alternatehistory.com
Apollo 8 - part 2
August 20, 1968
George Low tried to relax in his office. That handful of vacation days in the Caribbean had been delightful – in July but was already so far way ! He had been working ninety hours a week since the Apollo fire, replacing poor Joe Shea that had suffered a nervous breakdown; the man had literally destroyed himself during the investigation.
The last three days had been exhausting; he could see how Sam Philips face was marked.
Doesn’t matter,the decision had been made.
Philips and Paine had phoned to Vienna to discuss the tentative Apollo 8 lunar mission with Webb and Mueller.
Webb wanted to think about it, and requested further information by diplomatic carrier. He had been shocked and fairly negative. So Paine and Philips sent Webb a lengthy discourse on why the mission should be changed.
“He will change his mind with a successful Apollo 7 mission.” Philips told Low. “By the way, Mueller sided with us. He now agree the plan, with reserve. No full announcement will be made until after the Apollo 7 flight; then, it will be announced that Saturn V number three will be manned and possible missions are being studied, but still no mention of a flight around the Moon. Meanwhile an internal document will be prepared for a planned lunar orbit for December.“
Talk about shift in plans. That third Saturn V - it was first to fly unmanned, then to carry a whole lunar stack around Earth. Then we moved the mission to a lunar orbit, before dropping the lunar module since it was not yet ready. George Low realized.
And then the signification of it stroke him.
He had essentially make the novel Around the Moon real.
Jules Verne, nous voilà !
George Low tried to relax in his office. That handful of vacation days in the Caribbean had been delightful – in July but was already so far way ! He had been working ninety hours a week since the Apollo fire, replacing poor Joe Shea that had suffered a nervous breakdown; the man had literally destroyed himself during the investigation.
The last three days had been exhausting; he could see how Sam Philips face was marked.
Doesn’t matter,the decision had been made.
Philips and Paine had phoned to Vienna to discuss the tentative Apollo 8 lunar mission with Webb and Mueller.
Webb wanted to think about it, and requested further information by diplomatic carrier. He had been shocked and fairly negative. So Paine and Philips sent Webb a lengthy discourse on why the mission should be changed.
“He will change his mind with a successful Apollo 7 mission.” Philips told Low. “By the way, Mueller sided with us. He now agree the plan, with reserve. No full announcement will be made until after the Apollo 7 flight; then, it will be announced that Saturn V number three will be manned and possible missions are being studied, but still no mention of a flight around the Moon. Meanwhile an internal document will be prepared for a planned lunar orbit for December.“
Talk about shift in plans. That third Saturn V - it was first to fly unmanned, then to carry a whole lunar stack around Earth. Then we moved the mission to a lunar orbit, before dropping the lunar module since it was not yet ready. George Low realized.
And then the signification of it stroke him.
He had essentially make the novel Around the Moon real.
Jules Verne, nous voilà !
- Archibald
- Word Count: 290