I am relaunching my ATL now that things have settled down at my home with my family. I was not very happy with the title so I changed it and have made some tweaks to the story line so far.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=301014
"Prologue"
January 4, 1969 outside Deke Slayton’s office at the NASA Space Center in Houston.
Pete Conrad was mulling over in his mind why Deke had asked him to come by his office this afternoon. He figured it would be for upcoming crew assignments. As a veteran of Gemini 5 and 11 he figured he would be in the running for a commander position for one of the initial moon landing mission behind Al and Gus. He was the backup Commander for Apollo 10 so he had a good shot to be the commander for 13. As he neared the office it was confirmed that it was something about the upcoming landings because both Al and Gus where outside Deke’s office. Al was standing and pacing with some annoyance in his eyes at having to wait and Gus was sitting in a chair trying to pretend he was more interested in the Life Magazine than what was happening around him. Al smiled at Pete as he approached and nodded at him. Big Al didn’t have many friends and Pete counted himself lucky that he was a friend of Al. Al and Pete had known each other from Navy Test Pilot’s school and respected each other’s flying abilities. It was Al who convinced Pete to apply again for the astronaut program after the incident during the selection of the first group of NASA astronauts “The Mercury 7”. Pete had gotten so fed up with all the invasive medical tests that he dumped a full enema bag on the desk of the clinic’s commanding officer and walked out. Needless to say he got a recommendation of not being suitable for space flight.
“So Al, do you think that Deke was short for a foursome at the golf course and needed our help?” – Al paused his pacing and then laughed at Pete’s comment.
Gus looked up at Al and Pete and was glad to see Pete here because for the last 5 minutes Al had been pacing and getting more upset at having to wait for Deke. He stood up and shook Pete’s hand. He knew Pete was really busy in training as the backup commander for Apollo 10.
“How is the training going for 10 Conrad?”
“It is going real well, even though Stafford has a rookie in Haise. However, Haise is really sharp and knows his stuff, and you know Young, he is quiet but he is really good at what he does”
Gus knew that already about Young, he had flown with him on Gemini 6 when Young had become the second American to walk in space, and he remembered how calm John was even when he was traversing over to the Gemini 7 capsule to retrieve an exposure experiment on the capsule. John was so cool and collective that he made being an astronaut look easy when it wasn’t. Gus got along really well with John and he was disappointed that with him flying on Apollo 10 that he wouldn’t be flying on another mission anytime soon with Gus.
“Yeah and Haise is probably the best out of Group 5. What did John call them again Pete?”
“He called them “The Original 19” Gus. It is a parody of the Mercury 7. John does have a funny sense of humor”
“Yeah that is true Pete”
Just then Deke Slayton, their boss came walking up. Deke opened the door to his office and smiled and motioned all of them to come in.
“Take a seat guys, sorry I was a little late. As you know the end of the decade is fast approaching and we still have a lot of work to do if we are going to keep Kennedy’s promise to land on the moon before the end of the year. The beginning of March we are going to launch Apollo 9 with McDivitt, Scott, and Bean and they are going to test out the Lunar Module in Earth Orbit. In May Apollo 10 is going to take the Lunar Module all the way to the moon and Stafford and Haise are going to go take it to within 50,000 feet of the lunar surface to test it out while Young stays in the Command module. If all this goes according to plan, which is a big if then the Apollo 11 crew will get the first shoot at landing in July. Al you are going to command 11 and your Command Module Pilot will be Collins and your Lunar Module Pilot will be White. So that means White and you will be the first astronauts to walk on the moon, if you can make the landing.” Deke smiled at Al as he lighted his cigar.
Al, Gus and Pete all looked at each other. Pete was the first to reach out his hand
“Congrats Al, try to not trip on the ladder while climbing down”. Gus also shook Al’s hand.
