1. "A Memoir of America's Fall from Grace." Do you take the book's subtitle at face value or as an ironic statement? Can it be said that America was a nation in a state of "grace" at the dawn of the Cold War? Why or why not?

2. Contrast the visions of President Eisenhower and Wernher von Braun with respect to the government's role in science and technology. Which seems best suited to today?

3. What is meant by the phrase "command economy?" What were some of the similarities and differences between the command economies of the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War?

4. Did the Cold War make America richer or poorer? (Feel free to define "richer" and "poorer" in your own terms.)

5. What role, according to the author, did the paintings of Chesley Bonestell play in the formation of the imagination of the blue sky tribe? Can you think of other instances, throughout history and today, when art placed itself in service to grand projects of the state?

6. Given that most aerospace work was greatly subsidized by the government during the Cold War, what is owed the laid off aerospace worker today? Is his or her predicament significantly different from other victims of corporate layoffs in the 1990s?

7. What aspects of the "blue sky suburb" served to suppress or promote a feminist consciousness among women like the author's mother? She poured most of her energy, outside the home, into religious activities. Are religion and feminism necessarily antagonistic to one another?

8. The stay-at-home mother is a fading reality in America. In the case of the author's family, what were some of the positives and negatives created by having mother at home full time? Compare this family arrangement with your own.

9. Social observers at mid-century saw in American culture an increasing faith in scientific rationalism and individualism. They predicted that the United States would become an ever-more-secular nation. Have their predictions come true? Offer evidence.

10. What role did the military play in the development of the personal computer? Do you think such a commercially successful machine could have been developed as quickly (or at all) without Pentagon support? Can you think of other everyday technologies that were brought into existence by military support playing a key role in their development?

11. Systems engineering, as honed by aerospace, has proved itself capable of tackling hugely complex technological problems. What is the underlying philosophy of systems engineering? Can systems engineering be used effectively to provide solutions to social problems as well? Why or why not?

12. "Blue sky children," those who grew up in communities like the author's, are approaching middle age now. What advantages do they enjoy in today's world? What disadvantages?

13. President Kennedy is quoted: "We choose to go to the moon...because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills." Do you think large government projects can do such a thing in American society? Why or why not?

14. Compare the author's young adulthood with his father's. How much of the difference, do you think, is due to personality, and how much is due to the changes in society?

15. The author portrays his childhood swim team as a method for preparing children for corporate life. Given your best guess at how the world of work is evolving, what would be the best way to train today's children for that world?

16. Wernher von Braun is described by the author as a morally conflicted, if brilliant, salesman. Can you think of similar public visionaries today?