This is the story of fictional astronauts John Mason and Larry Carter, traveling to the moon. Again, note the date.

This book was published in 1960. John Kennedy wouldn't make his famous speech at Rice University for two more years. He was only later this month becoming president.

The space project itself was still very much in an R&D phase. At the end of January 1961 NASA sent Ham the Astrochimp into a suborbital flight. Aloft for 16 minutes and 39 seconds, Ham was the first hominid in space. That's where the space program was as you read this.

Here is a quality timeline on Project Mercury. You can buy Werner von Braun and Fred Freedman's excellent book.

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