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 Award-winning
science journalist and space historian Andrew Chaikin has
authored books and articles about space exploration and
astronomy for more than 25 years. Writer-director and explorer
James Cameron (Titanic, Aliens of the Deep) called him
"our best historian of the space age."
Chaikin is best known as the author
of A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts,
widely regarded as the definitive account of the moon missions.
First published in 1994, this acclaimed work was the main basis
for Tom Hanks' 12-part HBO miniseries, From the Earth to the
Moon, which won the Emmy for best miniseries in 1998.
Chaikin spent eight years writing and researching A Man on
the Moon, including over 150 hours of personal interviews
with 23 of the 24 lunar astronauts (Apollo 13's Jack Swigert was
already deceased). Apollo moonwalker Gene Cernan said of the
book, "I've been there. Chaikin took me back." A new edition of
the book, with a new afterword for the 50th anniversary of the
space age, was published by Penguin in 2007.
 Chaikin’s
newest books, co-written with Victoria Kohl, are Voices from
the Moon (Viking Studio) featuring excerpts from his
conversations with Apollo astronauts, and Mission Control,
This is Apollo (Viking Childrens) a book for young readers
illustrated with paintings by Apollo moonwalker Alan Bean. Both
were published in May 2009.
A Passion for Mars was
published in September 2008 by Abrams. Apollo 11 astronaut and
author Michael Collins called it a "masterpiece of a book," and
Rocket Boys author Homer Hickam said, "I am completely
and utterly in love with this book."
Chaikin is also the author of
Air and Space: The National Air and Space Museum Story of
Flight, published in 1997 by Bulfinch Press. Chaikin's
illustrated narrative of space exploration, SPACE: A History
of Space Exploration in Photographs, was published in 2002
by Carlton Books. He co-authored the text for the highly
successful collection of Apollo photography, Full Moon,
which was published by Knopf in 1999.
 Chaikin
collaborated with moonwalker-turned-artist Alan Bean to write
Apollo: An Eyewitness Account, published in 1998 by the
Greenwich Workshop Press. He also co-edited The New Solar
System, a compendium of writings by planetary scientists,
now in its fourth edition. His essays include the chapter on
human spaceflight in The National Geographic Encyclopedia of
Space, published in 2004, and Live from the Moon: The
Societal Impact of Apollo for NASA’s 2007 book The
Societal Impact of Spaceflight.
From 1999 to 2001 Chaikin served as
Executive Editor for Space and Science at SPACE.com, the
definitive website for all things space. He was also the editor
of SPACE.com's print magazine, Space Illustrated.
Chaikin is a commentator for
National Public Radio's Morning Edition, and has
appeared on Good Morning America, Nightline, and the
NPR programs Fresh Air and Talk of the Nation.
He has been an advisor to NASA on space policy and public
communications.
A former editor of Sky &
Telescope magazine, Chaikin has also been a contributing
editor of Popular Science and has written for
Newsweek, Air&Space/Smithsonian, World Book Encyclopedia,
Scientific American, and other publications.
A graduate of Brown University,
Chaikin served on the Viking missions to Mars at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, and was a researcher at the Smithsonian's
Center for Earth and Planetary Studies before becoming a science
journalist in 1980. He is an amateur musician and songwriter; he
has also been an occasional space artist, and is one of the
founders of the International Association of Astronomical
Artists.
"My mission
is to inspire and educate about the wonders of the universe and
the incredible adventure of space exploration."
Andrew Chaikin
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