 11. Albert Ducrocq traces the genesis of astronautics (Tsiolkovsky, Oberth, Korolev, von Braun), defends the usefulness of space exploration against its critics, then surveys satellite applications: meteorology, agriculture, Earth resources, telecommunications. The second half imagines mankind settling the Moon (a scientific observatory of the Earth and Sun, an underground lunar city, lunar greenhouses) before a closing meditation on the "springtime of mankind" at the dawn of the 21st century.

📖 Editorial Review

Printed on 5 June 1969, five weeks before Armstrong stepped onto the Sea of Tranquility, this essay does not recount the landing: it tries to think through its consequences. A striking document of space optimism at the peak of the lunar decade. …