“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 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." (from Amazon.com)
"When the alarm went off forty thousand feet above the moon's
surface, both astronauts looked down at the computer to see 1202
flashing on the readout. Neither of them knew what it meant, and time
was running out...ON JULY 20, 1969, Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon.
One of the world's greatest technological achievements-and a triumph of
American spirit and ingenuity-the Apollo 11 mission was a mammoth
undertaking involving more than 410,000 men and women dedicated to
winning the space race against the Soviets. Set amid the tensions of the
Cold War and the upheavals of the sixties, and filled with
first-person, behind-the-scenes details, Shoot for the Moon by James Donovan
is a gripping account of the dangers, the challenges, and the sheer
determination that defined not only Apollo 11, but also the Mercury and
Gemini missions that came before it. From the shock of Sputnik and the
heart-stopping final minutes of John Glenn's Mercury flight to the
deadly whirligig of Gemini 8, the doomed Apollo 11 mission, and that
perilous landing on the Sea of Tranquility-when the entire world held
its breath while Armstrong and Aldrin battled computer alarms, low fuel,
and other problems- James Donovan tells the whole story." (from Amazon.com)
"First airing in 1966, with a promise to “boldly go where no man has gone before,” Star Trek
would eventually become a bona fide phenomenon. Week after week,
viewers of the series tuned in to watch Captain Kirk, Spock, and the
rest of the crew of the USS Enterprise
as they conducted their five-year mission in space. Their mission was
cut short by a corporate monolith that demanded higher ratings, but Star Trek
lived on in syndication, ultimately becoming a multibillion-dollar
media franchise. With merchandise spin-offs, feature films, and several
television iterations—from The Next Generation to Discovery—Star Trek is a firmly established part of the American cultural landscape. In Star Trek: A Cultural History,
M. Keith Booker offers an intriguing account of the series from its
original run to its far-reaching impact on society. By placing the Star Trek
franchise within the context of American history and popular culture,
the author explores how the series engaged with political and social
issues such as the Vietnam War, race, gender, and the advancement of
technology. While this book emphasizes the original series, it also
addresses the significance of subsequent programs, as well as the
numerous films and extensive array of novels, comic books, and
merchandise that have been produced in the decades since. A show that originally resonated with science fiction fans, Star Trek
has also intrigued the general public due to its engaging characters,
exciting plotlines, and vision of a better future. It is those exact
elements that allowed Star Trek to go from simply a good show to the massive media franchise it is today. Star Trek: A Cultural History will appeal to scholars of media, television, and popular culture, as well as to fans of the show." (from Amazon.com)
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