American Moonshot

Archival Summary & Scope

In *American Moonshot*, Douglas Brinkley chronicles the ambitious 1960s race to land a man on the moon, initiated by President John F. Kennedy's 1961 challenge. This fast-paced history explores the political, cultural, and scientific factors that fueled NASA's Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo projects, culminating in America's Cold War victory in the space race. Drawing on new primary sources and interviews, Brinkley illuminates the brilliant minds—including Wernher von Braun, John Glenn, and Lyndon Johnson—and the technology that propelled humanity beyond Earth's orbit.