The Race: The Complete True Story of How America Beat Russia to the Moon

Indispensable to anyone interested in the space race.Houston ChronicleIn 1963, a young reporter for TimeLife named James Schefter was given a dream job: cover Americas race to the moon. Since the astronauts were under contract to Life for their stories, Schefter was given complete access to the biggest players at NASA. But at the time, his primary role was to excite the public about the new, expensive, experimental space program, and he couldnt write about everything he saw. In The Race, he does.From drunken astronaut escapades to near disasters to ferocious political battles, the race to the moon was anything but the smooth process it appeared. There were vicious fights between the engineers, feuds and practical jokes, nearfatal accidents, and dozens of brave, smart, and colorful characters pulling off the greatest exploration in the history of humankind. Like Undaunted Courage and DDay, this is a tale of achieving the extraordinary against extraordinary odds. As incredible as the official story of the space program is, the true, behindthescenes tale is more thrilling, more entertaining, and ultimately more ennobling.