| On October 4, 1957, Russia launches the first | | | | Task Group and never worked for von Braun. |
| artificial satellite in history - Sputnik. To many | | | | Almost no one welcomed the idea, but he never |
| Americans this is a shocking event. Few days | | | | gave up. The story of his struggle is largely |
| later Werner von Braun, America's leading rocket | | | | unknown, but the plan he promoted got America |
| scientist, says in an interview: "We consider the | | | | to the moon. His name is Dr. John C. Houbolt. |
| control of space around the earth much like, shall | | | | In 1959, Houbolt says that both plans, Direct |
| we say, the great Maritime powers consider the | | | | Ascent and Earth Orbit Rendezvous, will fail, |
| control of the seas in the 16th through the 18th | | | | because of the enormous rocket needed: |
| Century, and they say if we want to control this | | | | "It was a vehicle about the size of an Atlas. Down |
| planet, we have to control the space around it". | | | | at the Cape, it takes 3000 men, a launch pad, and |
| Dr. Werner von Braun is a German engineer who | | | | a launch facility to get an Atlas off the ground |
| created the V-2 rocket for Hitler in World War II, | | | | from the earth. They were going to land |
| he now works for the US Army. For years, von | | | | something the size of an Atlas on the moon, |
| Braun has dreamed of exploring space. And many | | | | backwards, with no help whatsoever. I thought |
| people think that he brought America to the | | | | that was preposterous". |
| Moon. But this is not true. Now I'm going to tell | | | | Houbolt suggests not taking the main spacecraft |
| you what I've learned. | | | | down to the moon at all. Instead, the astronauts |
| In the 1950s, a tiny group of engineers was | | | | will use a separate lander, later called Lunar |
| already planning trips to the moon. They were | | | | Excursion Module (LEM). The Command Module |
| called the Space Task Group - visionaries | | | | (CM) will remain in orbit around the moon. After |
| dreaming remarkable dreams that conceived and | | | | the explorations are complete, the astronauts on |
| directed the nation's first human-in-space program. | | | | the moon will take off, ascend, rendezvous with |
| They were the people who had to analyze and | | | | the CM, dispense with the lander because it's done |
| decide how to go to the moon. | | | | its job, and return to the Earth. |
| The most basic decision that should be made is | | | | This is Lunar Orbit Rendezvous (LOR). By using a |
| about the flight. There are two possibilities. The | | | | separate smaller lander LOR saves fuel and |
| first, Direct Ascent, uses a single rocket to send | | | | weight. Houbolt promises LOR can get America to |
| a spacecraft to the moon. It's the way people | | | | the moon with one rocket, and it won't have to |
| have always imagined going. But sending the | | | | be the huge NOVA. But the astronauts' safe |
| spacecraft all that way will take an enormous | | | | return depends on rendezvous, something no |
| rocket, larger than the Statue of Liberty - a | | | | one's ever done, even around the earth. Houbolt's |
| monster called "NOVA." Werner von Braun | | | | plan requires that rendezvous work perfectly at |
| suggests a different way - Earth Orbit | | | | the moon. |
| Rendezvous (EOR). EOR uses two smaller | | | | To almost everyone, that seems insane. There |
| rockets. One sends up the spacecraft. The other | | | | were expressions like "we don't even know how |
| sends up the fuel. The astronauts rendezvous | | | | to rendezvous in earth orbit, yet now how are |
| with the fuel tank, fill up their spacecraft, and | | | | we going to do it around the moon", "this is the |
| head for the moon. Direct Ascent is simple, but | | | | most ridiculous thing we've ever heard of", "the |
| needs a huge rocket. Earth Orbit Rendezvous | | | | most unsafe thing". |
| uses smaller rockets, but it's more complicated. | | | | Though he did not invent the idea alone, Houbolt |
| Picking the mode will be the most critical decision | | | | has become its main advocate, making |
| in the Apollo program, because it determines | | | | presentation after presentation. And by April, |
| everything: the spacecraft, the rocket, the | | | | 1961, John Houbolt has been pushing LOR for two |
| training, budget, and schedule. The wrong choice | | | | years and getting nowhere. And help comes from |
| means losing to the Russians, and maybe not | | | | the most unexpected source - the Soviet Union. |
| reaching the moon at all. The answer was one | | | | More information: John C. Houbolt - The Man Who |
| nobody expected. The engineer who lobbied for it | | | | Brought America to the Moon (Written by |
| was an outsider - he didn't belong to the Space | | | | Alexander Popski). |