50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing, Personal Stories from Inside the Mission Control Center (Abstract)

Volume 48 number 1 (2020)

Gordon Myers

5 Inverness Way, Hillsborough, CA 94010-7214; gordonmyers@hotmail.com

Abstract

(Abstract only) This July we celebrated the 50th anniversary of landing on the moon. It was a momentous accomplishment. In just twelve years we went from launching our first satellite to Armstrong stepping onto the lunar surface. Why did we go? What drove the decision for President Kennedy to announce such a challenging goal? How did the technology of that era—so antiquated when we look back today—enable us to achieve the goal? The presentation will take us back to 1950s America and the shock of Russia’s early space achievements. It will describe how the U.S. developed the technology to get us to the moon and you’ll hear personal stories describing what it was like working in the Mission Control Center