“Don’t worry Al” As Gus slapped Al’s back “If you guys on 11 cannot hack it then I am sure that one of us can handle being the first to land” Al narrowed his eye at Pete and Gus
“You guys can both screw yourselves; I am going to land, long before you two Assholes”
Deke raised his hand to get back control of his meeting
“OK guys there will be plenty of work for the next several years and many opportunities to walk on the moon in future missions. “Deke paused because he knew that whoever first walked on the Moon would be in the history books and it wouldn’t just be another missions ” With Kennedy’s push for more science on the moon landings and not just planting the flag and collecting a few rocks and then going home, we have a lot of work. Right now we got missions and hardware being built for landings out through Apollo 25. Anyway Gus you are commanding Apollo 12, your command module pilot will be Chaffee and your Lunar Module pilot will be Armstrong.”
Gus nodded his head. His crew will also be an all veteran crew. At least he didn’t get Aldrin, that guy talked way too much about rendezvous in space and orbital mechanics. Aldrin was known as Dr. Rendezvous around the astronaut office. “Sounds good Deke we will be ready” Gus paused and looked over at Al “In case Shepard has a problem”
Deke smiled and pointed his finger at Conrad
“Pete, I didn’t forget about you. You will be Commanding Apollo 13 with Gordon as your Command Module Pilot and your Lunar Module Pilot will be Cunningham. You will be all training for the same landing spot in the Sea of Tranquility. So 11 gets the first shot in July, if “Deke pauses and looks at Al” IF Al cannot make the landing then 12 gets a shot at landing in September. If 12 cannot make the landing then 13 gets to make a try in December for the first landing. “
Deke paused and looked over everyone.
“That being said, I know that we really want to make Kennedy’s goal and have him personally congratulate us. However it is more important that all of you come back alive. That is why we have 3 tries here. If 11 does land, then the landing sites and launches dates for 12 and 13 will change and be pushed back. Apollo 12 will then probably launch in November and the target landing site will be the Ocean of Storms. Apollo 12 will become the first H mission with 2 EVA’s and will try to land near enough to Surveyor 3 that we can remove a few parts and bring back to see what long term Lunar exposure does to an object. Apollo 13 will then probably launch around April next year and there is discussion that 13 will be the first landing with a major emphasis on science. “Deke paused and looked at Pete and smiled “That will mean a lot more science training for you Pete”.
Pete grimaced because he already knew that he had trouble staying awake during the Geology training.
Al looked over at Pete
“We are going to have to get you a white lab-coat Pete instead of a flight suit”.
Pete scratched an itch on his face with his middle finger pointed at Al.
“Ok guys” Deke put his hand up
“Just letting you know that we have solid future plans beyond just the initial landings” Deke paused because he knew that wasn’t always the case. He knew that just recently as 18 months ago it had been planned that only enough Saturn V’s would be produced to support a limited number of missions. The entire Saturn V production line would be shut down after only 15 rockets being built. However in 1967 Kenned had made a push to cement his legacy as the first space president and he had sat down with James Webb (The head of NASA) and had plotted a course through the 70’s for lunar exploration and eventually a lunar base. Von Braun had made a push to go all the way to Mars and Deke knew that this would have been an incredible journey. However Webb and Kennedy had realized that the support wasn’t there for such a massive budget that a Mars mission would have required. Kennedy knew he could get long term support for an overall NASA budget of around 2-2.5% of the overall Federal budget. However the support wasn’t there for the funding levels of the last several years. In 1966 NASA funding had peaked at over 4% of the Federal Budget. Already new versions of the massive F-1 engine and the smaller J-2 engine where being developed and tested, a new Block III command and service module and a new Lunar Module that the Grumman people promised would allow stays for up to 2-weeks on the surface. All this would hopefully allow the establishment of permanent base on the Moon by the mid 1970’s. Kennedy was intrigued by the idea of being able to look at the Moon in the night sky and knowing that humans were up their working and making discoveries. Kennedy had even mentioned that he would love to eventually go the moon on a vacation. He had laughed it off as ridiculous but Webb had told Deke that he really thinks that Kennedy was serious. Deke grimaced to himself and realized that he also wanted to walk on the Moon, however he knew that wasn’t possible unless somehow his erratic heart rate somehow disappeared. The Moon was funny that way how it kind of captured your imagination. He looked over at Al, Gus and Pete and thought about how lucky he was to work with such an elite group of pilots.
