J.F. Kennedy Survive also the Apollo Program ?

Fact is that Apollo program was consider Kennedy Legacy after he was murder in 1963
So Capitol Hill keep it running until 1967 NASA budget went over top
Then in July 1968 President Johnson stop the Saturn IB and Saturn V production, killing the Program
Under Nixon the program run until most Saturn V were use up.

Now what if Kennedy survived Dallas in 1963, Would the Apollo Program continue or be shut down ?
This is quite realistic
see how the Space Exploration Initiative died do lack of support and hostile reaction of capitol Hill
Or the Constellation Program that died after 4 years.

now the Question is will Apollo go on or reduce form or shut down ?
(Under assumption that Soviet program run like OTL in failure)
 

Archibald

Banned
This is a good question ! From my readings of top U.S space historians, it looks as if (as of 62-63) JFK was not a suporter of Apollo and felt he had cornered himself in a dead end. It is just like "Vietnam or not ? hard to answer ! since the JFK archives are under strict control of the family for at least decades...
 
Interesting Archibald

Kennedy had to act on Soviet success in space, so under this aspect look Apollo really as necessary evil
On Vietnam it was JFK who escalate things in South Vietnam by ordering the assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem the president of republic of Vietnam.
I guess that after 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident the Kennedy administration would react same like under Johnson.
here Kennedy could reduce Apollo program budget do escalating cost of Vietnam War.
 

Archibald

Banned
a great TL would be JFK not assassinated and carrying on his proposal of a joint lunar program with the Soviets...

Contrary to public perception

and stephen baxter (Voyage) but he didn't had internet to ease the research back in 1994 when he started writting his novel :p
 
a great TL would be JFK not assassinated and carrying on his proposal of a joint lunar program with the Soviets...

Then Congress in all likelihood would cut the budget for that, and turn it into a massive embarrassment for JFK, which would probably see him lose the 1964 Presidential Election.
 
a great TL would be JFK not assassinated and carrying on his proposal of a joint lunar program with the Soviets...
and stephen baxter (Voyage) but he didn't had internet to ease the research back in 1994 when he started writting his novel :p

It unlikely that Soviets would accepted the Offer in 1963/64

Then Congress in all likelihood would cut the budget for that, and turn it into a massive embarrassment for JFK, which would probably see him lose the 1964 Presidential Election.

More realistic, but i think JFK would win the 1964 Presidential Election do the assassination attempt in Dallas
 
Kennedy was (thanks to CIA) good informed about condition of Soviet Space program and there failure
During 1965 US overtake the Space Race with Gemini program vs Vostok/Voskhod Program of USSR.
Follow of dead of chief constructor Korolev trowing the L3-Program into Chaos from 1966 on.

Now how could JFK shut/Scale down the Apollo Program ?
He could start NASA budget cuts from 1965 on, in favor of escalating cost of Vietnam War.
A excellent opportunity would be the 1967 Apollo One fire as reason to shutdown the program.
Alternative would a Gemini lunar fly-by with Saturn IB-Centaur or Titan IIIC Transstage take place.
or scale down Apollo program with only five flights: test flight and one Lunar landing, just to keep promise JFK made 1961.
 
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