Includes bibliographical references (pages 423-445) and index.

Preface: The mystery of moondust -- Tranquility Base & the world we all live in -- The Moon to the rescue -- "The full speed of freedom" -- The fourth crew member -- The man who saved Apollo -- JFK's secret space tapes -- How do you fly to the moon? -- NASA almost forgets the flag -- How Apollo really did change the world.

President John F. Kennedy astonished the world on May 25, 1961, when he announced to Congress that the United States should land a man on the Moon by 1970. No group was more surprised than the scientists and engineers at NASA, who suddenly had less than a decade to invent space travel. Over the next decade, more than 400,000 scientists, engineers, and factory workers would send 24 astronauts to the Moon. Each hour of space flight would require one million hours of work back on Earth to get America to the Moon on July 20, 1969. Fishman provides a behind-the-scenes account of the furious race to complete one of mankind's greatest achievements. -- adapted from jacket