“Ok guys that leads us into backup crews. Al you will have Lovell backing you up as Commander with Cernan as the Command Module Pilot and Aldrin as the Lunar Module Pilot.”
Al grimaced to himself. He would have to make sure that White stays healthy because there is no way he would want to go to the moon with Aldrin.
Pete spoke up “Hey how come Al gets “shaky” Lovell as his backup Commander, I wanted Lovell to back me up?”
“I didn’t want to put Lovell through that torture Pete. Who knows what you would do to him”
Pete laughs “That is true Deke”
“Ok so now that is settled, Gus you will have Scott as your backup Commander with Worden as the Command Module Pilot and Schmitt as the Lunar Module Pilot” Deke paused as both Al, Gus and Pete looked at Deke with a shocked look on their faces “I know what you guys are thinking, however Kennedy wants an emphasis on science after the first couple of missions. With Schmitt as the backup Lunar Module Pilot on 12 that means he will be on the prime crew for 15. You guys don’t know this yet but if your missions go well, Apollo 15 will be the first extended duration J mission with a modified Lunar Module for an extended stay on the surface, a Lunar Rover and a total of 3 EVA’s over a 3-day stay on the lunar surface. No offense to you guys “Deke paused and looked at the 3 astronauts” Schmitt is a Geologist and has become a good pilot from the feedback that I am getting while he was in Pilot training. If we really want to learn about the moon. We need to get some scientists to the Moon and Schmitt is a good guy. I wouldn’t have hired him if he wasn’t and if I say he is qualified he is qualified” Deke paused “Any concerns or questions” Deke stared at the 3 astronauts
Al cleared his throat “Deke if you say that Schmitt is qualified then he is qualified”
“Ok that leaves you Pete, After Young gets done with Apollo 10 he will be the backup commander for 13 and the rest of the backup crew will be Mattingly as the Command Module pilot and Haise as the Lunar Module pilot. Any questions?”
“Ok great, now good luck on all your missions, don’t fuck up and make me look bad for picking you guys. Remember this assignment isn’t official so don’t talk about it yet. Now get out of my office, Al can you stay a moment I need to talk to you.”
After Gus and Pete left, Al walked over and shut Deke’s door.
“So what can I do for you Deke?”
“Al, I have a problem with “Gordo” (Gordon Cooper), I had assigned him as backup on Apollo 7 and with all the chaos Schirra caused on his flight I probably would have been better of sending Gordo up instead of Schirra”
Al grimaced as he remembered that flight. Schirra flight was to the first test of the Block II Command and Service module in Earth Orbit before the flight of Apollo 8 which was going all the way to the moon. It had originally been discussed if the flight was really needed. The Block I Command and Service Module had already been tested twice in Earth Orbit during Apollo 1 and 2. However with all the problems with the Block I. Al remembered he had to threaten to resign before people started paying attention to all the issues in the Block 1, that thing was a death trap before he insisted that all the issues get corrected, starting with the wiring. With all those problems in mind with the Block I, NASA Management had decided that a test flight in Earth Orbit was called for it was decided that Schirra would be the commander with Cernan as the Command module pilot and rookie Schweickart as Lunar Module Pilot.
Schirra got a head cold during the mission and he then passed on that cold to Schweickart who also got violent case of motion sickness during the early part of the mission. He had no idea how Cernan didn’t get the cold but Cernan got caught in the crossfire between Houston and Schirra. Schirra openly talked back to Houston and was insubordinate. At several points, Schweickart also started arguing with Houston. Deke was getting more and more frustrated with Schirra’s behavior. Deke finally took over at CAPCOM to try and get Schirra to stop being so argumentative on the radio with Houston. However even that didn’t stop Schirra and when Cernan volunteered to turn on a TV Camera that Houston asked to be turned on and Schirra didn’t want to be turned on. Schirra then preceded to verbally berate Cernan for over a minute on an open mike. The final straw was during re-entry when Houston wanted the astronauts to wear their pressure suits and helmets during re-entry and Schirra didn’t want do. Well Cernan was the only one of the 3 that wore his helmet and pressure suit during re-entry. After that mission Schirra, decided to retire. Which was good because Deke wanted to fire his ass. Kris Kraft was so upset that he didn’t want any of the astronauts from Apollo 7 to ever fly again. However Deke persuaded Kraft that Cernan wasn’t to blame and he would place Schweickart in a non-flight position for a couple of years so he could learn some better judgment.
