Apollo

This is the classic play-by-play account of the United States space program and Apollo moon landing on July 20, 1969. "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon," said President Kennedy on May 25, 1961. Eight years and eight weeks later, astronaut Neil Armstrong took his "one small step for man, one giant step for mankind." Apollo tells the absorbing account of how that goal was reached, in particular from the point of view of the managers and scientists who made it happen. It traces the design and development of successive spacecraft and boosters, explains how liquid-fueled rocket engines, guidance systems and other components work, and reveals the managerial controversies and technical improvisations that enabled the program to proceed despite serious setbacks. In this dramatic account, Murray and Cox reveal how, in fewer than ten years, the men and women behind the scenes accomplished the extraordinary feat of landing a man on the moon-and changed the way we look at our world.