“Truer, but also darker.” This is the real origin story behind America’s decision to go to the moon. The story we learn starts with Sputnik, then President Kennedy’s challenge, and ends with triumph: an American flag on the lunar surface. But in the 50 years that have passed since the moon landing, as the records of scientists and science-fiction writers and policymakers have been revealed, a wilder story has begun to emerge.
“Moonrise” is a Washington Post narrative-nonfiction podcast that digs into the nuclear arms race of the Cold War, the transformation of American society and politics, and -- most importantly -- the influence of science fiction, to unearth what really drove us to the moon. Join journalist Lillian Cunningham over 12 episodes as she uncovers a story that has so much to reveal about the dreams and nightmares, the fantasies and realities, of being human on this Earth.