Only now is it becoming clear how exceptional and unrepeatable the Apollo program was. At its height, it employed almost half a million people, many working seven days a week and each determined that “it will not fail because of me.” Beginning with fighter pilots in World War II, Maurer traces the origins of the program to a few exceptional soldiers, and an eager eager man who would become president. Packed with adventure, new stories about familiar people, and undeniable danger, Destination Moon takes an unflinching look at a tumultuous time in American history, told expertly by Richard Maurer. Maurer's most recent middle-grade nonfiction, The Woman on the Moon is being published simultaneously with this all-new paperback edition of Destination Moon.