Veteran writer James Donovan talks about the inspiration and dangerous beginnings of the American space program.  He explains how the U.S. in WWI acquired important plans and equipment from the Nazi V-2 rocket program, including the German scientist Wernher von Braun.  He goes into Operation Paperclip the secret American plan to bring German scientists into the United States for use in military development and rocket technology.  The conversation covers the importance of Sputnik in 1957 and how the Soviets had moved past the U.S.  He details how the United States selected the astronauts for the early space program and the requirements and training they received.  He goes into the flights of Alan Shepard and John Glenn and how that revived a struggling American space program.  Dononvan describes how the election of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson changed the trajectory of the space race.  He goes into the famous Apollo 204 training incident that resulted in the deaths of astronauts Grissom, White and Chaffee and how that nearly grounded the entire system.  The author tells how he handles those that believe the Moon landing was fake.  He finishes with the legacy of Apollo 11 and the importance of space exploration for humanity.

HOST:  Rob Mellon

FEATURED BREW:  Blue Moon LightSky Citrus Wheat, Blue Moon Brewery, Denver, CO

BOOK:  Shoot for the Moon: The Space Race and the Extraordinary Voyage of Apollo II 
https://www.amazon.com/Shoot-Moon-Extraordinary-Voyage-Apollo/dp/0316341789

MUSIC:  Bones Fork
https://bonesfork.com/