Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man`s First Journey to the Moon, Kurson Robert

By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the Moon by President Kennedys end-of-decade deadline, and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch. With just four months to prepare--a fraction of the normal time required to plan a space mission--the agency committed to sending the first men in history to the Moon. And it would all happen at Christmas.

In a year of historic violence and discord--the Tet Offensive, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy, the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago--the Apollo 8 mission would be the boldest, riskiest test of Americas greatness under pressure. In this gripping insider account, Robert Kurson puts the focus on the three astronauts and their families: the commander, Frank Borman, a conflicted man on his final mission; idealistic Jim Lovell, whod dreamed since boyhood of riding a rocket to the Moon; and Bill Anders, a young nuclear engineer and hotshot fighter pilot making his first space flight.

Drawn from hundreds of hours of one-on-one interviews with the astronauts, their loved ones, NASA personnel, and myriad experts, and filled with vivid and unforgettable detail, Rocket Men is the definitive account of one of Americas finest hours that reads like a real-life thriller. In these pages, Kurson reveals the epic dangers involved, and the singular bravery it took, for mankind to leave Earth for the first time--and arrive at a new world.

Advance praise for Rocket Men

In 1968 we sent men to the Moon. They didnt leave boot prints, but it was the first time humans ever left Earth for another destination. That mission was Apollo 8. And Rocket Men, under Robert Kursons compelling narrative, is that under-told story.--Neil deGrasse Tyson