The Apollo Chronicles

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The Apollo Chronicles Page 38

by Brandon R. Brown

Bassett, Charles, 123–124

  Bay of Pigs invasion, 46

  Beck, Hal

  on Houston Space Center, 52

  on lunar landing sites, 81

  on Moon’s gravitational pull, 165–166

  on Moon trajectories, 70–72

  on NASA bureaucracy, 236–237

  photograph of, 73f

  Schmitt and, 211

  on Space Task Group, 32–33

  Bell, Larry, 103–104,136,219

  Bell Aerospace, 119–120

  belly band, 40

  Benton, Eugene, 189

  blockhouse, 100

  “Blue Marble” photograph, 210

  Bond, Aleck, 34–35,52

  Bordano, Aldo, 93,94,199–200,234

  Borman, Frank, 160,166

  Bourgin, Simon, 166

  Bradbury, Ray, 12

  Brezhnev, Leonid, 175

  broom test, 75

  Brown, Robert

  in advisory role, 190,221

  on barbecue mode, 161–162

  on calculating consumables, 139

  early life of, 9–10

  on guidance instruments, 29–30

  hiring new employees, 93

  on John Norton, 115

  joining Mission Planning and Analysis division, 93

  on ascent from Moon, 89

  lunar landing navigation assignment, 90–91

  mementos of, 229

  on Moon trajectories, 70

  photograph of, 228f

  in retirement, 229

  running failure analysis project, 221

  on Surveyor program, 70,90

  on teamwork atmosphere, 236

  Bush, George H. W., 224–225

  Bush, George W., 224–225

  Cal Tech gathering, 230

  Canada aerospace, 37

  Cape Canaveral, 53,54,57,82

  Capsules

  early model of, 67f

  returning, 64–65

  Carruth, Ralph, 101f

  Cassetti, Marlowe

  on Apollo 13 near tragedy, 203

  on Apollo postpartum, 214

  calculating Apollo’s total weight, 154

  on close of Apollo, 210

  on communication relay, 57

  competing for computer time, 72

  on control thruster problems, 65

  coordinating early launches, 24

  early life of, 7–8

  on engineers’ obsessive dedication, 185

  experiencing orbit of globe, 58

  at government’s aeronautical labs, 21

  guiding Gemini launches, 105

  on Houston Space Center, 52

  on Huntsville, Alabama, 24–25

  on hydrogen fueled rockets, 72

  on lander’s weight, 139–140

  at Langley, Virginia, 21

  on early launch films, 36–37

  on model airplanes, 8–9

  on NASA bureaucracy, 237–238

  on NASA’s start, 25

  on personal computers, 220

  photograph of, 9f

  predicting future Moon missions, 222

  on racial segregation, 96

  reacting to Kennedy’s speech, 48

  in retirement, 227

  retiring from NASA, 220

  on sight selection for Manned Spaceflight Center, 50–51

  on Skylab program, 214

  on teamwork atmosphere, 234–235

  underestimating von Braun’s engineering skills, 234

  on von Braun’s organization structure, 49–50

  Cavett, Dick, 216–217

  CBS News, 180

  Cernan, Eugene, 126–127,179

  Chaffee, Roger, 136

  Christmas Eve broadcast, 166

  circumlunar voyage, support for, 155–157

  Civil rights, 96–97

  Civil Rights Act, 96,109

  Cleaver, Eldridge, 147

  Cold War paranoia, 47

  combustion instability, 79,84–86. See also pogo effect

