In 1958, NASA opened as the world's first civilian space agency, responding to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik. Over the next decade, NASA evolved from experimenting with small rockets to becoming one of the greatest technological and managerial enterprises. It has sent people to the Moon, sent robot explorers to Venus, Mars, and beyond. Despite setbacks, the Apollo lunar landing project remains a symbol of American ingenuity. Huge, gorgeous coffee table book from Taschen. (This book may contain a sharpie mark on the top or bottom edge and may show mild signs of shelfwear.)