Who needs the lunar breakdown services?

Lunar breakdown manual

By Michael Banks

If your car has ever broken down late at night, then the first port of call is, of course, the breakdown services. Failing that, then you can get your hands dirty and turn to the help of the trusted car manual.

One company famous for its owners’ manuals is Haynes who produce them for seemingly every make and model of cars, motorcycles and trucks.

But the publishing firm may now have gone one small step too far. The company has brought out an owners’ manual for the Apollo 11 mission to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong becoming the first man on the Moon on 20 July 1969.

The manual contains technical illustrations and photographs of the 1969 Apollo 11 model including descriptions of the Saturn V booster rockets as well as the CM-107 command module, the SM-107 service module and the LM-5 lunar module, which took the astronauts to the surface of the Moon and back.

The manual also contains “how it works” and “how you fly it” guides, that give insights into launch procedures, flying and landing the lunar module and even a guide to walking on the Moon.

So if one of the landing legs is a bit stuck or the lunar module hatch is jammed then who needs the 400 000 people who helped build Apollo 11, just get your hands on the Haynes manual for only £17.99.