Man on the Moon: the technology of lunar exploration

Spurred on by President John F. Kennedy´s 1961 speech, which challenged America to place a man on the Moon before the end of the decade, NASA and its industrial contractors succeeded in doing so in July 1969. Delivering three astronauts to the vicinity of the Moon was challenge enough in those early days of the Space Age, but landing a crew on the lunar surface, supporting their science and exploration activities, and returning them to the relative safety of lunar orbit was a separate, equally difficult challenge. The solutions, in the shape of the Apollo lunar module and lunar roving vehicle, are the subjects of this article. Lunar module design and mass reduction are discussed. Power supply and power processing for the lunar module is discussed. The lunar rover is then described with particular emphasis on navigation, operation and performance.