The Apollo disaster in January plunged the U.S. space program into an agonizing interregnum of introspection and doubt. Last week the nation's space leaders made it plain that the time has come to focus once more on the moon. America's hopes of a lunar landing by 1970 can still be realized, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Chief James E. Webb told Congress, barring any recurrence of major technical problems.
As insurance against further delays, NASA has undertaken $75 million worth of common-sense improvements since the Apollo fire. The astronauts' space suits have been made fireproof, flammable substance in the capsule has been replaced with fire-resistant material wherever possible, and a new escape hatch has been designed that opens in three seconds (v. 90 in the old model). Loose wiring, the likeliest cause of the tragedy, has been encased in metal. Despite the fire hazards, NASA decided to retain the relatively simple atmospheric system that feeds pure oxygen to the astronauts while in orbit, rather than switch to the safer, heavyweight two-gas system used by the Russians.
Direct Voice. To emphasize the space agency's go-go attitude, Webb named the U.S.'s new team selected to land on the moon: Navy Captain Walter Schirra, 44, a veteran of both Mercury and Gemini space flights, and two space tyros, Major Donn Eisele, 36, and Civilian Scientist Walter Cunningham, 35. The three will not only fly the Apollo but—unlike previous crews—will also have a voice in its design and construction. "We'll fly the spacecraft when we, the crew, think it is ready," said Schirra at a press conference at the North American Aviation plant in Downey, Calif., where the Apollo is being built.
Three unmanned Apollo launches will be held this year, in September, October and December. The first manned shot with Schirra and his crew is set for next March—13 months behind the pre-tragedy schedule. However, NASA planners are hopeful that advances in spacecraft design and the lessons learned from the fire will make up for lost time and put the program back on schedule by 1969.
No Paeans. Despite what Schirra called the new "cando" atmosphere in the space program, the reverberations of the Jan. 27 tragedy are still being felt. Appearing before the House NASA Oversight Subcommittee and the Senate Space Committee last week, Webb got none of the accustomed paeans; instead, he was nettled at being forced into an embarrassing admission and roundly castigated by several legislators.