Al came out of this thoughts and he looked up at Deke “Let me guess “Gordo” is not taking the training seriously?”
Deke nodded his head “Gordo is a great pilot and the job that he did during his Mercury Mission when he had to do a manual re-entry was absolutely superb. However the Apollo capsule is much more complicated than either the Mercury or Gemini capsules. He thinks that if he doesn’t know something he can just fall back on his pilot skills and that will not work with the Apollo capsule. He thinks he is going to the Moon but I cannot send him to the Moon when he doesn’t take the training seriously. I am going to need to tell him as of right now he is not on a Moon mission. If he starts taking things more seriously I could think about sending him as a Lunar Module Pilot but he is not anywhere near ready for that let alone a Commander position.”
Al looked at Deke “Gordo is going to be pissed but you have to do what is best and we cannot send him a ¼ Million miles to the Moon with him thinking that he can manually fly the capsule. He will kill himself and the other 2 crew members.”
“Thanks Al I appreciate your input. What are you going to say when you first step on the Moon”
Al winked at Deke “I am sure I will come up with something to remember” Al stood up and shook Deke’s hand.
Hold on a second Al before you leave “I need you to do be at the Cape with me on January 10th. I know you have a lot of work to get ready for 11 but Kennedy is coming to the Cape as his last official trip as President. I want you there to show him around. NASA can always use some good PR and the press will be out in force. I will be making the official announcement for the crew of Apollo 11. Collins and White will also be there. So make sure your crew is spiffed up and presentable. “
Al smiled “We will be there and will be presentable” Al then turned and left Deke’s office.
Deke sat at his desk and looked at the ceiling for several minutes. He then activated his intercom and told his secretary to get a hold of Gordo Cooper and ask him to come by his office. This was going to be long afternoon.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=301014
"Prologue"
January 4, 1969 outside Deke Slayton’s office at the NASA Space Center in Houston.
Pete Conrad was mulling over in his mind why Deke had asked him to come by his office this afternoon. He figured it would be for upcoming crew assignments. As a veteran of Gemini 5 and 11 he figured he would be in the running for a commander position for one of the initial moon landing mission behind Al and Gus. He was the backup Commander for Apollo 10 so he had a good shot to be the commander for 13. As he neared the office it was confirmed that it was something about the upcoming landings because both Al and Gus where outside Deke’s office. Al was standing and pacing with some annoyance in his eyes at having to wait and Gus was sitting in a chair trying to pretend he was more interested in the Life Magazine than what was happening around him. Al smiled at Pete as he approached and nodded at him. Big Al didn’t have many friends and Pete counted himself lucky that he was a friend of Al. Al and Pete had known each other from Navy Test Pilot’s school and respected each other’s flying abilities. It was Al who convinced Pete to apply again for the astronaut program after the incident during the selection of the first group of NASA astronauts “The Mercury 7”. Pete had gotten so fed up with all the invasive medical tests that he dumped a full enema bag on the desk of the clinic’s commanding officer and walked out. Needless to say he got a recommendation of not being suitable for space flight.
“So Al, do you think that Deke was short for a foursome at the golf course and needed our help?” – Al paused his pacing and then laughed at Pete’s comment.
Gus looked up at Al and Pete and was glad to see Pete here because for the last 5 minutes Al had been pacing and getting more upset at having to wait for Deke. He stood up and shook Pete’s hand. He knew Pete was really busy in training as the backup commander for Apollo 10.
“How is the training going for 10 Conrad?”
