SPACECRAFT - National Science Teachers Association (circa 1961)

SPACECRAFT by James J. Haggerty, Jr. was published by Scholastic Book Services in 1961. SPACECRAFT was a joint project of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Since SPACECRAFT was authored shortly after President John Kennedy set forth the goal of a manned lunar landing by January 1, 1970, early thinking regarding the best approach to landing men on the Moon is discussed and sketched. Pages 106 and 107 are especially noteworthy. Page 107 depicts a "Lunar-Landing Configuration" for the spacecraft which is to be launched by the Nova class (12 million pound booster) launch system. The artist's conception of the "LEM-less" craft is exceptional. Not many publications in this time period predicted what the landing configuration might entail.