At the heart of the Apollo space program and a remarkable decade of achievement was the team who worked in Mission Control. They were born against a backdrop of economic turmoil and global conflict. Some came from a rural lifestyle, hardly changed from the 19th century. Others grew up in a gritty, blue-collar America of mines and smoke stacks. They ranged from kids straight out of college to those toughened by military service. But from such ordinary beginnings, an extraordinary team was born.