“It is going real well, even though Stafford has a rookie in Haise. However, Haise is really sharp and knows his stuff, and you know Young, he is quiet but he is really good at what he does”
Gus knew that already about Young, he had flown with him on Gemini 6 when Young had become the second American to walk in space, and he remembered how calm John was even when he was traversing over to the Gemini 7 capsule to retrieve an exposure experiment on the capsule. John was so cool and collective that he made being an astronaut look easy when it wasn’t. Gus got along really well with John and he was disappointed that with him flying on Apollo 10 that he wouldn’t be flying on another mission anytime soon with Gus.
“Yeah and Haise is probably the best out of Group 5. What did John call them again Pete?”
“He called them “The Original 19” Gus. It is a parody of the Mercury 7. John does have a funny sense of humor”
“Yeah that is true Pete”
Just then Deke Slayton, their boss came walking up. Deke opened the door to his office and smiled and motioned all of them to come in.
“Take a seat guys, sorry I was a little late. As you know the end of the decade is fast approaching and we still have a lot of work to do if we are going to keep Kennedy’s promise to land on the moon before the end of the year. The beginning of March we are going to launch Apollo 9 with McDivitt, Scott, and Bean and they are going to test out the Lunar Module in Earth Orbit. In May Apollo 10 is going to take the Lunar Module all the way to the moon and Stafford and Haise are going to go take it to within 50,000 feet of the lunar surface to test it out while Young stays in the Command module. If all this goes according to plan, which is a big if then the Apollo 11 crew will get the first shoot at landing in July. Al you are going to command 11 and your Command Module Pilot will be Collins and your Lunar Module Pilot will be White. So that means White and you will be the first astronauts to walk on the moon, if you can make the landing.” Deke smiled at Al as he lighted his cigar.
Al, Gus and Pete all looked at each other. Pete was the first to reach out his hand
“Congrats Al, try to not trip on the ladder while climbing down”. Gus also shook Al’s hand.
“Don’t worry Al” As Gus slapped Al’s back “If you guys on 11 cannot hack it then I am sure that one of us can handle being the first to land” Al narrowed his eye at Pete and Gus
“You guys can both screw yourselves; I am going to land, long before you two Assholes”
Deke raised his hand to get back control of his meeting
“OK guys there will be plenty of work for the next several years and many opportunities to walk on the moon in future missions. “Deke paused because he knew that whoever first walked on the Moon would be in the history books and it wouldn’t just be another missions ” With Kennedy’s push for more science on the moon landings and not just planting the flag and collecting a few rocks and then going home, we have a lot of work. Right now we got missions and hardware being built for landings out through Apollo 25. Anyway Gus you are commanding Apollo 12, your command module pilot will be Chaffee and your Lunar Module pilot will be Armstrong.”
Gus nodded his head. His crew will also be an all veteran crew. At least he didn’t get Aldrin, that guy talked way too much about rendezvous in space and orbital mechanics. Aldrin was known as Dr. Rendezvous around the astronaut office. “Sounds good Deke we will be ready” Gus paused and looked over at Al “In case Shepard has a problem”
Deke smiled and pointed his finger at Conrad
“Pete, I didn’t forget about you. You will be Commanding Apollo 13 with Gordon as your Command Module Pilot and your Lunar Module Pilot will be Cunningham. You will be all training for the same landing spot in the Sea of Tranquility. So 11 gets the first shot in July, if “Deke pauses and looks at Al” IF Al cannot make the landing then 12 gets a shot at landing in September. If 12 cannot make the landing then 13 gets to make a try in December for the first landing. “
Deke paused and looked over everyone.
“That being said, I know that we really want to make Kennedy’s goal and have him personally congratulate us. However it is more important that all of you come back alive. That is why we have 3 tries here. If 11 does land, then the landing sites and launches dates for 12 and 13 will change and be pushed back. Apollo 12 will then probably launch in November and the target landing site will be the Ocean of Storms. Apollo 12 will become the first H mission with 2 EVA’s and will try to land near enough to Surveyor 3 that we can remove a few parts and bring back to see what long term Lunar exposure does to an object. Apollo 13 will then probably launch around April next year and there is discussion that 13 will be the first landing with a major emphasis on science. “Deke paused and looked at Pete and smiled “That will mean a lot more science training for you Pete”.
Pete grimaced because he already knew that he had trouble staying awake during the Geology training.
