Evening star., 1961-09-16

makes no sense q all.
His opinion is representa-
tive of a growing group OF
space experts. They believe
that getting to the moon ano
back by 1869 presents enough
problems without adding g
4,500-ton monster like Nova
AS planned, the 300-foot-tal
rocket, As feet in diameter al
its base, would have a cluster
of eight 1.5-million- pound en-
gines in it's first stage ano
two in the second, plus upper
stages.
This concept is perfectly
ridiculous" Mr.. Dempsey says
Its too big to do anything
with later, after you have gone
to the moon, and you don't
really need it to get there"
Space Rendezvous
Mr.. Dempsey and many
others believe the way to &c
to the moon is in two Jumps
rather than one, via a rem
devious in space. His concept
differs from others in detail
but is typical of the anti-Novs
attitude.
Mr.. Dempsey would build an
advanced version of the Saturn
booster, whose "C-1" configu-
ration will make its first test
flight this fall. This Saturn
Ca" would contain a cluster
of four FL engines (6 million
pounds thrust) in the first
stage, and a cluster of four
J-2 hydrogen-oxygen engines
100000 pounds) in the Sec
ond stage.
The Dempsey moon mission
would employ two Cas-, each
carrying a substantial payload
One would lift into orbit the
engines and fuel for the moon
ward part of the trip. The
other would carry the lunar
landing spacecraft, its crew,
and propulsion for the moon
to-earth return trip. The pro-
pulsion package would go up
first, so as not to risk the
men unnecessarily until the
other half of the system was
in orbit.
You would assemble the
various packages on the
ground and check them out
on the ground" Mr.. Dempsey
says. "All the assembly you
would do in orbit is simple
and accomplished by electrical
and mechanical means. There
would be no complicated fuel
transfer maneuverS, no need
for a lot of men with wrenches
floating around in space try
ing to put things together"
Not In Program
This concept involves a rem
devious maneuver which is not
now a part Of the moon pro-
gram, but as Mr.. Dempsey
says, if you can't rendezvous
with something 800 miles up,
you can't rendezvous with the
moon, 240,000 miles away.
Harry Ruppe, one OF
Wernher Won Braun'S scientists
at Huntsville, Ala, believes a
year or possibly two could be
shaved off the current sched-
ules for a moon landing by
perfecting the orbital rendez-
vous technique. This would not
only give this country a fight
ing chance to beat the Russians
reported target date of late
1867, but certainly it appears
cheaper than the other way" !"
Mr.. Ruppe says,
The rendezvous technique
would not eliminate one COM
plexity - the Nova - only to
substitute another. Rendezvous
techniques will be developed in
the years Immediately ahead,
regardless of what is done
about Nova. 1t is a basic part
of future space operations, in
the opinion of both NASA and
military planners. An "orbital
docking test" is scheduled by
NASA for 1864, to try out
rendezvous techniques. The Air
Force meanwhile is working on
a project ("SaintO alon g
similar lines.
Another idea-rendeZvous-
ing on the moon instead of
in orbits favored by the
Radio Corp. of America. DR..
Spencer w. Spaulding, RCA's
manager of lunar and plane
tary system. has suggested
using Saturn's C-3 version to
land material on the moon
for eventual assembly into an
earth return We ehicle. C-3,
scheduled to be flying in 1865
or '66. would be based on two
1.5-million-pound FL Nova
type engines.
I'VE believe the way to do
it is send the men UP in a
non-returnable rocket after the
wherewithal for return has
been put up and is waiting
for them," DR.. Spaulding says.