Apollo: The Race To The Moon

by Catherine Bly Cox

John Paup, North American’s program manager for the Apollo spacecraft, found himself in an awkward situation. North American, holding the main contract for the command and service module, had a corporate interest in earth-orbit rendezvous. If earth-orbit rendezvous were chosen, presumably North American would build the expanded spacecraft. If, on the other hand, lunar-orbit rendezvous was chosen, there was a good chance that a separate contract for the lunar lander would be written and that some company other than North American would get it. Paup and Harrison Storms, general manager of North American’s Space Division, had been stubbornly arguing for earth-orbit rendezvous and resisting every suggestion that the command and service module might have to be adapted for an L.O.R. mission. But now Paup had to wonder whether it made sense to keep on fighting it. Abruptly, he spoke into the silence: “I’ve heard all these good things about lunar-orbit rendezvous,” he said. “I’d like to hear what sonofabitch thinks it isn’t the right thing to do.”