The documentary novel by the classic of American literature Tom Wolfe tells in an accessible, fascinating way about the events of the late 1950s - 1960s, when the Cold War between the two superpowers, the USSR and the USA, reached a new level - the battle for development began outer space. “This book was born out of ordinary curiosity. I wanted to know what really makes a person, of his own free will, climb to the top of a huge candle - a Redstone, Atlas, Titan or Saturn rocket - and wait for the fuse to be lit? And I decided to take the simplest route, that is, ask the astronauts themselves about it...”