Al looked over at Pete
“We are going to have to get you a white lab-coat Pete instead of a flight suit”.
Pete scratched an itch on his face with his middle finger pointed at Al.
“Ok guys” Deke put his hand up
“Just letting you know that we have solid future plans beyond just the initial landings” Deke paused because he knew that wasn’t always the case. He knew that just recently as 18 months ago it had been planned that only enough Saturn V’s would be produced to support a limited number of missions. The entire Saturn V production line would be shut down after only 15 rockets being built. However in 1967 Kenned had made a push to cement his legacy as the first space president and he had sat down with James Webb (The head of NASA) and had plotted a course through the 70’s for lunar exploration and eventually a lunar base. Von Braun had made a push to go all the way to Mars and Deke knew that this would have been an incredible journey. However Webb and Kennedy had realized that the support wasn’t there for such a massive budget that a Mars mission would have required. Kennedy knew he could get long term support for an overall NASA budget of around 2-2.5% of the overall Federal budget. However the support wasn’t there for the funding levels of the last several years. In 1966 NASA funding had peaked at over 4% of the Federal Budget. Already new versions of the massive F-1 engine and the smaller J-2 engine where being developed and tested, a new Block III command and service module and a new Lunar Module that the Grumman people promised would allow stays for up to 2-weeks on the surface. All this would hopefully allow the establishment of permanent base on the Moon by the mid 1970’s. Kennedy was intrigued by the idea of being able to look at the Moon in the night sky and knowing that humans were up their working and making discoveries. Kennedy had even mentioned that he would love to eventually go the moon on a vacation. He had laughed it off as ridiculous but Webb had told Deke that he really thinks that Kennedy was serious. Deke grimaced to himself and realized that he also wanted to walk on the Moon, however he knew that wasn’t possible unless somehow his erratic heart rate somehow disappeared. The Moon was funny that way how it kind of captured your imagination. He looked over at Al, Gus and Pete and thought about how lucky he was to work with such an elite group of pilots.
“Ok guys that leads us into backup crews. Al you will have Lovell backing you up as Commander with Cernan as the Command Module Pilot and Aldrin as the Lunar Module Pilot.”
Al grimaced to himself. He would have to make sure that White stays healthy because there is no way he would want to go to the moon with Aldrin.
Pete spoke up “Hey how come Al gets “shaky” Lovell as his backup Commander, I wanted Lovell to back me up?”
“I didn’t want to put Lovell through that torture Pete. Who knows what you would do to him”
Pete laughs “That is true Deke”
“Ok so now that is settled, Gus you will have Scott as your backup Commander with Worden as the Command Module Pilot and Schmitt as the Lunar Module Pilot” Deke paused as both Al, Gus and Pete looked at Deke with a shocked look on their faces “I know what you guys are thinking, however Kennedy wants an emphasis on science after the first couple of missions. With Schmitt as the backup Lunar Module Pilot on 12 that means he will be on the prime crew for 15. You guys don’t know this yet but if your missions go well, Apollo 15 will be the first extended duration J mission with a modified Lunar Module for an extended stay on the surface, a Lunar Rover and a total of 3 EVA’s over a 3-day stay on the lunar surface. No offense to you guys “Deke paused and looked at the 3 astronauts” Schmitt is a Geologist and has become a good pilot from the feedback that I am getting while he was in Pilot training. If we really want to learn about the moon. We need to get some scientists to the Moon and Schmitt is a good guy. I wouldn’t have hired him if he wasn’t and if I say he is qualified he is qualified” Deke paused “Any concerns or questions” Deke stared at the 3 astronauts
Al cleared his throat “Deke if you say that Schmitt is qualified then he is qualified”
“Ok that leaves you Pete, After Young gets done with Apollo 10 he will be the backup commander for 13 and the rest of the backup crew will be Mattingly as the Command Module pilot and Haise as the Lunar Module pilot. Any questions?”
“Ok great, now good luck on all your missions, don’t fuck up and make me look bad for picking you guys. Remember this assignment isn’t official so don’t talk about it yet. Now get out of my office, Al can you stay a moment I need to talk to you.”
