Woodfill, Jerry (electrical engineer for the Apollo caution and warning system)
Wren, Robert (lead engineer for Apollo CSM and LM testing)
Young, Kenneth (aerospace technician, Lunar Rendezvous Section/Mission Analysis Branch)
Young, Larry (director, National Space Biomedical Research Institute)
JOHNSON SPACE CENTER ORAL HISTORIES
Arabian, Donald
Armstrong, Neil
Battin, Richard
Bond, Aleck
Borman, Frank
Chaffee, Norman
Cohen, Aaron
Collins, Michael
Deiterich, Charles
Faber, Stanley
Garman, John (Jack)
Griffin, Gerald
Heflin, Milton
Honeycutt, Jay
Hooks, Ivy
Hughes, Francis (Frank)
Johnson, Gary
Kelly, Thomas
Kraft, Christopher
Kranz, Eugene
Lee, Dorothy (Dottie)
Lee, John
Lunney, Glynn
McLane, James, Jr.
Mechelay, Joseph
Miller, Harold
Moser, Thomas
Osgood, Catherine
Pohl, Henry
Schweickart, Russell (Rusty)
Seamans, Robert
Shelley, Carl
Stafford, Thomas
Vaughan, Chester
Woodling, Carroll (Pete)
Wren, Robert
Young, Kenneth
BOOKS, JOURNALS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
Aldrin, Edwin Eugene Jr. Line-of-Sight Guidance Techniques for Manned Orbital Rendezvous. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, January 1963.
The Apollo Spacecraft: A Chronology. NASA, online publication.
Barbree, Jay. Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2014.
Benson, Charles D., and William Barnaby Faherty. Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations. NASA History Series. January 1, 1978.
Chaikin, Andrew. A Man on the Moon. New York: Viking Penguin, 1994.
Compton, W. David. Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of Apollo Lunar Exploration Missions. Dover Publications, 2010.
Cortright, Edgar M., ed. Apollo: Expeditions to the Moon. NASA History Office, 1975.
Dick, Steven J., and Roger D. Launius, eds. Societal Impact of Spaceflight. NASA History Series. Washington, DC: NASA, 2007.
Duffy, Robert A. Biographical Memoirs: Charles Stark Draper. National Academies Press, 1994.
Eyles, Don. Sunburst and Luminary: An Apollo Memoir. Boston: Fort Point Press, 2018.
Hacker, Barton C., and James M. Grimwood. On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini. Washington, DC: NASA, 1977.
Hansen, James R. First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2005.
Harland, David M. The First Men on the Moon. Berlin: Springer-Praxis Books, 2007.
Hoag, David G. History of the Apollo On-Board Guidance, Navigation and Control. September 1976.
James David Alexander Family. The Moon and More. N.p.: iUniverse, 2007.
Johnson, Gary. Lessons Learned from 50+ Years in Human Spaceflight. JSC SMA Flight Safety Office, April 30, 2018.
Lindsay, Hamish. Tracking Apollo to the Moon. London: Springer-Verlag, 2001.
Lunney, Glynn. Highways into Space. 2014.
Mangus, Susan, and William Larsen. Lunar Receiving Laboratory Project History. NASA/CR–2004–208938. NASA, 2004.
Mindell, David A. Digital Apollo: Human and Machine in Spaceflight. Cambridge, MA; MIT Press, 2008.
Murray, Charles, and Cathern Bly Cox. Apollo: The Race to the Moon. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989.
Oates, Stephen B. “NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center at Houston, Texas.” Southwestern Historical Quarterly 67, no. 3 (January 1964): 350–375.
Painter, John H., and George Hondros. Unified S-Band Telecommunications Techniques for Apollo. 2 vols. NASA Technical Notes. Washington, DC: NASA, March 1965, April 1966.
Seamans, Robert C. Jr. Project Apollo: The Tough Decisions. NASA Monograph Series. 2005.
Thimmesh, Catherine. Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2006.
Tomayko, James. Computers in Spaceflight: The NASA Experience. NASA, 1988.
