num_pages: 288
description: Chief engineer Thomas J. Kelly gives a firsthand account of designing building testing and flying the Apollo lunar module. It was he writes an aerospace engineer's dream job of the century. Kelly's account begins with the imaginative process of sketching solutions to a host of technical challenges with an emphasis on safety reliability and maintainability. He catalogs numerous test failures including propulsion-system leaks ascent-engine instability stress corrosion of the aluminum alloy parts and battery problems as well as their fixes under the ever-present constraints of budget and schedule. He also recaptures the exhilaration of hearing Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong report that The Eagle has landed and the pride of having inadvertently provided a vital lifeboat for the crew of the disabled Apollo 13.
language: English
title: Moon Lander: How We Developed the Apollo Lunar Module
publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press