Word: apollo
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...already changed his mind. The Apollo 8 moon mission, he feels, should have an air of unmatched excitement. Washington Correspondent David Lee and Houston Stringer James Schefter, who also reported for this week's cover, agree. The close race with the Russians, the pride of trailblazing, the somberness of three men risking their lives-all combine to give this next moonbound flight a very special aura...
Neff is sure that "no unmanned flight, however impressive its mission, can ever equal the sense of commitment and challenge" he saw building up during this cover assignment. "And no manned flight," he reported, "will ever match the suspense of Apollo 8." Then he had a cautionary thought: What about the shot that will actually land a man on the moon, perhaps by next summer...
...Russians do indeed plan to steal the limelight from Apollo 8, their best opportunity for launching a manned circumlunar shot will occur during a brief period beginning around the first week in December. At that time, a spacecraft could be launched in daylight, streak around the moon, and return for a landing in Russia or the Indian Ocean during daylight hours, when it is easier to locate and reach the downed craft. The mission almost certainly will follow closely the trail of Zond-5 and Zond-6, the first craft to circle the moon and return safely to earth...
...sheer drama of man's first flight to the moon-the spectacle, the perils and the uncertainty-has been heightened by the prospects of a close race between the U.S. and Russia. The U.S. has announced that on Dec. 21 it hopes to launch three astronauts aboard Apollo 8. According to the projected schedule, they will circle the moon ten times, starting on Christmas Eve, then return to the earth, where they will land 21 days later. Russian plans, as usual, are cloaked in secrecy. But many Western experts who have pieced together clues from Moscow rumors, recent Soviet...
...ship is in orbit, the astronauts and ground controllers will check out all the systems on board, making certain that they are operating properly and that the duplicate and backup systems are in working order. On their second revolution around the earth, if no problems have arisen, the Apollo crew will reignite the S-4B rocket engine over the Pacific near Hawaii. In a 5-min. 11-sec. burning period, the S-4B will accelerate to an "escape" velocity of 24,200 m.p.h., pushing Apollo out of earth orbit and off toward the moon...