Bizony, Piers

An account of James E. Webb's leadership in the creation of NASA. Describes how he persuaded two presidents to back his plan to win the Space Race. Discusses how the failure of Apollo I led to Webb's resignation but that the ultimate success of the Apollo project and NASA is due in large part to Webb's leadership.

The debate over whether fossilized traces of microbial life were found in meteorites from Mars is reexamined in this informative and highly readable account with 16 pages of new photographs.

Presents full-color visuals of scenes not visible to the naked eye and includes computer simulations of atoms, the universe, and the earth.

Presents a discussion of fuel systems and spaceship design that also covers the work of various billionaires and entrepreneurs to find new ways to successfully reach space and compete with others for the opportunity to serve commercial and government customers.