The launch of Sputnik in 1957 not only began the space age, it also showed that Soviet rockets were more powerful than American ones. Within months, the US Air Force hired Rocketdyne for a feasibility study of an engine capable of delivering at least 1 million pounds of thrust. Later, NASA ran the development of this F-1 engine in order to use it to power the first stage of the Saturn V rocket that would send Apollo missions to the Moon. It is no exaggeration to say that without the F-1 engine NASA would not have been able to achieve President Kennedy's 1961 challenge to his nation to land a man on the Moon before the decade was out.
From the reviews:
"The author provides good descriptions of engine components and manufacturing and the contributions that Rocketdyne, Boeing, and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center made to the F-1. The book also covers engine testing, the first Saturn V stage, and the Apollo launches. ... The book contains 32 excellently printed full-page color photographs and numerous black-and-white photos and diagrams. An important contribution to the history of technology and the history of space exploration. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections." (A. M. Strauss, Choice, Vol. 46 (10), June, 2009)
"Over the years there have been a few books published about the Saturn rockets, but here's one that focuses solely on the business end of the Saturn V - the F-1 rocket engine, still the largest such engine ever developed. ... The book is profusely illustrated throughout, and there's a nice section of colour plates as well. All in all, a valuable addition to the literature of both rocket development and the Apollo programme." (Liftoff, Issue 257, May-June, 2010)
"The author provides good descriptions of engine components and manufacturing and the contributions that Rocketdyne, Boeing, and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center made to the F-1. The book also covers engine testing, the first Saturn V stage, and the Apollo launches. ... The book contains 32 excellently printed full-page color photographs and numerous black-and-white photos and diagrams. An important contribution to the history of technology and the history of space exploration. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections." (A. M. Strauss, Choice, Vol. 46 (10), June, 2009)
"Over the years there have been a few books published about the Saturn rockets, but here's one that focuses solely on the business end of the Saturn V - the F-1 rocket engine, still the largest such engine ever developed. ... The book is profusely illustrated throughout, and there's a nice section of colour plates as well. All in all, a valuable addition to the literature of both rocket development and the Apollo programme." (Liftoff, Issue 257, May-June, 2010)