Back to the Moon Back to the Moon Back to the Moon is a science fiction novel and Homer Hickam's first fictional book. Published in June 1999, Hickam wrote Back to the Moon using insider information he learned from NASA. The prologue of the novel begins with a dramatized account of the second EVA of Apollo 17. Astronaut Jack Schmitt discovers orange soil in Shorty Crater at the very end of the EVA and gathers samples in a race against time to get back to the LEM. Meanwhile, Wernher von Braun is watching the end of the mission on TV with other NASA engineers.
In the Shadow of the Moon (film) featured in "In the Shadow of the Moon" orbited or looped around the Moon without landing (Jim Lovell and Michael Collins). All manned Apollo flights with the exception of Apollo 7, which was an earth-orbit mission, were represented in the film. The film is presented by Ron Howard, but there is no narration in the film. Critics gave the film very positive reviews. Metacritic reported "In the Shadow of the Moon" had an average score of 84 out of 100, based on 34 reviews, classifying the film's reception as "Universal Acclaim." Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 94% rating based