Moon Lander: How We Developed the Apollo Lunar Module (Smithsonian History of Aviation and Spaceflight (Paperback))

ISBN: 1588342735

Author: Kelly, Thomas J.

Condition: New

Chief engineer Thomas J. Kelly gives a firsthand account of designing, building, testing, and flying the Apollo lunar module. It was, he writes, an aerospace engineers dream job of the century. Kellys account begins with the imaginative process of sketching solutions to a host of technical challenges with an emphasis on safety, reliability, and maintainability. He catalogs numerous test failures, including propulsion-system leaks, ascent-engine instability, stress corrosion of the aluminum alloy parts, and battery problems, as well as their fixes under the ever-present constraints of budget and schedule. He also recaptures the exhilaration of hearing Apollo 11s Neil Armstrong report that The Eagle has landed, and the pride of having inadvertently provided a vital lifeboat for the crew of the disabled Apollo 13.