“A compelling, highly personal account of both the excitement of discovery and the frustration of dealing with misguided policies. Murray remains an optimist, proposing productive initiatives for the American space program that should be must reading for those shaping U.S. space policy.” —John M. Logsdon, director, Space Policy Institute
Director of Pasadena's Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1976 to 1982, Bruce Murray is uniquely qualified to tell the story of America’s unmanned space program. Mixing an insider’s knowledge of the politics of space with a scientist’s command of technical intricacy, he chronicles our rise and decline in space and calls for a return to greatness.