James R. Hansen

James R. Hansen is the author of the New York Times Bestseller First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong (Simon and Schuster, 2005, 2012, 2018). This book forms the basis for the Universal film "First Man," directed by Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle and starring Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy. Jim served as Co-Producer for the film. An expert in aerospace history and the history of science and technology, he has published a dozen books and numerous articles covering a wide variety of topics, including the early days of aviation, the history of aerospace engineering, NASA, the Moon landings, the Space Shuttle program, and China's role in space. His book First Man is the only authorized biography of Neil Armstrong. It garnered major book awards from the American Astronautical Society and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' Gardner-Lasser Literature Award, It was also CHOICE magazine's Outstanding Academic Book of 2005. Translations of First Man have published, or are