Description

On July 20, 1969, as a worldwide television audience of 500 million watched, Neil Armstrong became the first man to step foot on the Moon. Nearly a half-century later, Armstrong's words still resonate: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." The historic Space Race began with the Soviet Union launching the world's first orbiting satellite, Sputnik, on October 4, 1957 and ended with the successful Apollo 11 mission. While the Space Race is commonly remembered as a time of innovation and technological advances, powerful, yet often overlooked forces, were at play. Politics and money were among the prime catalysts of space exploration. While history was being made and new heroes were discovered, the aerospace industry reaped enormous profits and political careers blossomed. "The Eagle Has Landed: The Story of Apollo 11" chronicles the triumphs and tragedies of America's quest to land on the Moon, beginning with the stories of the visionaries who made made space explorating a reality. It is remarkable story of poltical gamesmanship, innovation, perserverence, and courage.