#john houbolt

[daveparts]

A Pattern of Leadership

By David Glenn Cox

We’ll be right back with hour number two of Uncle Don’s not my fault telethon after these messages from our sponsors.  Coming up after the break, Vice President Pence uses hand puppets to explain medical research and Willie the White House window washer explains his plans as the new NASA Administrator.

It should be clear by now, telling the truth in the Trump…

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[toastyslayingbutter]

Meet John Houbolt: He Figured Out How To Go To The Moon, But Few Were Listening

In the early 1960s, NASA was considering three different ideas for landing a man on the lunar surface. Houbolt's plan ultimately won out despite concerns within NASA that it was too risky.

[electronicsquid]

John Houbolt who led the lunar orbit rendezvous (LOR) team at NASA

(Alfred Eisenstaedt. 1962)

[astrohardware]

John Houbolt himself, the fellow who originally proposed the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous approach in NASA. He seems pretty proud--I would be, too.

Also, the title of that poster in the background seems a little interesting. Check out the gigantic post-Saturn boosters!

[astrohardware]

One of the first diagrams describing the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous plan. Believe it or not, Lunar Orbit Rendezvous was actually the least-well-liked plan at one point! We were so close to sending to entire spacecraft to the surface of the moon and back that the engine for the ascent from the lunar surface was already contracted and purchased. You know it now as the Service Propulsion System, the engine used to enter and exit lunar orbit. Interesting, isn't it?

(Also, the same engine was used for the Orbital Maneuvering System engines on the Space Shuttle later. But that's another story.)