The Saturn V can be considered one of mankind's greatest achievements. The outcome of President Kennedy's 1961 call to put a man on the moon, the Saturn V is a technological marvel that stood more than 36 stories tall. An enormous workforce of engineers, scientists, welders, barge captains, and computer programmers spent an untold number of hours on design, logistics, manufacturing, quality control, and more to launch the Saturn. Neil Armstrong's giant leap for mankind was the culmination of a focused effort to beat the Soviets and prove American ingenuity and productivity was beyond doubt. Unfortunately, the demise of the Apollo program was just as shattering as the force it took to launch the rocket into orbit. A few years after the Eagle had landed, the unused Saturn launch vehicles were left outside to rot. Like the space program itself, the rocket was forgotten and its carcass soon became home to flora and fauna.In hopes not only to resurrect the physical rocket, but also to bring the complete moon adventure back to life, the Smithsonian Institute and other prominent partners laid out plans to create a total mission experience destination at Kennedy Space Center. A key component of the plan was the complete restoration of the Saturn V. Of course, getting the rotted superstructure back into shape was not going to be easy. After much bidding and decision-making, Paul Thomarios, owner of a painting and coating company in Akron, Ohio, was selected for the job. Fittingly, the same ethics of hard work and innovation that drove the race to the moon were exhibited by Thomarios and his crew as they worked to bring one of America's greatest achievements back to prominence. "There are 24 pages of color photos, many provided by Thomarios and not seen elsewhere, from the restoration, which are worth seeing... The Final Journey would be a nice read for the young burgeoning space fan." - Heather Goss, The Daily Planet blog, Air & Space Smithsonian "The description of the rocket's restoration, illustrated with a large number of color photos, is fascinating. It's clear that NASA learned from that challenge of restoring the Saturn V..." - Jeff Foust, Publisher & Editor, The Space Review "The authors do a great job of keeping the book nontechnical so that the causal reader who has no science background can easily understand and enjoy it while keeping it interesting enough for the more experienced reader who specializes in the history of space flight." - Universe Today "Reading The Final Journey of the Saturn V , it's difficult to avoid the conclusion that those days are now and forever over. Our authors convey that Neil Armstrong "represented in many ways the entire American programme to land a man on the moon. Not only did Armstrong have a fervent zeal for aviation," they tell us, "he had a quiet drive and stoic decisiveness. The descriptive line in his yearbook summed it up well. "He thinks, he acts, 'tis done." - The National "Thomas and Thomarios have teamed to write a delightful book that spotlights the restoration of a Saturn V as part of a total "mission experience" destination at Kennedy Space Center. The book focuses on Thomarios and his company that took on the task of restoring a leftover and corroding Saturn V booster that's now on display for the Smithsonian Institution at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The KSC Apollo/Saturn V Center is a tribute to the Apollo astronauts and the machines that got them there - and brought them home safely." - The Space Coalition From the Foreword by Captain Gene Cernan, Commander Apollo XVII, and the Last Man on the Moon: "This book is ultimately a celebration of the Saturn V and the indomitable strength of the human spirit. It details in simple language the rocket's creation, birth, life, death, and resurrection, so that future generations will never forget what was accomplished in the 1960s and 70s, when the courage, determination, intelligence, dedication, and slide rules of nearly 400,000 Americans were harnessed towards a single ambition: the greatest journey ever undertaken by humankind." The space program wasn't a science fiction tale anymore. It had become a horror story. The Saturn rocket was pocked with gaping tears, rusted rivets, frayed wire, and fungi and other plant growths. The rocket was also littered with innumerable red berries and small fish bones brought in by blackbirds that had nested in the rocket. The rocket's shiny exterior had become a mildewed green... Andrew R. Thomas ' books have sold widely around the world, been translated into more than a dozen languages, been short-listed for several literary prizes, and won several awards. A successful entrepreneur, he has traveled to and conducted business in more than 120 countries on all seven continents. Andrew is contributing editor to Industry Week magazine; and, is Founding-Editor-in-Chief of the J ournal of Transportation Security. He is a regularly featured commenta