Survival in Space: The Apollo 13 Mission

This month marks 50 years since the Apollo 13 mission. In this new book from Barrington Stoke, David Long describes how a "boring" mission to the moon became a struggle for survival. From a brief history of space travel, with a fascinating look at the Saturn V, to fixing breathing equipment with bits of spacesuit and socks, Survival in Space covers everything aspiring astronauts might want to know about this historic space adventure. 

Every page is packed with interesting facts, making this book a hit both with my space-mad five-year-old and my Physics teacher husband. Tension runs high throughout and the story is brought to life with artwork from Stefano Tambellini. 

I was lucky to be able to ask David Long a few questions about Survival in Space, and you can read his answers below.

1. Are there any other missions to space you would like to write about?

This is the most important one for me, but I previously wrote another book about the other Apollo missions because I am old enough to remember them (only just!) and have always found the idea of going to the Moon absolutely thrilling.

2. What can aspiring astronauts learn from the complications on the Apollo 13 mission?

It shows what humans in desperate situations can achieve by staying calm and working as a team. I think that is a really important message for readers of all ages, especially children.

3. What was the most surprising/interesting fact you learnt while researching this story?

The fact that these three men travelled further from Earth than any humans had before, and that half a century later they still hold the record.

4. Which of Stefano Tambelini's illustrations in this book is your favourite?

That’s really hard. I think he has done such a tremendous job but I particularly like the one showing the little boy and his father watching the events unfold on television. It’s because I remember so clearly doing that with my own father when I was eight years old.

5. What is your favourite space fact?

Another hard one. I think it’s knowing there are billions of stars out there, not millions but billions, that one of them might have a planet a bit like Earth orbiting around it, and that there could be people a bit like us living there. They might be more advanced than us, or they might still be cavemen -  no-one knows.

6. Have you ever been to NASA (and if so, were you able to watch a live launch?)

I haven’t, sadly, but I have met and shaken hands with two of the 12 men who walked on the Moon (Buzz Aldrin and Harrison Schmitt). That’s one of the reasons I wrote this book.

7. What is the most exciting moment in space travel you can remember from your own childhood?

Oh, that’s easy. Watching Apollo 11 take off and afterwards seeing grainy black and white film of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the surface of the Moon.

8. Where do you think humans will venture next in space?

Back to the Moon. I think this will happen before anyone gets to Mars, and actually that excites me more than anything to do with Mars although I can’t really say why that is.

Thank you so much Barrington Stoke for sending me a digital copy of Survival in Space to review, and thank you David Long for taking the time to answer my questions. Survival in Space: The Apollo 13 Mission is out now and is a brilliant book for young space enthusiasts.