One of the most critical technical decisions made during the
conduct of Project Apollo was the method of flying to the Moon,
landing on the surface, and returning to Earth. Within NASA during
this debate several modes emerged. The one eventually chosen was
lunar-orbit rendezvous (LOR), a proposal to send the entire lunar
spacecraft up in one launch. It would head to the Moon, enter into
orbit, and dispatch a small lander to the lunar surface. It was the
simplest of the various methods, both in terms of development and
operational costs, but it was risky. Since rendezvous would take
place in lunar, instead of Earth, orbit there was no room for error
or the crew could not get home. Moreover, some of the trickiest
course corrections and maneuvers had to be done after the
spacecraft had been committed to a circumlunar flight. Between the
time of NASA's conceptualization of the lunar landing program and
the decision in favor of LOR in 1962, a debate raged between
advocates of the various methods. John C. Houbolt, an engineer at
the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, was one of the
most vocal of those supporting LOR and his campaign in 1961 and
1962 helped to shape in a fundamental way the deliberations. The
monograph that is printed here is an important contribution to the
study of NASA history in general, and the process of accomplishing
a largescale technological program (in this case Apollo) in
particular. In many ways, the lunar mode decision was an example of
heterogeneous engineering, a process that recognizes that
technological issues are also simultaneously organizational,
economic, social, and political. Various interests often clash in
the decision-making process as difficult calculations have to be
made and decisions taken. What perhaps should be suggested is that
a complex web or system of ties between various people,
institutions, and interests brought forward the lunar-orbit
rendezvous mode of going to the Moon in the 1960s. This is the
fourth publication in a new series of special studies prepared by
the NASA History Office. The Monographs in Aerospace History series
is designed to provide a wide variety of investigations relative to
the history of aeronautics and space. These publications are
intended to be tightly focused in terms of subject, relatively
short in length, and reproduced in an inexpensive format to allow
timely and broad dissemination to researchers in aerospace history.
General
Imprint: |
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
April 2012 |
First published: |
April 2012 |
Authors: |
James R. Hansen
|
Dimensions: |
280 x 216 x 4mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
80 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-4752-7589-6 |
Categories: |
Books >
Sport & Leisure >
Transport: general interest >
General
|
LSN: |
1-4752-7589-7 |
Barcode: |
9781475275896 |
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