One Giant Leap for Man and Decades of Neglect: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of the Saturn Rocket

One Giant Leap for Man and Decades of Neglect: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of the Saturn Rocket Review

The Saturn V rocket carried men to the moon, and its history reflects the U.S. space program's rise, success, and demise. In 1961, John F. Kennedy challenged America to put a man on the moon and win the space race. Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon in 1969, a little over a decade later, the Saturn rocket was tossed aside to rot in a field near the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rocket's carcass became home to flora and fauna. Like the space program itself, the rocket was forgotten. Finally in the mid 1990s, supported by the Smithsonian Institute, the Saturn V was brought back to life. Leading the restoration was Paul Thomarios, the son of Greek immigrants. The reconditioning of the rocket is part of the story, but the story is also that of Thomarios. This book details both, showing how pride and dedication made the Saturn rocket and Paul Thomarios.