As the 40th anniversary of humankind's first step on the moon approaches, the reminiscences will fly from all those who watched the historic moment. But only two dozen people can tell you what it's like to come face-to-face with the moon. A new book from Viking Studio, Voices From the Moon by Andrew Chaikin and Victoria Kohl, tells the story of the Apollo program's bold ambitions through quotes from the 24 men who have reached the moon's orbit.

Chaikin spent years interviewing the Apollo astronauts, including Frank Borman, who commanded the first Apollo mission to circle the moon. Said Borman: "It was an exploratory mission. We took the human intellect and the human vision, the human mind, 240,000 miles away from its home base. That was the importance."