Deke Slayton was one of the first seven Mercury astronauts. When the Air Force grounded him, he rejoined NASA as a civilian, becoming the head of America's Astronaut Corps. It was Deke who selected the crews who flew the Gemini, Apollo and Skylab missions and who made Neil Armstrong the first man on the moon. Here he reveals his inside knowledge of how the U.S. manned space program really worked. Photos.

Deke Slayton was one of the first seven Mercury astronauts--and he might have been the first American in space. Instead, he became the first chief of American Astronaut Corps. It was Deke Slayton who selected the crews who flew the Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab missions. It was Deke Slayton who made Neil Armstrong the first man on the moon.

Deke! is Deke Slayton's' story--told in his own words and in the voices of the men and women who worked with him and knew him best. Deke Slayton's knowledge of how the .S. manned space program worked is the missing piece of every space buff's puzzle. Now, after decades of silence, he tells his priceless stories of those years when American was engaged in the greatest voyage of exploration in human history.