Apollo Journal
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About the Book
Apollo Journal is a true history of the lunar landing in July 1969 that culminated 2500 years of dreaming, conflict, the struggle of ideas and finally the physical reality confronting Apollo astronauts. The genesis of space travel traces back at least to the classical Greek world of 500 B.C. when astronomers speculated about the universe’s structure.
Cosmology. Disputes about the structure of the universe (earth-centered or sun- centered) covered a time period of 500 B.C. to the 17th century. Violence and cruelty characterized much of this dispute. Greeks killed Greeks; Christianity adopted the earth-centered geocentric theory as gospel; which led to the Tyranny of the Church and the infamous trial of Galileo. In the interim, Rome conquered Greece. Islamic forces invaded Europe, Europeans launched the crusades and the Renaissance occurred. British astronomer-scientist Sir Isaac Newton laid the issue to rest with his Universal Laws of Motion.
Rockets. A reliable means of propulsion capable of lifting a space vehicle out of earth’s atmosphere had to be developed. Rockets, whose first use is credited to the Chinese in the 13th century, were used for celebrations and waging war, but were unreliable and unsafe. However, governments and private groups experimented with rockets, striving to improve their safety and guidance systems until the launch of Sputnik in 1957 established the rocket as the propulsion system of choice for space exploration.
Space Race. The space race between United States and the Soviet Union commenced when President Kennedy proposed to Congress and the Nation the Apollo lunar landing project in 1961. The Nation’s wars, budget battles, Watergate and economic conditions have all impacted manned space programs. Mismanagement has characterized much of manned space programs, which coupled with human error, resulted in years of schedule slips, horrendous waste of taxpayers’ money, four major accidents and the death of seventeen astronauts. In spite of this, the Nation’s space programs represent unique accomplishments in world history.
Third Millennium. Manned space programs are now in limbo pending the findings of the Columbia Shuttle review panel. NASA plans to resume Shuttle flights perhaps in the latter part of the year (2005), but the future of manned space operation is uncertain.
About the Author
Apollo Journal is a true story based on the author’s experience and observations while working on manned space programs and weapon systems projects at Rockwell International. Prior to WW-II, the author worked in the film industry. During WW-II, he served in the U.S. Navy aboard a destroyer doing convoy duty in the Aleutians and later, participated in the Okinawa campaign. After WW-II ended, he attended the University of Southern California to get a degree in Economics. Subsequently, at Rockwell, his work included preparation of cost proposals, financial management and economic forecasting. Major projects worked on include: Apollo, Shuttle, Apollo-Soyuz, B-1 Bomber and B-2 Bomber (Northrop Corporation). The genesis of space travel traces back at least to the classical Greek world of 500 B.C. when astronomers speculated about the universe’s structure. Resolution of this issue pit Greeks against Greeks, Christians again Greek and Roman pagans, then Christians against Islamic forces, and finally the scientists who challenged Church doctrine. After the scientists prevailed over Church doctrine, the struggle became one of nation against nation and finally the Cold War (Capitalism v. Communism). Previous publication: Hollywood Noir Featuring Ronald Reagan