Punctures much of NASA's 1960's mythology surrounding the space race to reveal the man most responsible for putting Neil Armstrong on the moon.
Neil Armstrong will forever be the first man on the Moon. But the person most responsible for putting him there is, incredibly, unknown.
In 1961 James Webb, a South Carolina lawyer, took charge of America's bid for the Moon. Persuading a reluctant JFK and gaining control of 5 per cent of the US budget, Webb's NASA supervised half a million workers building new machines, launch pads and control centres.
But in 1967 a spacecraft fire killed three astronauts. The press exposed numerous failures and delays, as well as Webb's business partners' profiteering. Webb shouldered the blame and his sacrifice enabled the Moon landing in 1969, but his name was wiped from history.
Conducting extensive interviews and drawing on recently released original sources, Bizony tells the fascinating hidden story of the unconventional, charismatic man who made one giant leap for mankind.
