ABSTRACT
F or many of us who grew up in the space age, there has always been a magical dream of spaceflight. When I was a young boy, my brothers and I were fascinated (and a little afraid) when Yuri Gargarin became the first man to orbit the earth. We were thrilled when Alan Shepard made his suborbital flight, becoming the first American in space, and were absolutely elated when John Glenn made his three orbits around the earth. When John Kennedy challenged the United States to land a man on the moon and bring him back safely by the end of the decade, I was convinced I had my life's calling. I was going to be an astronaut, and I was going to the moon!