Walters, Lori C. To Create Space on Earth: The Space Environment Simulation Laboratory and Project Apollo. Houston: NASA, 2003.
Woodling, C. H., Stanley Faber, John J. Van Bockel, Charles C. Olasky, Wayne K. Williams, John L. C. Mire and James R. Homer. Apollo Experience Report Simulation of Manned Space Flight for Crew Training. NASA Technical Note TN D-7112. Washington, DC: NASA, March 1973.
Woods, W. David. How Apollo Flew to the Moon. New York: Springer-Praxis Books, 2011.
FILMS
Fairhead, David, dir. Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo. Gravitas Ventures, 2017.
Moon Machines. Season 1, episode 3, “Navigation.” Science Channel, 2008.
Sington, David, and Christopher Riley, dirs. In the Shadow of the Moon. Vertigo Films, 2007.
WEBSITES
APPEL News Staff. “A Strategic Decision: Lunar-Orbit Rendezvous.” NASA. APPEL Knowledge Services, January 10, 2012. https://appel.nasa.gov/2012/01/10/5-1_lunar_orbit_rendezvous-html/.
Atkinson, Nancy. “How to Handle Moon Rocks and Lunar Bugs: A Personal History of Apollo’s Lunar Receiving Lab.” Universe Today, July 19, 2009. https://www.universetoday.com/35229/how-to-handle-moon-rocks-and-lunar-bugs-a-personal-history-of-apollos-lunar-receiving-lab/.
Atkinson, Nancy. “How We *Really* Watched Television from the Moon.” Universe Today, August 7, 2009. https://www.universetoday.com/36950/how-we-really-watched-tv-from-the-moon/.
Bogo, Jennifer. “The Oral History of Apollo 11: The Knuckle-Biting Story of the First Lunar Landing from the People Who Were There.” Popular Mechanics, July 17, 2018. https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a4248/oral-history-apollo-11/.
CBS News Coverage of the Launch of Apollo 11, via YouTube.
Johnson Space Center History Collection online; JSC Roundup Archives.
Jones, Eric M., ed. Apollo Lunar Surface Journal. 1995–2018. https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/.
Lunar and Planetory Institute website lpi.usra.edu, numerous pages.
Mackellar, Colin. “A Tribute to the Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station, 1967–1981.” December 2003–present.
NASA.gov., numerous pages.
Platoff, Anne M. “Where No Flag Has Gone Before: Political and Technical Aspects of Placing a Flag on the Moon.” Johnson Space Center. NASA Contractor Report 188251, August 1993. https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/flag/flag.htm.
Pyle, Rod. “Apollo 11’s Scariest Moments: Perils of the 1st Manned Moon Landing.” Space.com, July 21, 2014. https://www.space.com/26593-apollo-11-moon-landing-scariest-moments.html.
Shira Teitel, Amy. “Apollo 11’s ‘1202 Alarm’ Explained.” Vintage Space (blog). Discover magazine, January 5, 2018. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/vintagespace/2018/01/05/apollo-11s-1202-alarm-explained/#.XGxKKOhKhPY.
Szondy, David. “Saturn V: The Birth of the Moon Rocket.” New Atlas, July 4, 2018. https://newatlas.com/saturn-v-birth-moon-rocket/54867/.
Woods, David, Ken MacTaggart and Frank O’Brien. “Apollo 11 Flight Journal.” NASA, March 1, 2016. https://history.nasa.gov/afj/ap11fj/index.html.
Buzz Aldrin stands next to the Lunar Module during the Apollo 11 moonwalk as he prepares to deploy the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package (EASEP). Credit: NASA.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
MY SINCERE AND HEARTFELT THANKS shared their unique Apollo stories and insights and who worked with me to ensure accuracy of technical and historical details. Although there wasn’t space or breadth within this book to include all the tales I heard, everyone’s stories helped provide such wonderful context for the
amazing days of the 1960s.
