If you mention the name Neil Armstrong to the average American, you'll find immediate recognition. "He was the first man on the moon," they'll say. But if you ask the average American about the team behind Armstrong, you're likely to get blank stares, which is why one Apollo technician has written a new memoir.

"It's important that people know about some of the 400,000 people who contributed to the lunar landing," says David L. Cisco, author of Full Circle, a memoir about his life growing up biracial in New York and his extraordinary journey to Houston and the Apollo program.

Mr. Cisco's experiences at NASA were just one part of his multifaceted journey through America's most tumultuous decades. He started working in a junkyard at thirteen and later attended night school to complete a degree. His disadvantaged youth might have kept a lesser man from finding his way into the prestigious world of astronauts and engineers.

"I knew that with perseverance and determination I could make a better life for myself," says Mr. Cisco.

"I've always felt that you should dream of something more and then go after it." And that is exactly what Mr. Cisco did following his days at NASA, when he joined corporate America and eventually founded his own business.

In this unique look at the people behind the heroes at NASA, Mr. Cisco also discusses topics not usually covered in the history books, including:

-The doubts some of the technicians had about the strength of the lunar module.

-The lives of the technicians and engineers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes.

-Life outside of NASA and his foray into local politics.

A New York native, Mr. Cisco is one of the only current Space Center Houston employees who worked on the Apollo program. A father and grandfather, he and his wife live in Houston, where he works at the Space Center. He hopes that his book will inspire children to dream as big as he did.