  communications satellites, 83

  communication system, global, 55–56,163–164

  computer chip, 72

  computer programming, 116–117

  computers

  electronic, 32–33

  female technical secretaries as first, 31–32

  integrated circuits, 72

  lunar trajectory computations, 70–71

  machine time for computations, 70–72

  memory, 118

  MIT’s delivery of, 116–117

  personal computers, 219–220

  programmable computer, 118

  punch cards, 70–72

  rope mothers, 118

  semiconductor chips, 220

  software, 115–116

  storing programs on spacecraft, 117–118

  teletype, communication via, 140

  computing time, 140

  Congressional Space Act of 1958, 25

  Conrad, Charles, Jr., 193,194f

  control thrusters, 64–65,99,125–126,200

  Cooper, Gordon, 237–238

  Copernicus Crater, 131f

  Corona satellite, 64

  cosmic rays, 188–189,225. See also space radiation

  countdown, simulated, 135–136

  crawlers, 76,114,222

  Cronkite, Walter, 133,144,180,187

  direct ascent debates, 42–43

  Disney, Walt, 13f

  dispersion analysis, 62–63,176–177,178f

  Dunbar’s number, 231

  dynamic test stand, 100

  Earth

  gravitational pull of, 161

  Moon’s gravitational effect on, 60

  phase-locking to the Moon, 60

  relative scale of Moon and, 61f

  Earth-centered to Moon-centered coordination, 162

  Earth-Moon distance, 226

  Earth orbit rendezvous, 43–44

  Earth’s atmosphere, 43

  Eisenhower, Dwight, 17–18,25,43–44

  electrocardiogram (EKG) monitoring, 219

  electromagnetic waves, 209

  electronic computers, 32–33

  engineers

  civil rights and, 130

  families of, 96

  female, 108–109

  minority, 109,211

  NASA’s trust in, 232–233

  obsessive dedication of, 185

  responsibility of, 233

  on teamwork atmosphere, 236

  environmental chamber, 104–105,120,138

  equal opportunity/affirmative action, 216

  escape tower, 37,38f,47

  Explorer 1, 24

  extra-sensory perception experiments, 205

  F-1 engine, 48–49,84,100

  Faget, Ann, 95–96

  Faget, Carol, 95–96

  Faget, Guy Henry, 5,170,172,215

  Faget, Maxime “Max”

  designing escape tower, 37

  designing hypersonic aircraft, 21–22

  on flying to the Moon, 42

  founding Space Industries, 215

  on John Glenn’s Earth orbit, 66

  Johnson and, 235

  at Langley, Virginia, 21–22

  on lunar lander plan, 87–88

  on lunar orbit rendezvous, 43–44

  on Moon disease risk, 95

  on oxygen problems, 133

  personality of, 22

  photograph of, 5f,67f,171f

  quirky brilliance of, 6,95

  recognizing importance of management, 237

  retiring from NASA, 215

  on shuttle idea, 170

  spacecraft designer role, 33–36

  spacecraft testing, 94–95

  on Space Shuttle program, 215

  submarine life of, 6

  von Braun and, 172

  on Apollo TV signal, 186–187

  during WWII, 4–6

  Fairchild Semiconductor, 72

  Fassett, Caleb, 208–209

  female astronauts and cosmonauts, 81–82,210
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  female computers, 31–32,33

