William F. Causey has followed the space program since 1961, when he watched in his elementary school gymnasium astronaut as Alan Shepard became the first American in space. Trained as a lawyer who started his legal career on Capitol Hill, Causey later worked at the United States Department of Justice, the American Red Cross, and the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General. He taught for more than three decades at the Georgetown University Law Center. Causey also served on numerous historical, educational, and literary society boards, including the Board of Trustees of American University, the Board of Directors of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, and the Historical Society of the District of Columbia Circuit. Now retired, Causey serves as a docent at the National Air and Space Museum, where he has met and talked with dozens of astronauts, engineers, and managers of America's space effort. Causey and his wife, Sally, reside in Washington, DC.

Contents
Abbreviations
Author's Note
Prologue
PART I: Beginnings
CHAPTER 1: A Young Engineer
CHAPTER 2: Evolution of an Agency
CHAPTER 3: The Space Task Group
CHAPTER 4: Predicting the Future
PART II: Ideas
CHAPTER 5: From the Earth to the Moon
CHAPTER 6: More Committees, Groups, and Panels
CHAPTER 7: Parking Orbit
CHAPTER 8: Mode Discussions
CHAPTER 9: A National Commitment
PART III: Debate
CHAPTER 10: The "Admiral's Page" and a Letter
CHAPTER 11: More Committees, New Issues
CHAPTER 12: "All That Nonsense"
CHAPTER 13: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
CHAPTER 14: A New Way of Doing Things
CHAPTER 15: The Lunar Crasher
CHAPTER 16: A Letter From a Crank
CHAPTER 17: A Fifth Engine and a New Spacecraft
CHAPTER 18: Time for Serious Comparisons
CHAPTER 19: Almost There
CHAPTER 20: Charlie Frick's Road Show
CHAPTER 21: Scratching Backs
PART IV: Decision
CHAPTER 22: A Surprise Announcement
CHAPTER 23: Not There Yet
CHAPTER 24: "An Act of Faith and Vision"
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index