"Here is the true story of the U-2 and how a determined team turned his vision into reality. Led by brilliant master designer Kelly Johnson, the top-secret project began at the Lockheed Skunk Works. In their own words, crew members describe building and testing the "dirty bird," a spy plane that could soar to the edge of earth's atmosphere. After grueling preparation and fatal failures, the U-2 flew its first mission in 1956. U-2 photos revealed Russia's bluff, ending fears of a "bomber gap." Despite being caught on Russian radar, the U-2 continued its surveillance. But on May 1, 1960, luck ran out. U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down and captured while trying to photograph a Russian transcontinental missile base. The notorious "U-2 affair" that followed shattered the trust between Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Khrushchev. Although the U.S. was forced to end U-2 missions over Russia, the U-2 continued to fly, providing U.S. intelligence into the 1990s."--Container.