  female engineers, 108–109

  “Flash Gordon” (serial), 10

  flying bedstead, 151–152,152f

  food safety, 218–219

  fuel cells, 107,113–114,200

  fuel tanks, 75–76,125–126

  Gagarin, Yuri, 45

  Garman, Jack

  on Apollo 8, 162

  on Apollo 11 alarms, 183

  on Apollo 14, 204

  on Apollo guidance computer, 219–220

  on control center’s upgrade, 204

  joining NASA, 115–116

  preparing “cheat sheets,” 181

  Gemini missions, 59,98,105–106,107–108,124,134f

  General Electric, 131

  Gilruth, Robert, 21,31–32,39–40,46–47,50–51,53,234,237

  gimbal lock, 179

  Glenn, John, 64–66

  global communication system, 55–56,112,163–164

  Goddard, Robert, 3–4,9

  Goddard Space Flight Center, 56,57

  gravimeter, 209

  gravitational waves, 209

  Griffin, Gerry

  on Apollo 8, 159–160

  on Apollo 12, 192

  at Cal Tech gathering, 230–231

  on NASA bureaucracy, 238

  on NASA culture, 232

  on radio black-out, 165

  Grissom, Gus, 135,136

  Grumman Company, 119–120,138–139,190

  guidance instruments, 30,191–192

  gyroscope, 29–30,141–142

  Ham (chimpanzee), 44–45

  Hamilton Standard, 91–92

  Harris, Ruth Bates, 216

  Haukohl, Guenther, 15,53,236–237

  Heimburg, Karl, 78

  Henderson, Mac, 156,191

  Houbolt, John, 67–68

  Houston, test facilities in, 77–78

  Howard Hughes’s aircraft company, 70

  Hubble Space Telescope, 106

  Hughes, Frank

  Anders and, 168

  on Apollo 1 tragedy, 136

  on communication time delays, 163–164

  creating lifelike simulations, 122–124

  joining NASA, 120–121

  on lunar landing set down, 185

  on Moon landing skeptics, 207–208

  on rare day off, 157

  in retirement, 227–228

  on space sickness, 161

  Humble Oil Company, 51

  Huntsville

  blossoming of, 24

  celebration of Moon announcement, 48

  celebration of Moon landing, 189

  German relocation to, 12

  growth of, 129

  as “Rocket City,” 24,224

  sonic impact on, 26–27

  symphony orchestra of, 24

  Thanksgiving in, 145–146

  today, 224

  hydrogen-burning engines, 72–75,76

  hypergolic fuels, 89–90,98

  hypersonic aircraft, designing, 21–22

  ice crystals, 123–124,157–158

  inertial guidance, 29–30

  instrument unit, 141–142,143f,149

  International Business Machines (IBM), 219

  International Latex Corporation, 92,104,208

  Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 42,70,119

  Johnson, Caldwell, 48,52–53,62,105,133,212–213,235,238

  Johnson, Katherine, 33

  Johnson, Lyndon Baines

  condemning urban violence, 148

  on female astronauts, 81–82

  on NASA’s budget, 96,129–130

  NASA support of, 84

  recommending Moon landing, 46–47

  on reelection, 149

  signing Civil Rights Act, 96

  on Sputnik, 17

  sworn in as president, 83

  as technocracy disciple, 44

  Johnson Space Center, 51,215–216,218,220–221

  joint space exploration, 82,212–213

  Jupiter rocket, 14,19

  Kelly, Thomas, 87–88,89,119–120,185–186,188

  Kennedy, John F.

  on Apollo project, 44

  assassination of, 83

  committing to Moon landing, 47–48

  health problems of, 45–46,82

  at Marshall Space Flight Center, 82f

  okaying Bay of Pigs invasion, 46

  on Soviet joint space exploration, 82

  on space race, 31

  on superweapons, 4–5

  and technocracy, 44,64

  Kennedy, Joseph, Jr., 4–5

  Khrushchev, Nikita, 16,17,20,81,83

  King, Martin Luther, Jr., 77,130,147,151

  Komarov, Vladimir, 137

  Korolev, Sergei Pavlovich

  death of, 118

  designing first artificial satellite, 17

  developing the Voskhod, 83

  joining Soviet Union rocket program, 15–17

  on Sputnik II, 20

  Kraft, Christopher

  on Apollo 13 near tragedy, 199

  coordinating capsule recovery with Navy, 158–159

  on Gilruth, 31

  investigating Apollo 1 tragedy, 137–138

  on John Glenn’s Earth orbit, 64

  as minor celebrity, 108

  Mission Control and, 59

  on NASA bureaucracy, 238

  on Saturn V maiden voyage, 144

  on scientists vs. engineers, 80–81

  on Titan rocket launch, 113

  von Braun and, 53

  Laitin, Joseph, 166

  Lang, Fritz, 9

  launch days, 112

  launch pad, design of, 113–114

  Leonov, Alexei, 103–104

  lifeboat study, 201

  lightning, 191–192

  Lindbergh, Charles, 175

  liquid oxygen, 3–4,120–121

  long-duration space missions, 225

  Low, George, 155–156,216

  lunar-centered coordinate system, 162

  Lunar Lander Research Vehicle, 152f,See also flying bedstead

  lunar landing, sites for, 81

  lunar landing module

  ascent engine, 89–90

  cracked parts in, 139

  docking command module to, 173–174

  first generation, 87–89

  full-scale model, 91

  functioning as a lifeboat, 200–201

  photograph of, 88f

  prototype for, 119–120

  size and weight of, 173

  support for, 87

  testing of, 138–139

  weight of, 139–140,153–154

  wiring issues, 139,149

  Lunar orbit rendezvous, 43–44,67–69

  lunar receiving laboratory, 95,208–209

  lunar television signal, 207

  Luna series, 24,63,118–119,151

  Lunney, Glynn, 151

  Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. See Manned Spaceflight Center

