Moon Lander: How We Developed the Apollo Lunar Module

Kelly, Thomas J.

ISBN 10: 156098998X / ISBN 13: 9781560989981

Published by Smithsonian Institution Press, U. S. A., 2001

About this Item

The dust jajcket is in a clear, protective, cover. Pages are clean, tight and bright. The dust jacket's original price is still intact.

Seller Inventory # 6020326

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Moon Lander: How We Developed the Apollo Lunar Module
• Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press, U. S. A.
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 156098998X
• ISBN 13: 9781560989981
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Illustrated B&W Photographs
• Edition: Later Edition.
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Airplanes, Aeronautics, Aviation, Planes.
  • History-American

About this title

Synopsis

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.

About the Author

The recipient of a Grumman Engineering Scholarship upon graduating from high school, Thomas J. Kelly worked for the company for more than forty years, retiring in 1992. Now an aerospace and computer consultant, he lives in Cutchogue, New York.