After Gus and Pete left, Al walked over and shut Deke’s door.
“So what can I do for you Deke?”
“Al, I have a problem with “Gordo” (Gordon Cooper), I had assigned him as backup on Apollo 7 and with all the chaos Schirra caused on his flight I probably would have been better of sending Gordo up instead of Schirra”
Al grimaced as he remembered that flight. Schirra flight was to the first test of the Block II Command and Service module in Earth Orbit before the flight of Apollo 8 which was going all the way to the moon. It had originally been discussed if the flight was really needed. The Block I Command and Service Module had already been tested twice in Earth Orbit during Apollo 1 and 2. However with all the problems with the Block I. Al remembered he had to threaten to resign before people started paying attention to all the issues in the Block 1, that thing was a death trap before he insisted that all the issues get corrected, starting with the wiring. With all those problems in mind with the Block I, NASA Management had decided that a test flight in Earth Orbit was called for it was decided that Schirra would be the commander with Cernan as the Command module pilot and rookie Schweickart as Lunar Module Pilot.
Schirra got a head cold during the mission and he then passed on that cold to Schweickart who also got violent case of motion sickness during the early part of the mission. He had no idea how Cernan didn’t get the cold but Cernan got caught in the crossfire between Houston and Schirra. Schirra openly talked back to Houston and was insubordinate. At several points, Schweickart also started arguing with Houston. Deke was getting more and more frustrated with Schirra’s behavior. Deke finally took over at CAPCOM to try and get Schirra to stop being so argumentative on the radio with Houston. However even that didn’t stop Schirra and when Cernan volunteered to turn on a TV Camera that Houston asked to be turned on and Schirra didn’t want to be turned on. Schirra then preceded to verbally berate Cernan for over a minute on an open mike. The final straw was during re-entry when Houston wanted the astronauts to wear their pressure suits and helmets during re-entry and Schirra didn’t want do. Well Cernan was the only one of the 3 that wore his helmet and pressure suit during re-entry. After that mission Schirra, decided to retire. Which was good because Deke wanted to fire his ass. Kris Kraft was so upset that he didn’t want any of the astronauts from Apollo 7 to ever fly again. However Deke persuaded Kraft that Cernan wasn’t to blame and he would place Schweickart in a non-flight position for a couple of years so he could learn some better judgment.
Al came out of this thoughts and he looked up at Deke “Let me guess “Gordo” is not taking the training seriously?”
Deke nodded his head “Gordo is a great pilot and the job that he did during his Mercury Mission when he had to do a manual re-entry was absolutely superb. However the Apollo capsule is much more complicated than either the Mercury or Gemini capsules. He thinks that if he doesn’t know something he can just fall back on his pilot skills and that will not work with the Apollo capsule. He thinks he is going to the Moon but I cannot send him to the Moon when he doesn’t take the training seriously. I am going to need to tell him as of right now he is not on a Moon mission. If he starts taking things more seriously I could think about sending him as a Lunar Module Pilot but he is not anywhere near ready for that let alone a Commander position.”
Al looked at Deke “Gordo is going to be pissed but you have to do what is best and we cannot send him a ¼ Million miles to the Moon with him thinking that he can manually fly the capsule. He will kill himself and the other 2 crew members.”
“Thanks Al I appreciate your input. What are you going to say when you first step on the Moon”
Al winked at Deke “I am sure I will come up with something to remember” Al stood up and shook Deke’s hand.
Hold on a second Al before you leave “I need you to do be at the Cape with me on January 10th. I know you have a lot of work to get ready for 11 but Kennedy is coming to the Cape as his last official trip as President. I want you there to show him around. NASA can always use some good PR and the press will be out in force. I will be making the official announcement for the crew of Apollo 11. Collins and White will also be there. So make sure your crew is spiffed up and presentable. “
Al smiled “We will be there and will be presentable” Al then turned and left Deke’s office.
Deke sat at his desk and looked at the ceiling for several minutes. He then activated his intercom and told his secretary to get a hold of Gordo Cooper and ask him to come by his office. This was going to be long afternoon.
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