Remembering the Giants: Apollo Rocket Propulsion Development

NASA History has so many interesting publications and you folks keep reminding me what I am missing.  How about this one?
- LRK -

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http://history.nasa.gov/what.html

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NEW BOOKS!

Aeronautics and Astronautics: A Chronology, 2001-2005. (NASA SP-2010-4031) compiled by Noel Ivey and Marieke Lewis. This publication is only available online.
http://history.nasa.gov/sp4031.pdf

Remembering the Giants: Apollo Rocket Propulsion Development. Monograph in Aerospace History, No. 45, 2009. (NASA SP-2009-4545) by Steven C. Fisher and Shamim A. Rahman, editors.
http://history.nasa.gov/monograph45.pdf

Cosmos & Culture: Cultural Evolution in a Cosmic Context. (NASA SP-2009-4802) edited by Steven J. Dick and Mark L. Lupisella.
Integrating concepts from philosophical, anthropological, and astrobiological disciplines, Cosmos and Culture begins to explore the interdisciplinary questions of cosmic evolution.
CASI Price: $25.00. GPO Price: $61.00. Other commercial vendors such as Amazon.com are also expected to sell this book.
http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4802.pdf

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You may well enjoy reading this 209 page monograph.
- LRK -

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Remembering the Giants: Apollo Rocket Propulsion Development
http://history.nasa.gov/monograph45.pdf
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On April 25, 2006, NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center hosted a series of lectures on Apollo Propulsion development. This monograph is a transcript of the event, held as part of the celebration to mark the 40th anniversary of the first rocket engine test conducted at the site then known as the Mississippi Test Facility. On April 23, 1966, engineers tested a cluster of five J-2 engines that powered the second stage of the Saturn V moon rocket.  This transcript has been edited for readability and clarity. The opinions expressed are solely those of the individuals presented. The report does not in any way promulgate policies or state the official opinions of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or the U.S. government.

John C. Stennis Space Center
History Office
B-1100
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
228.688.2646

2006 Event Title “On the Shoulders of Giants,” Apollo Propulsion Development Seminars.
Moderator: Steve Fisher, Rocketdyne
Speakers: Robert Biggs, Paul Coffman, Gerald Pfeifer, Clay Boyce, Gerard Elverum, and Tim Harmon
Initial Transcription: Michele Beisler, Transcription/Technical Writing: B. Nicole Wells
(Jacobs Technology Facility Operating Services Contract)
Editors: Mr. Steve Fisher, P&W Rocketdyne, and Dr. Shamim Rahman, NASA
Event Coordinator: Rebecca Strecker, NASA

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It gives us great pleasure to provide this historical compendium of what will likely be remembered as one of the most remarkable achievements in the evolution of rocket propulsion.  This achievement was the simultaneous development, testing, and flight use of a series of firstever propulsive devices that delivered Apollo 11 astronauts safely to the surface of the moon and back to Earth. These devices helped assure three individuals, Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins a place in the history of humankind.

From the F-1 booster engine to the lunar module ascent engine of the Apollo vehicle stack – all built and delivered by the new United States space industrial base – these individual rocket propulsion development stories provide a glimpse of how technical ingenuity rose to meet the challenge of the race to the moon.

The development histories and lessons learned about the various engines are told by the engineers and project managers, and were recorded on DVD so that the lecture series held at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, could be replayed again and thus live on. Remarkably, to those who attended, it was apparent that these speakers recalled their Apollo challenges as if they had happened “just yesterday.” It was clear in their voices that the engines carried not just the hardware but also the hope of the nation that this “moon shot” could even be done at all.

Although this monograph comes some years after the actual date of the lectures, and describes work from decades ago, the lessons will continue to carry space exploration forward. The story told within is not how one particular engine was built, but rather how ordinary people persisted and were driven to do extraordinary work. The country owes these resourceful and dedicated engineers a debt of gratitude for giving us the technical precedents upon which today’s space programs rest in a continuing story of human exploration.

It would not have been possible without the sanction and enthusiastic support of NASA Stennis Space Center’s “front office” (center director, deputy director, and associate director),  and the excellent support and facilitation of the local NASA public affairs staff. The 2006 event was officially designated at NASA SSC as “On the Shoulders of Giants”, and in this monograph is more aptly designated by the title, “Remembering the Giants.”

Shamim A. Rahman, PhD,
NASA Stennis Space Center

Steven C. Fisher,
Technical Fellow, Boeing and
Pratt & Whitney
Retired
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I was hoping we would be able to stand on the shoulders of giants again and see us head for the Moon.
I guess for now I will just have to continue reading about what we did when we went to the Moon.
I know, been there.  We got distracted and didn't build on what had been started.

I thought we were going to get back to business and develop the lunar resources.
How about you?
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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