Fantasy Science Fiction (November 1953 Issue)

A second approach employed a separate lunar landing vehicle which required a much smaller Earth launch rocket. The LUNAR ORBIT RENDEZVOUS approach employed two manned vehicles, a ferry ship called the Command Module and a two man lander named the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM). While the command ship orbited overhead, the LEM would land on the Moon returning to the command ship for the return trip to Earth. A related approach which was proposed by von Braun included an Earth orbiting satellite or space station which would serve as a staging area for the trip to the Moon. This approach would require smaller Earth booster rockets because multiple trips to the space station would be used to build the lunar vehicles.

The craft pictured above has elements of the DIRECT ASCENT approach and the space station scenario for landing men on the Moon.