50 years ago todayPosted By Maurice Clark |
It was 50 years ago today that George Low proposed the boldest step that NASA has ever taken.
In the summer of 1968, things were not looking good for a Moon landing before the end of 1969. The biggest problem was the lunar module. Fuel leaks, electrical problems, overweight, and problems with the software were all causing delays. So Low made the suggestion that the Apollo 8 mission be switched from a high-altitude mission to test out the LM, to a lunar orbit mission. Within 2 days, the basic plans for such a mission had been drafted, and the stage was set for the most ambitious manned mission NASA has attempted.
No manned Apollo mission had yet flown. Procedures for navigating to the Moon had yet to be written. The Saturn 5 had only flown unmanned. Yet the men in charge of Apollo; Gilruth, Kraft, Slayton, Low, and Phillips all eagerly accepted the challenge. By far this was the boldest step taken in NASA's race for the Moon.
In the summer of 1968, things were not looking good for a Moon landing before the end of 1969. The biggest problem was the lunar module. Fuel leaks, electrical problems, overweight, and problems with the software were all causing delays. So Low made the suggestion that the Apollo 8 mission be switched from a high-altitude mission to test out the LM, to a lunar orbit mission. Within 2 days, the basic plans for such a mission had been drafted, and the stage was set for the most ambitious manned mission NASA has attempted.
No manned Apollo mission had yet flown. Procedures for navigating to the Moon had yet to be written. The Saturn 5 had only flown unmanned. Yet the men in charge of Apollo; Gilruth, Kraft, Slayton, Low, and Phillips all eagerly accepted the challenge. By far this was the boldest step taken in NASA's race for the Moon.
