American Moonshot : John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race (9780062655080)

As the fiftieth anniversary of the first lunar landing approaches, the award winning historian and perennial__New York Times__bestselling author takes a fresh look at the space program, President John F. Kennedy’s inspiring challenge, and America’s race to the moon.“__We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.__”—President John F. KennedyOn May 25, 1961, JFK made an astonishing announcement: his goal of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade. In this engrossing, fast-paced epic, Douglas Brinkley returns to the 1960s to recreate one of the most exciting and ambitious achievements in the history of humankind.__American Moonshot__brings together the extraordinary political, cultural, and scientific factors that fueled the birth and development of NASA and the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects, which shot the United States to victory in the space race against the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.Drawing on new primary source material and major interviews with many of the surviving figures who were key to America’s success, Brinkley brings this fascinating history to life as never before.__American Moonshot__is a portrait of the brilliant men and women who made this giant leap possible, the technology that enabled us to propel men beyond earth’s orbit to the moon and return them safely, and the geopolitical tensions that spurred Kennedy to commit himself fully to this audacious dream. Brinkley’s ensemble cast of New Frontier characters include rocketeer Wernher von Braun, astronaut John Glenn and space booster Lyndon Johnson.A vivid and enthralling chronicle of one of the most thrilling, hopeful, and turbulent eras in the nation’s history,__American Moonshot__is an homage to scientific ingenuity, human curiosity, and the boundless American spirit. On May 25, 1961, Jfk Made An Astonishing Announcement: His Goal Of Putting A Man On The Moon By The End Of The Decade. Douglas Brinkley Brings Together The Extraordinary Political, Cultural, And Scientific Factors That Fueled The Birth And Development Of Nasa And The Mercury, Gemini, And Apollo Projects, Which Shot The United States To Victory In The Space Race Against The Soviet Union At The Height Of The Cold War. Drawing On New Primary Source Material And Major Interviews With Many Of The Surviving Figures Who Were Key To America's Success, American Moonshot Is A Portrait Of The Brilliant Men And Women Who Made This Giant Leap Possible, The Technology That Enabled Us To Propel Men Beyond Earth's Orbit To The Moon And Return Them Safely, And The Geopolitical Tensions That Spurred Kennedy To Commit Himself Fully To This Audacious Dream. Brinkley's Ensemble Cast Of New Frontier Characters Include Rocketeer Wernher Von Braun, Astronaut John Glenn, And Space Booster Lyndon Johnson. A Chronicle Of One Of The Most Thrilling, Hopeful, And Turbulent Eras In The Nation's History, American Moonshot Is An Homage To Scientific Ingenuity, Human Curiosity, And The Boundless American Spirit. Preface: Kennedy's New Ocean -- Rockets. Dr. Robert Goddard Meets Buck Rogers ; Kennedy, Von Braun, And The Crucible Of World War Ii ; Surviving A Savage War ; Who's Afraid Of The V-2? -- Generation Sputnik. Spooked Into The Space Race ; Sputnik Revolution ; Missile Gaps And The Creation Of Nasa ; Mercury Seven To The Rescue ; Kennedy For President -- Moonbound. Skyward With James Webb ; Yuri Gagarin And Alan Shepard ; Going To The Moon: Washington, Dc, May 25, 1961 ; Searching For Moonlight In Tulsa And Vienna ; Moon Momentum With Television And Gus Grissom ; Godspeed, John Glenn ; Scott Carpenter, Telstar, And Presidential Space Touring -- Projects Gemini And Apollo. We Choose To Go To The Moon: Rice University, September 12, 1962 ; Gemini Nine And Wally Schirra ; State Of Space Exploration ; The Space Effort Must Go On ; Cape Kennedy -- Epilogue: The Triumph Of Apollo 11. Douglas Brinkley. Includes Bibliographic References (pages 515-526) And Index. Instant New York Times Bestseller As the fiftieth anniversary of the first lunar landing approaches, the award winning historian and perennial New York Times bestselling author takes a fresh look at the space program, President John F. Kennedys inspiring challenge, and Americas race to the moon. We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win. President John F. Kennedy On May 25, 1961, JFK made an astonishing announcement: his goal of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade. In this engrossing, fast-paced epic, Douglas Brinkley returns to the 1960s to recreate one of the most exciting and ambitious achievements in the history of humankind. American Moonshot brings together the extraordinary political, cultural, and scientific factors that fueled the birth and development of NASA and the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects, which shot the United States to victory in the space race against the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. Drawing on new primary source material and major interviews with many of the surviving figures who were key to Americas success, Brinkley brings this fascinating history to life as never before. American Moonshot is a portrait of the brilliant men and women who made this giant leap possible, the technology that enabled us to propel men beyond earths orbit to the moon and return them safely, and the geopolitical tensions that spurred Kennedy to commit himself fully to this audacious dream. Brinkleys ensemble cast of New Frontier characters include rocketeer Wernher von Braun, astronaut John Glenn and space booster Lyndon Johnson. A vivid and enthralling chronicle of one of the most thrilling, hopeful, and turbulent eras in the nations history, American Moonshot is an homage to scientific ingenuity, human curiosity, and the boundless American spirit. "On the fiftieth anniversary of the first lunar landing, acclaimed historian Douglas Brinkley takes a fresh look at the American space program, President John F. Kennedy's inspiring challenge, and the race to the moon. Just months after being elected President of the United States, John F. Kennedy made an astonishing announcement to the nation: we would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. In this engrossing epic of contemporary history, Douglas Brinkley returns to the 1960s to re-create one of humankind's most exciting and ambitious achievements. American Moonshot brings together the extraordinary political, cultural, and scientific factors that fueled the birth and development of NASA and the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo projects, which catapulted the United States to victory in the space race against the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. Drawing on new primary source material and recent scholarship, Brinkley brings to life this fascinating history as no one has before. American Moonshot is a portrait of the brilliant men and women who made this giant leap possible, the technology that enabled them to propel men beyond Earth's orbit to the moon and return them safely, and the geopolitical tensions that ignited Kennedy's audacious dream. At the center of this story is Kennedy himself. As Brinkley shows, the president's call to action was more than just soaring oratory--Kennedy was intimately involved in the creation of the space program, and he made it a top priority of his New Frontier agenda, fighting the tough political battles to make his vision a reality. Featuring a cast of iconic and sometimes controversial figures, such as rocketeer Wernher von Braun, astronaut John Glenn, and space booster Lyndon Johnson, American Moonshot is a vivid, enthralling chronicle of one of the nation's most thrilling, hopeful, and turbulent eras. This is living history at its finest--but also an homage to scientific ingenuity, engineering genius, human curiosity, and the boundless American spirit."-- Jacket. "July 20, 1969. It's a day that has earned a spot in history. It's the day that America was the first nation to succeed in sending two astronauts--Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong--to the moon. But what led to this unforgettable event? What were the stakes riding on the Apollo 11's safe landing? In acclaimed author Douglas Brinkley's first young readers' edition, space fans will get the riveting and factual backstory of arguably the most significant achievement of the 20th century."-- Publisher's website Draws on new primary source material and firsthand interviews in a reassessment of the space program that examines the political, cultural, and scientific factors that launched NASA and the space race.