Special thanks to the NASA Alumni League–JSC Chapter, especially “rocket scientist” Norman Chaffee, who arranged interviews and tours during my visit to Houston and provided constant encouragement; thanks to Milt Heflin, who put me in touch with the SimSups. Thanks to John Painter who provided early technical editing assistance. Thank you to Kay Ferrari of NASA’s Solar System Ambassador program for putting me in touch with fellow ambassadors Earle Kyle and Rich Manley. My appreciation and thanks to media specialists Brandi Dean and Noah Michelsohn at Johnson Space Center, Daniel Dent at Draper and Sara Remus at MIT, as well as Dr. Sandra Johnson at the JSC History Center, who provided invaluable assistance.
Thank you to everyone who contributed photos for this book, with a special shout-out to Draper, Colin MacKellar from HoneysuckleCreek.net and of course, NASA.
My deepest thanks and appreciation to Page Street Publishing for the opportunity to write this book, with special thanks to my editor, Lauren Knowles, for her boundless enthusiasm and patience. Thank you to copy editor Nichole Kraft for her amazing and thorough work in smoothing out all the (numerous) rough spots in the manuscript. Cheers to my network of fellow journalists for your inspiration and support. Endless thank-yous and love to my incredible husband, Rick, for his support at every step, as well as to my family and friends for always providing such amazing help and encouragement and being interested in my quirky obsession with space exploration.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NANCY ATKINSON is a science journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. Her first book, Incredible Stories from Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos, tells the stories of thirty-seven scientists and engineers who work on several NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.
Since 1999, Nancy has written thousands of articles on space and astronomy. She currently contributes to Universe Today and Ad Astra. Previously, she was an editor for Universe Today and editor in chief for Space Lifestyle Magazine. She has also written articles for Seeker, New Scientist, Wired, Space.com, NASA’s Astrobiology Magazine, Space Times magazine and several newspapers in the Midwest. She has been involved with several space-related podcasts, including Astronomy Cast and 365 Days of Astronomy, and was the host of the NASA Lunar Science Institute podcast. Nancy is also a NASA-JPL Solar System Ambassador. She lives in Minnesota.
INDEX
#
2TV-1 test
3M company
A
Aaron, John
acoustics
AC Spark Plug division (GM)
Agena Target Docking Vehicle
AiResearch
alarms
Aldrin, Buzz
Alexander, James (David)
Alonso, Ramon
analytic ephemeris generator (AEG)
Anders, Bill
Anders, William A.
animal tests
Apollo
Apollo 2
Apollo 4
Apollo
Apollo 8
Apollo
Apollo
Apollo
Apollo 12
Apollo 13
Apollo 14
Apollo 15
Apollo 16
Apollo 17
Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC)
Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP)
Apollo Saturn-201
Apollo Spacecraft Program Office
Arabian, Don
Armstrong, Neil
Army Ballistic Missile Agency
Astronaut Office
Atlas rocket
Augmented Target Docking Adapter (ATDA)
Aurora 7 capsule
Auxiliary Propulsion Group
Avco Corporation
B
Bales, Steve
Baron, Oakley
Bassett, Charlie
Battin, Dick
BBN consulting company
Bean, Alan
Beers, Kenneth
Bell Aircraft
Bell, Jerry
Bell, Persa R.
Bench Maintenance Equipment (BME)
Beranek, Leo
Berry, Charles
beta cloth
Bill, Tindall
Biological Isolation Garments (BIGs)
Bird, John
Boeing Company
Bolt, Dick
Bond, Aleck
Bonestell, Chesley
Borman, Frank
Bostick, Jerry
Brand, Vance
von Braun, Wernher
Brown and Root architectural firm
Brown, Clinton
Brown, Frank A.
