First Men to the Moon

Lore & Background

First Men to the Moon tells the story of astronauts John Mason and Larry Carter traveling to the Moon. Von Braun based the novella on his own scientific knowledge and included technical explanations and diagrams in footnotes in wide margins on each page. The novella describes the use of seismograph-equipped solid propellant rockets to investigate the Moon's interior.

Reader's Guide

The novella received mixed but notable reviews. Floyd C. Gale in Galaxy Science Fiction called the fictional trip 'highly detailed and absorbing' and praised the 'exceptional' illustrations. Henry W. Hubbard in The New York Times described the story as 'average' but called the book 'a standout' because of von Braun's authority, noting the marginal notes on science are 'excellent' and that 'scientific solidity' is 'the book's greatest value'. S. E. Cotts in Amazing Stories wrote that while it appears to target young adults, the technical details appeal to older readers, though characters become 'experimental robots' when science is added to the story. P. Schuyler Miller in Analog Science Fact & Fiction described the book as a 'thin hybrid' of science and fiction, 'technically impeccable' but offering little to adult readers with science fiction knowledge, though he complimented the technical discussions and diagrams as making the book 'unusual and interesting'.

Did You Know?

• Von Braun dedicated the book to his daughters Iris and Margrit, who he said 'will live in a world in which flights to the moon will be commonplace'.
• The novella includes footnoted technical explanations and diagrams in wide margins on each page.