Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in ... - The Black Vault

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Project Apollo: Americans to the Moon
GD/A submitted a cost proposal that was considered best. Like Martin,
its estimate of cost was considered both realistic and reasonable. Although
they clearly made the best business management proposal, the other offerors
all rated sufficiently high in this area to lead the board to the conclusion that
the technical aspects should be the controlling consideration. With the weakest
technical showing, GD/A is not considered a desirable source.
General Electric Company was rated fourth overall resulting from a third
place rating in Business Management and fourth place ratings in both Technical
Approach and Qualifications. GE’S middle rating in Business resulted from having
excellent facilities and a willingness to invest heavily of company funds. The GE/
MSVD experience in managing systems of the scope of Apollo was lacking, and
their management and program organizations were considered weaker than top
proposers. GE made the highest cost proposal. This was considered by the board
to be a true reflection of the [16] layering of fees, the duplication of effort, and
the extra, complexity associated with the far-flung large team organization they
proposed. For this reason, the GE team was not considered a desirable source.
McDonnell Aircraft Corporation rated lowest in overall rating. Although
MAC rated a close second in Technical Approach, it rated third in Technical
Qualifications. MAC proposed the second highest cost. With a team approach
quite similar to that of GE’s, MAC was also considered by the board to be a high
cost producer. For these reasons, MAC did not appear to be a desirable source
despite its high relative rating in the Technical Approach area.
Document II-21
Document Title: Joseph F. Shea, Deputy Director for Systems, Office of Manned
Space Flight, to Director of Aerospace Medicine and Director of Spacecraft and
Flight Missions, “Selection and Training of Apollo Crew Members,” 29 March 1962.
Source: Folder 18675, NASA Historical Reference Collection, History Division,
NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.
As NASA began detailed scientific planning for Apollo, one issue was whether to expand the
astronaut corps, which to that point had been limited to accomplished test pilots, to include
professional scientists as astronauts. This memorandum solicits the views of key NASA human
spaceflight offices on this question. NASA decided to recruit scientist astronauts for Apollo, but
only one, Dr. Harrison Schmitt, flew, on Apollo 17, the final Apollo mission to the Moon.
To: Director of Aerospace Medicine March 29, 1962
Director of Spaceflight & Flight Missions
From:
Joseph F. Shea
Re: Selection and Training of Apollo Crew Members
At the request of the Office of Systems, the NASA Space Science
Steering Committee has established an ad hoc group to recommend scientific