Surrounded by Thunder

Author’s note

Surrounded by Thunder is the story of a rocket man and a single account of one of the greatest endeavors of all time. It is the story of an extraordinary aeronautical engineer, his family, colleagues and friends, and the historical narrative of a time in America that has never been surpassed.

All the chronological facts in this work are correct. The mission dates, the astronauts named, and many of the unforgettable characters that make up this account of America’s race for space and then to the moon are accurate. This is however a historical narrative and written with the goal that it would read like an adventure.

Much of the dialogue in this work cannot be held as precise. Every account of a great achievement has a different point of view, and this narrative of the rocket men in America has a supporting cast of thousands that can never be fully named or quoted with total accuracy. This is a story of a time not to be forgotten and a chapter in history that truly was and always will be, Surrounded by Thunder.

Only twelve years separated the launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik and Americans landing on the moon but during those golden years of space exploration the most fearless aviators ever climbed aboard the most dangerous creations ever assembled to rocket into space and claim a true pinnacle of human achievement.

When a Saturn-5 moon rocket, 40 stories tall, was launched from Cape Kennedy, the ground shook like an earthquake, windows rattled for miles around, and as the creation that was named after the Greek God of light climbed higher, the astronauts onboard and the half-a-million people watching at the beaches knew they were a part of the greatest adventure of all time.

Climb onboard, strap yourself in, and get ready to ride a true rocket of adventure as the thrill of early space exploration rises above controlled explosions and soars all the way to the mountains on the moon and the Sea of Tranquility.