We're in the midst of the 40th anniversary of man's first trip to the moon: the Apollo 11 mission lasted from July 16-24, 1969, with the moon touchdown coming July 20. The moment captivated the nation, and I imagine that I watched it on a primitive television set from my home in Connecticut. But somehow, that Norman Rockwell scene has been lost in my memory -- unlike the day that JFK was shot, for example.

For such a stunning moment in history, the moon landing -- and the space race itself -- produced surprisingly few great books. If I had to pick one, it would be The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe, which describes the earliest days of the space program, from the perspective of the fighter pilots-turned astronauts. Wolfe does a great job describing their daring and heroism -- and how they bristled at the space bureaucracy that tried to rein in their maverick nature.

Here's another way to get into the moon mood: a video by Baltimore Sun photographer Karl Merton Ferron on the race to the moon.