No LEM

[karl2025]

The Lunar Excursion Module was a vehicle deployed from a spacecraft in lunar orbit to drop down to the moon, allow the astronauts to parade around and return. It was very complex, but saved a lot of weight which was the main problem with spacecraft even today.

But within NASA the idea had seemed laughable and was almost not brought up at all, with the traditional mindset of landing the entire spacecraft on the moon and returning to earth that way.

What if NASA never adopted this idea, or if it were delayed slightly so that it would not be ready for the 1969 deadline? With the much more difficult task of landing an entire spaceship on the moon would America still beat Russia to the surface?

 

[Michel Van]

oh lot of WAT IF

WI: lunar orbit rendezvous lost against Earth orbit rendezvous
John Houbolt almost lost his LOR proposal.
because Marshall Space Flight Center stubbornly to EOR

WI: Apollo is Replace by Gemini Direct landing after Apollo 1 Fire in 1967.
McDonnell had "Gemini Lunar Surface Rescue Spacecraft" study in 1966
build out Gemini hardware and LEM parts and Launch by Saturn V
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/gemcraft.htm
First Lunar Landing around 1970/71 (need 3 year to build and test this craft)

WI: Grumman LEM make in to Orbit with Apollo 8 Mission but has to much Bugs
WI: Apollo 10 Problems with LEM another Test Flight is made with Apollo 11
in that case not Neil A. Armstrong but Charles "pete" Conrad steps on Moon
Whoopie! Man, that may have been a small one for me, but that's a long one for mankind.
(adaptet from his famos quote)

And USSR ?
OTL they were no near to Launch a Lunar Mission in 1969
N-1 booster Explode during launch, Soyuz 7K-L3 LOK and Lunniy Korabl Lander
exist only as test model no as komplet operational Craft
and the Soyuz Rendevous Computer were just junk
with getting the Bugs out they had made sovjet Lunar Landing in 1973/74
only a major disater or Cancellation of Apollo Program give USSR chance to land first.

WI: Chelomei's direct-landing LK-700 wins over Korolev's L3 (Soyuz 7K-L3 LOK & LK
(in Case Nikita Khrushchev stay as First Secretary)
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/lk700.htm
http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/ur700.htm
The LK-700 use UR-700 build from Proton rocket parts.
with program start in 1963 Chelomei's UR-700 first launch 1968/69
wat for a race to Moon: Apollo 11 vrs LK-700 mission 2 how land first.