Chasing the Moon: The People, the Politics, and the Promise

Chasing the Moon: The People, the Politics, and the Promise That Launched America into the Space Age

JFK issued the historic moon landing challenge. These are the stories of the visionaries who helped America complete his vision with the first lunar landing fifty years ago.

A Companion Book to the AMERICAN EXPERIENCEÂ® Film on PBSÂ®

Going in depth to explore their stories beyond the PBS series, writer/producer Robert Stoneâ€”called â€œone of our most important documentary filmmakersâ€ byÂ Entertainment Weeklyâ€”brings these important figures to brilliant life.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy proposed the nation spend twenty billion dollars to land a man on the Moon before the end of the decade.Â Based on eyewitness accounts and newly discovered archival material,Â Chasing the MoonÂ reveals for the first time the unknown stories of the fascinating individuals whose imaginative work across several decades culminated in Americaâ€™s momentous achievement. More than a story of engineers and astronauts, the moon landingâ€”now celebrating its fiftieth anniversaryâ€”grew out of the dreams of science fiction writers, filmmakers, military geniuses, and rule-breaking scientists.Â They include

â€¢ Science fiction authorÂ Arthur C. Clarke, whose writing inspired some of the key players in the Moon race. A scientific paper he wrote in his twenties led to the U.S. beating Russia in one area of space: communications satellites.
â€¢Â Wernher von Braun, the former Nazi military genius who oversaw Hitler's rocket weapons program. After working on ballistic missiles for the U.S. Army, he was recruited by NASA to manage the creation of the Saturn V moon rocket. Â
â€¢ AstronautÂ Frank Borman, commander of the first mission to circumnavigate the Moon, whose powerful testimony before Congress in 1967 decisively saved the U.S. lunar program from being cancelled.
â€¢Â Poppy Northcutt, a young mathematician who was the first woman to work in Mission Control. Her media exposure as a unique presence in this all-male world allowed her the freedom to stand up for equal rights for women and minorities.
â€¢Â Edward Dwight, an African American astronaut candidate, recruited at the urging of the Kennedy White House to further the administrationâ€™s civil rights agendaâ€”but not everyone welcomed his inclusion.

Setting these key players in the political, social, and cultural climate of the time, and including captivating photographs throughout,Â Chasing the MoonÂ focuses on the science and the history, but most important, the extraordinary individualsÂ behindÂ what was undoubtedly the greatest human achievement of the twentieth century.
Country USA
Brand Ballantine Books
Manufacturer Ballantine Books
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 9781524798123
Color Black
ReleaseDate 2019-06-04
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781524798123

Country	USA
Brand	Ballantine Books
Manufacturer	Ballantine Books
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	9781524798123
Color	Black
ReleaseDate	2019-06-04
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781524798123

Chasing the Moon: The People, the Politics, and the Promise That Launched America into the Space Age

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