We have brought back rocks, and I think it’s a fair trade … these rocks may unlock the mystery of the origin of the Moon, and indeed even of our Earth and Solar System.
Michael Collins, Command Module pilot, Apollo 11
By the late 1950s, the technologies forged in the fires of World War II had impacted every aspect of business and manufacturing, and in less than a dozen years, brought the civilized world into the modern era. Boeing President Allen knew that the company had the scientists, the experience and the facilities to lead the country into uncharted territories