Houbolt, one of the unsung heroes of the Apollo Program
Houbolt, one of the unsung heroes of the Apollo Program
John Houbolt was never a household name, but given his contributions to the Apollo Program, he should have been. As a member of of Lunar Mission Steering Group, Houbolt had been studying various technical aspects of space rendezvous since 1959 and was convinced, like several others at Langley Research Center, that lunar-orbit rendezvous (LOR) was not only the most feasible way to make it to the moon, it was the only way. At the time many scientists thought the only way to achieve a lunar landing was to either build a giant rocket twice the size of the Saturn V or to launch multiple Saturn Vs to assemble the lunar ship in Earth orbit.
Houbolt, one of the unsung heroes of the Apollo Program, died April 16, 2014, at the age of 95.
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