Powering Apollo: James E. Webb of NASA

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 54-year-old NASA director 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.

A North Carolina native and Congressional staff member, Jim Webb had served in Congress, worked in the Truman administration, and risen to high office in the defense and energy industries by 1961 when Kennedy named him to head the new National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Examining Webb's role as both Washington insider and government program director, Lambright probes the skills and experience that equipped him to handle his enormous responsibilities. He also shows how Webb's performance reflected important changes in twentieth century public life, including the concentration of political power in Washington; expansion of the federal bureaucracy; the rise of big science; and visions of cooperation among government, industry, and higher education.

Author: W. Henry Lambright
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 01/20/2000
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.97lbs
Size: 9.22h x 6.08w x 0.73d
ISBN: 9780801862052

Review Citation(s):
Ingram Advance 06/01/1999 pg. 168

About the Author

W. Henry Lambright is a professor of political science and public administration at the Maxwell School, Syracuse University.

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