The Man Who Ran the Moon: James E. Webb NASA and the Secret History of Project Apollo

About this book

One man more than any other created the giant space agency we know today as NASA: James E. Webb. The Man Who Ran the Moon explores a time when Webb and an elite group of charismatic business associates took control of Americas Apollo moon project sometimes with disturbing results. In 1967 NASA was rocked by disaster and Apollo was grounded. Webb was savaged in a Congressional investigation. Not just a matter of broken hardware there were accusations of corruption at the heart of Americas space effort. Some of Webbs political allies had been caught up in the biggest scandal ever to hit Washington prior to Watergate. The backwash unfairly tainted NASAs chief. By the time of the first triumphant lunar landing Webb had resigned and his name had all but been forgotten. But hes the man who got us to the moon and the power base he forged in the 1960s has kept NASA on a solid footing to this day. Washington insiders now acknowledge Webb as one of the greatest leaders in modern American history. No space boss since his time has wielded so much power and such a powerful story.