Race to the Moon: America's Duel with the Soviets

On May 25, 1961, President John Kennedy declared, ``I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon.'' Thus began our intense contest with the Russians to ``conquer'' space. Focusing largely on the U.S., Breuer traces NASA's early failures and the ultimate success of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions, culminating in the historic moment when astronaut Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon in 1969. This informative account flashes back to the American recruitment of German rocketeers, most notably Wernher von Braun, during the final months of WW II and the simultaneous abduction of German missile experts such as von Braun's rival, Helmut Grotrupp, by the Russians. As to the practical applications of space exploration, Breuer ( Hitler's Undercover War ) dilates convincingly on the ``extremely broad range of benefits enhancing the lives of virtually every American.'' Photos. (Oct.)