budget
von Bun, Fritz
C
Cafeteria facility
call signs
Capcom (capsule communicator)
Cape Canaveral
Carpenter, Scott
Caution and Warning System
Cernan, Gene
Chaffee, Martha
Chaffee, Norman
Chaffee, Olga
Chaffee, Roger
Chance Vought Aircraft Corporation
Charlesworth, Cliff
Chilton, Robert
Christmas Eve broadcast
Cohen, Jack
cold-flow test
Collins, Mike
Collins Radio company
Command and Service Modules (CSM)
Command Module (CM)
communications
computers
Conrad, Charles “Pete,” 45
Control Center Simulation Group
Cools, Johnny
Cooper, Gordon
core-rope memory
Corona project
Covington, Phil
Crew Systems Division
Cronkite, Walter
Cunningham, Walt
D
Daniel, Price
Data Priority
David Clark Company
Debus, Kurt
defecation
Deiterich, Chuck
Dinn, Mike
Direct Ascent
Discoverer program
Display and Keyboard (DSKY)
Dolan, Tom
Donlan, Charlie
Douglas Aircraft
Doyle, Billy
Draper, Charles Stark
Drummond, Billy
Dryden, Hugh
Duke, Charlie
DuPont company
Dynamic Test Tower
E
Earth-Orbit Rendezvous (EOR)
Echo project
Ecord, Glenn
von Ehrenfried, Dutch
Eisele, Donn
Eisenhower, Dwight D.
Eldred, Ken
Electronics Division
Emergency Mission Control Center (EMCC)
Energy Systems Branch
Engle, Joe
Evans, Ron
Explorer 1 satellite
extravehicular activities (EVAs)
F
F-1 engine
Faber, Stanley
Faget, Max
Ferguson, Dick
Ferguson, Gordon
Findlay, Don
flag
Flight Director Attitude Indicator (FDAI)
Flight Dynamics Division
Flight Dynamics officer
Flight Operations Division
Flory, Don
Freedom 7–II mission
Freeman, Ted
Fricke, Bob
Friendship 7 capsule
G
Gagarin, Yuri
Gamow, George
Garman, Jack
Gemini 3
Gemini 4
Gemini 5
Gemini 6
Gemini 7
Gemini 8
Gemini 9
Gemini 10
Gemini 11
Gemini 12
General Dyna
mics
g-forces
Gibbons, Gerald
Gilruth, Robert
Glenn, John
Goddard Space Flight Center
Goett, Harry
Gold, Thomas
Goodwin, Ken
Gordon, Dick
Gordon, Richard
Graves, Barry, Jr.
Greene, Jay
Griffin, Gerry
Grissom, Betty
Grissom, Virgil (Gus)
Ground Systems Project Office (GSPO)
Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation
Guidance and Navigation Computer
Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC)
Guidance officers
H
Haise, Fred
Hall, Eldon
Hand-Held Self-Maneuvering Unit (HHSMU)
heat shield
Heflin, Milt
Hoag, David
Hodge, John
Hohmann transfer
Holmes, Brainerd
Hondros, George
Honeycutt, Jay
Honeywell company
Houbolt, John
Hughes, Frank
Huss, Carl
hypergolic fuels
I
IBM computers
Instrumentation Lab (MIT)
Instrument Unit (IU)
Irwin, James B.
J
Jenkins, Lonnie
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
jettison controller
Johnson, Gary
Johnson, Lyndon B.
Johnston, Dick
Juno rocket
K
Kelly, Tom
Kennedy, John F.
Kerwin, Joe
Khrushchev, Nikita
King, Elbert
Kinzler, Jack
Kollsman Instrument Company
Komarov, Vladimir
Koos, Dick
Korolev, Sergei
Kosmo, Joe
Kotanchik, Joe
Kraft, Christopher
Kranz, Gene
Kurbju, Max
Kyle, Earle
Kyle, Howard
L
Laika (dog)
landing
Landing and Recovery Division
Langley Research Center
Laning, Hal
launch
Launch Operations Complex (LOC)
Lee, Dottie Mae
Lee, John
Lee, Laurie
LeMay, Curtis
Lewis Research Center
Liberty Bell 7 capsule
Lineberry, Ed
Little Joe II rockets
Llewellyn, John
Lovell, James A., Jr.
Low, George
LTA-8 test
Lunar Landing Training Vehicle (LLTV)
Eight Years to the Moon Page 34
