Book Description

This official NASA history document is a great review of the development of the Apollo spacecraft - the lunar module (LM) and the Command Service Module (CSM) - and the overall history of the moon landing program.The foreword states: " The story of Apollo is a remarkable chapter in the history of mankind. How remarkable will be determined by future generations as they attempt to assess and understand the relationship and significance of the Apollo achievements to the development of mankind. We hope that this book will contribute to their assessments and assist in their judgments. Writing the history of Apollo has been a tremendous undertaking. There is so much to tell; there are so many facets. The story of Apollo is filled with facts and figures about complex machines, computers, and facilities, and intricate maneuvers - these are the things with which the Apollo objectives were achieved. But a great effort has also been made to tell the real story of Apollo, to identify and describe the decisions and actions of men and women that led to the creation and operation of those complex machines." The preface notes: "Chariots for Apollo: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft begins with the creation of NASA itself and with the definition of a manned space flight program to follow Mercury. It ends with Apollo 11, when America attained its goal of the 1960s, landing the first men on the moon and returning them to the earth. The focal points of this story are the spacecraft - the command and service modules and the lunar module. The 14 chapters cover three phases of spacecraft evolution: defining and designing the vehicles needed to do the job, developing and qualifying (or certifying) them for the task, and operating them to achieve the objective. Like most large-scale research and development projects, Apollo began haltingly. NASA, with few resources and a program not yet approved, started slowly. Ad hoc committees and the field centers studied, tested, reported, and suggested, looking for the best way to make the voyage. Many aerospace industrial firms followed the same line, submitting the results of their findings to NASA and hoping to get their bids in early for a piece of the program."Contents include: Chapter 1 - Concept to Challenge * 1957 to Mid-1961 * Forging a National Space Policy * The Starting * The Goett Committee * Focusing the Aim * Priming the Pipeline * The Feasibility Studies * Portents for Apollo * The Challenge * Chapter 2 - Project Planning and Contracting * May through December 1961 * Committees at Work * Spacecraft Development Decision * Astronavigation - The First Apollo Contract * Contracting for the Command Module * Influences on Booster Determination * Help from the Department of Defense * Choice of Facilities * The Launch Vehicle: Question and Decision * Chapter 3 - Contending Modes * 1959 to Mid-1962 * Proposals: Before and after May 1961 * LOR Gains a NASA Adherent * Early Reaction to LOR * Analysis of LOR * Settling the Mode Issue * Casting the Die * Chapter 4 - Matching Modules and Missions * 1962 * The Team and the Tools * Preliminary Designs for the Lunar Lander * Pressures by PSAC * Fitting the Lunar Module into Apollo * NASA Adjustments for Apollo * NASA-Grumman Negotiations * End of a Phase * Chapter 5 - Command Module and Program Changes * 1963-1964 * The Headquarters Role * Command Module: Problems and Progress * Chapter 6 - Lunar Module * 1963-1964 * External Design * Tailoring the Cockpit * Hatches and Landing Gear * Engines, Large and Small * Environment and Electricity * The "Sub-Prime" and the Radar Problem * Guidance and Navigation * Mockup Reviews * The Lunar Module and the Apollo Program * Chapter 7 - Searching for Order * 1965 * Program Direction and the Command Module * Lunar Module Refinement * The LEM Test Program: A Pacing Item * The Manned Factor * Portents for Operations * more