When President Kennedy issued his well-known challenge to reach the moon and return safely before the end of the 1960s, the immediate responsibility for undertaking the task fell to the 54-year-old director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, James E. Webb. Eight years later, when the Apollo II spacecraft splashed down safely in the Pacific and the screens in NASA's Mission Control at Houston flashed the words "Task Accomplished," it was Webb who deserved much of the credit.

In Powering Apollo, W. Henry Lambright explores Webb's leadership role in NASA's spectacular success - success that is rare in ambitious government policies and programs.