NASA engineer vital to moon landing dies

[Don Shepherd]

John Houbolt, the engineer at NASA who suggested the method to land men on the moon, died last week. He had the idea to have the connected command module and lunar module go into lunar orbit and then separate, with only the lightweight lunar module landing on the moon. He wrote a letter in 1961 suggesting this method to the incoming NASA administrator, bypassing the traditional chain-of-command.

Let's hope we continue to have visionaries like him in the future.

[walter b]

(04-21-2014 12:48 PM)Don Shepherd Wrote:  John Houbolt, the engineer at NASA who suggested the method to land men on the moon, died last week. He had the idea to have the connected command module and lunar module go into lunar orbit and then separate, with only the lightweight lunar module landing on the moon. He wrote a letter in 1961 suggesting this method to the incoming NASA administrator, bypassing the traditional chain-of-command.

Interesting times, then: unbroken optimism regarding the future, even high tech meant to be perfectly under control, and all performed with slide rules. Meanwhile, we are a few Columbias, Tchernobyls, and tsunamis further ...

May he rest in peace. Have been heroic times anyway.

d:-I

[Manolo Sobrino]

Interesting times indeed.

It's been a while since I wanted to share this with you, I guess that now is a good moment. Good old James Burke two parts special on project Apollo, priceless. Grab it before it disappears again, I doubt the BBC can locate the master tapes/is willing to release it.

The men who walked on the Moon (1979)

The other side of the Moon (1979)

[Thomas Radtke]

Thanks a lot, Manolo. Very interesting! :-)

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(04-21-2014 05:19 PM)Manolo Sobrino Wrote:  The men who walked on the Moon (1979)

The other side of the Moon (1979)

Downloaded, thank you.