Moonshot 1970: Moments to Touchdown

A reimagining in 3D of the cover illustration on the 1967 book "Moonshot 1970". Written by Martha Lomask, illustrated by Gordon Mellor. The Apollo Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) is moments from touching down on its landing spot, illuminated in part by the soft blue Earthlight. The sky is dotted with brilliant stars and is filled with bright cloud-like areas of color. The Earth is shown as a cloudless globe. An elongated Apollo Command and Service Module streaks overhead. Modeled and rendered in 3D, the image echoes the style of the children's book.

This depiction shows a significant step in the design evolution of the Moon lander. By the end of 1963, Grumman engineers had eliminated the four large windows, present on their earlier designs, in favor of the now familiar pair of small triangular windows. The front round docking hatch remained, for now, as a secondary backup.