Word: apollo
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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This is the last moonship. After Apollo 17, America's manned voyages to the moon come to an end. Though there is speculation that Russia may begin moon landings this decade, no American is likely to return to the moon in this century. That realization cast a nostalgic sadness over the spectators, most of them space workers and their families...
...crew that will make the last flight watched the 363-ft. vehicle moving at less than a mile an hour toward its pad 3½ miles away. "This is going to bring to a close the Apollo program," said Flight Commander Gene Cernan. "I hope by the time we get back home from the moon, we can convey that this is just the beginning of man's movement into an infinity of time and space...
...those days was barely a dream. Debus has been in charge of every manned launch conducted by the U.S.; there has never been a failure. He recalls with a certain humor that an Army general told him in 1947 that no rocket could go faster than 700 m.p.h. Apollo goes 25,000 m.p.h...
...What do I think when I look at Apollo 17?" mused Debus. "It's beautiful. We have pioneered. We have worked hard. There is a terrific satisfaction in having been permitted to be part of it all. It was only after great soul searching that we recommended sending man to the moon back in 1961. It has been a happy life...
Polar lee. Debus let his gaze linger on the mighty Saturn V rocket beneath the Apollo 17 spaceship. "The Saturn V is the end too," said Debus. "I don't believe we will build a stronger rocket in this century. The Saturn can boost a payload of 200,000 lbs. into orbit. If you want more payload than that, it is cheaper to launch several Saturns than to develop a new rocket...