What is project apollo and what was its purpose?
Project Apollo was intended to produce an introductory system for manned solar system exploration. The Moon was to be the first destination. A number of launch vehicles were also considered. The Air Force’s Saturn family was eventually chosen. The program was approved by Pres. Eisenhower. In 1961 Lyndon Johnson, with Wernher von Braun’s help, convinced the Kennedy administration that landing a man on the Moon would satisfy Pres. Kennedy’s desire for a high-profile scientific endeavor to compete with the Soviets. Apollo’s budget and schedule were then drastically improved. Apollo 11 was technically a test flight, although it became the first to achieve the most important of Apollo’s program objectives. Apollos 12 through 17, comprising Apollo’s operational period, greatly expanded our understanding of the Moon and our ability to conduct manned operations in space. Apollo’s operational record was spotty. While only one operational mission was aborted (Apollo 13) there were lingering prob
