Rocket Men
The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon
By Craig Nelson, and Reviewed by Dr. Leonard S. Momeny
Article published on:
in the
July-September 2025 edition of the Aviation Digest
Read Time:
< 3 mins
Army Aviation recently celebrated the selection of one of its own to be a
member of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) 2025
Astronaut Candidate Class, Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CW3), Joseph “Ben”
Bailey. Mr. Bailey, an Army Warrant Officer, will no doubt contribute to
NASA’s bright future. There are many who would still be surprised to learn
the U.S. Army had a significant role in contributing to the ultimate
founding and creation of NASA. To learn more about the origins of NASA,
there is no better book to explore than Craig Nelson’s
Rocket Men.
What makes this book so valuable to the modern aviator? Much of NASA’s
original work is focused on both aeronautical and astronautical pursuit,
and this is always sure to capture an aviator’s full attention. Also,
there are few alive today who do not still marvel at the miracle of manned
space flight and the work of NASA, whose origin can be traced to U.S.
military test flight activities. After all, World War II is the moment in
history when rockets really came into their own, and aircraft design was
constantly turning over rapid advancements in performance and capability.
Essentially, this was a remarkable period of defense capability
development, and the world was shifting from tremendous conflict to global
competition. That competition was really focused on command of the skies,
and it played out throughout the Cold War.
The book opens with a discussion on the launch of Apollo 11, the
mission that ultimately landed on the moon. However, by the middle of the
book, the author explores the real origin of NASA and what many referred
to as the Space Race. Nelson aptly notes of leaders across the globe was
on the capability rockets offered for bringing both satellite-based
observation and weapons of mass destruction to nations across the world.
Nelson takes the time to cover Operation Paper Clip, a mission executed
during the closing hours of World War II that would allow U.S. Army forces
to secure a critical collection of then Nazi rocket scientists and bring
them back to the United States. This mission would ultimately secure
America’s coming future in space-based capability. Their work, the V2
rocket, the world’s first real ballistic missile, was brought back to
Texas and eventually Huntsville, Alabama, integrating their science across
multiple agencies.
While many have looked at man’s journey to the moon through the lens of
astronaut experiences, Nelson explores the topic from a position of peer
nations jockeying for the new strategic high ground. The book re ally does
explore the whole period through great power competition, demonstrating
the unique relationship between government agencies, American engineering,
and the boldness of all involved in aerospace pursuit. In fact, I am
certain that many readers are sure to note similarities between the
pursuit of legitimate rocket power and today’s competition in areas like
drones and artificial intelligence. Nelson paints a picture of interagency
and government competition that eventually learns to focus their
collective efforts with tremendous synergy.
Read Rocket Men to learn the history of NASA and also to better
understand great power competition between peer nations. The lessons for
the modern aviator and Soldier abound in this short work, as we are able
to see the competition continuum (refer to Joint Doctrine) play out across
the stage of modern history. Rocket Men will also bring any
aviator a deeper appreciation for the process underlying technological
growth in any aerospace endeavor. Finally, read Rocket Men to
simply look upon the stars and consider just how far an aviator can go.
One of our own, CW3 Bailey, has shown us that all of Army Aviation is
quite capable of contributing to the greatest pursuits possible. I invite
you all to learn a bit more about his coming adventure through the
exploration of NASA’s history, and consider reaching for the stars
yourself.