Tom Williams

Surrounded by Thunder: the Story of Darrell Loan and the Rocketmen Tom Williams

When Darrell Loan graduates from University of Iowa in 1957 with an aeronautical engineering degree, he has no idea his first job at the Sperry Corporation will land him a top job at NASA in the next five years.

After the successful launch of America's first satellite, NASA is formed. Darrell works side by side with Werner von Braun and other leading German engineers as the race to dominate space intensifies and the first Russian and American pilots are launched atop volatile rockets and sent into space.

During the twelve years between the launch of the Russian Sputnik and American boots on the moon, Darrell's exploits with his friends and renowned aeronautical colleagues are pushed to the limits as the golden age of space exploration rises from the launch complexes of Cape Canaveral and Cape Kennedy, Florida.