This scholarly study of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center places the institution in social, political, scientific, and technological context. It traces the evolution of Marshall, located in Huntsville, Alabama, from its origins as an Army missile development organization to its status in 1990 as one of the most diversified of NASA's field Centers. Chapters discuss military rocketry programs in Germany and the United States, Apollo-Saturn, Skylab, Space Shuttle, Spacelab, the Space Station and various scientific and technical projects including the Hubble Space Telescope. It sheds light not only on the history of space technology, science, and exploration, but also on the Cold War, federal politics, and complex organizations.