Chasing the Moon

A charismatic young president issued the historic moon landing challenge. This book, which greatly expands the companion PBS series, tell the stories of the visionaries—based on eyewitness accounts and newly discovered archival material—who helped America win the space race with the first lunar landing fifty years ago.In 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy ridiculed the idea of space travel as a colossal waste of money with no scientific importance. A year later the new president proposed the nation spend twenty billion dollars to land a man on the moon before the end of the decade. More than a story of engineers and astronauts, America's moon landing—now celebrating its 50th anniversary—grew out of the dreams of a handful of people whose work led to the lunar landing. Going in depth to explore their stories beyond the PBS series, writer/producer Robert Stone—called "one of our most important documentary film makers" by Entertainment...