Wanted: One Sane Man

"Wanted: One Sane Man" by Frank M. Robinson is a mid-20th-century science fiction story that looks into a future managed by Personnel Incorporated, an agency claiming to perfectly match people to jobs. The core of the story looks at sanity, what people are capable of, and the mental challenges of space travel, all while searching for someone to pilot the first mission to the moon. The journey centers on George Burger, a director at Atlantic Motors, and Frank Maxwell, a government rep, who seek a moon-bound pilot, but quickly find out the task is not simple. Whiteford, the head of Personnel, prides himself on the corporation's success, but then faces a challenge of finding a truly stable pilot, only to realize that many applicants aren't mentally fit. As the story goes along, Whiteford surprisingly chooses himself as the pilot, a choice that sends him on a journey filled with isolation and strain, as it questions what really makes a person fit to attempt such a dangerous journey.