''Operation Columbus'' is a juvenile

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

, the third in Hugh Walters' ''Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A.'' series. It was published in the UK by

Faber Faber may refer to: People * Faber (surname) Companies * Faber & Faber, publishing house in the United Kingdom * Faber-Castell, German manufacturer of writing instruments * Faber Music, British sheet music publisher * Eberhard Faber, German ...

in 1959, in the US by Criterion Books in 1960 under the title ''First on the Moon'', and in the Netherlands by Prisma Juniores as 'Wedloop naar de Maan' 1963.

Plot summary

Both America and Russia plan crewed missions to the Moon to examine the wreckage of the structures destroyed in '' The Domes of Pico''. The American astronaut, Morrison Kant, breaks his leg shortly before takeoff, so Chris Godfrey steps in. Both spacecraft arrive at the same time. Unlike Chris Godfrey, the Russian pilot, Serge Smyslov, is unable to leave his

Lunar Rover A lunar rover or Moon rover is a space exploration Rover (space exploration), vehicle designed to move across the surface of the Moon. The Apollo program's Lunar Roving Vehicle was driven on the Moon by members of three American crews, Apollo 15, ...

vehicle and both head for the wrecked domes, leading to a tense standoff... The book predates the first use of a Lunar Rover by 11 years.

External links

*
''Operation Columbus'' page
1959 British novels 1959 science fiction novels Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series Faber & Faber books Novels set on the Moon {{1950s-sf-novel-stub