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9781612496573 Academic Inspection Copy

John Houbolt

The Unsung Hero of the Apollo Moon Landings
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In May 1961, President Kennedy announced that the United States would attempt to land a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth before the end of that decade. Yet NASA did not have a specific plan for how to accomplish that goal. Over the next fourteen months, NASA vigorously debated several options. At first the consensus was to send one big rocket with several astronauts to the moon, land and explore, and then take off and return the astronauts to earth in the same vehicle. Another idea involved launching several smaller Saturn V rockets into the earth orbit, where a lander would be assembled and fueled before sending the crew to the moon. But it was a small group of engineers led by John C. Houbolt who came up with the plan that propelled human beings to the moon and back-not only safely, but faster, cheaper, and more reliably. Houbolt and his colleagues called it "lunar orbit rendezvous," or "LOR." At first the LOR idea was ignored, then it was criticized, and then finally dismissed by many senior NASA officials. Nevertheless, the group, under Houbolt's leadership, continued to press the LOR idea, arguing that it was the only way to get men to the moon and back by President Kennedy's deadline. Houbolt persisted, risking his career in the face of overwhelming opposition. This is the story of how John Houbolt convinced NASA to adopt the plan that made history.
Abbreviations Author's Note Prologue PART I: Beginnings CHAPTER 1: A Young Engineer CHAPTER 2: Evolution of an Agency CHAPTER 3: The Space Task Group CHAPTER 4: Predicting the Future PART II: Ideas CHAPTER 5: From the Earth to the Moon CHAPTER 6: More Committees, Groups, and Panels CHAPTER 7: Parking Orbit CHAPTER 8: Mode Discussions CHAPTER 9: A National Commitment PART III: Debate CHAPTER 10: The "Admiral's Page" and a Letter CHAPTER 11: More Committees, New Issues CHAPTER 12: "All That Nonsense" CHAPTER 13: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back CHAPTER 14: A New Way of Doing Things CHAPTER 15: The Lunar Crasher CHAPTER 16: A Letter From a Crank CHAPTER 17: A Fifth Engine and a New Spacecraft CHAPTER 18: Time for Serious Comparisons CHAPTER 19: Almost There CHAPTER 20: Charlie Frick's Road Show CHAPTER 21: Scratching Backs PART IV: Decision CHAPTER 22: A Surprise Announcement CHAPTER 23: Not There Yet CHAPTER 24: "An Act of Faith and Vision" Epilogue Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index
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