  Manned Spaceflight Center, 50–53,93,147–148

  Mars, 55,68,163–164,172,189,209,214,224–225

  Marshall Space Flight Center, 26,86,222–224

  Max Q, 39

  Mayer, John, 235–236

  Maynard, Owen, 37,39

  McQuarrie, Ralph, 180

  Mercury capsules, 65

  Mercury missions, 33,54,59,134f

  Merritt Island launch facility, 53–55

  minority engineers, 108–109

  Mission Control

  during Apollo 11, 185

  during Apollo 13, 202

  astronauts communicating with, 163

  audio lines with capsule and, 135

  computer failure during Apollo 8, 162–163

  computer programs for, 93

  computers running, 162–163

  design of, 53,59

  global stations communicating with, 56–57

  photograph of, 58f

  running simulations, 181

  Mission Planning and Analysis division, 93–94,157,214
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  Mississippi test facility, 127

  Mitchell, Edgar, 205

  MIT’s Instrumentation Laboratory, 72,115–117,181,204–205

  mobile launch concept, 55,141,176,222

  Moon

  features of, 62

  gravitational effect on Earth, 60

  mass concentrations in, 132

  measuring distance to, 226

  NASA plotting orbits of, 62–63

  orbit of, 60

  origin of, 225–226

  phase-locking of, 60

  placing United States flag on, 181–182

  relative scale of Earth and, 61f

  science experiments, 226–227

  scientific discoveries of, 225

  scientific priorities for, 80–81

  shooting probes to, 70

  “Moon Day” idea, 195

  Moon landing

  American public’s declining interest in, 195

  Americans’ disbelief in, 193–195

  earth orbit rendezvous, 43–44

  as fake, 193–195

  Johnson’s recommendation to Kennedy on, 46–47

  lunar orbit rendezvous, 43–44,67–69

  media coverage of, 180

  NASA readying first, 179

  one-ship approach, 68

  world’s enthusiasm for, 197

  moonquakes, 62,205,217

  Moon rocks, 90,92,188,190,197,208–209,225–226

  Moon virus, 95

  Moser, Tom, 69,109–110,181–182,237

  MTV (Music Television), 217–218

  Mueller, George, 237

  National Academy of Sciences, 95

  National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). See also Johnson Space Center; Manned Spaceflight Center; Marshall Space Flight Center; Mission Control; return-on-investment

  Alabama vs., 96–97

  brainstorm city planning, 64

  building launch facility, 53–55

  bureaucracy of, 236–238

  buying computers, 72

  collaborative spaceflights with Russia, 212–213

  developing global communication system, 55–56

  diverse workforce of, 108,216

  eliminating final three missions, 197

  emergence of, 25

  employment record, 216

  environmental chamber, 104–105,120,138

  federal budget for, 96,129–130,190,217

  hard-wired data link between facilities, 57

  housing options near, 52,93–94,95–96

  inter-center tensions, 203

  James Webb as head of, 44

  Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 42,70,119

  Johnson’s support of, 84

  legislative oversight, 216

  lunar television signal, 207

  management mistakes, 237

  negativity facing, 80

  opening Manned Spaceflight Center, 50–53

  organizational culture, 231–233

  progress of, 31

  space emergencies, 123–124

  success for, 152–153

  teamwork of, 234–236

  Night of the Living Dead (film), 148

  Nixon, Richard, 188,190

  Norbraten, Lee, 93,156–157

  Norton, John, 115

  Nova rocket, 42–43

  Oberth, Hermann, 3–4,9

  Operation Aphrodite, 4

  Operation Breakthrough, 175

 

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