"Derek Lyons" wrote in message
...
(Kieran A. Carroll) wrote:
That's where the modular concept for Apollo came from, since some
missions would need things that others wouldn't, and with a modular
concept you could keep what you needed from the basic concept
for a given mission, without having to carry along massive things you
didn't need.

The problem with this statement is... There is nothing modular about
the Apollo spacecraft. The CSM is a matched pair always and forever.

The CM computer definitely started out as modular, with even the requirement
that modules could be swapped (in case of failure) during mission (visionary
idea in 1960s and we take for granted today as a feasible design construct)

The impression that Owen gave me was basically that these three files
(space station, Lunar mission and Mars mission) were developed to
similar levels by the engineering team, and used as lures by Gilruth
et al. to tempt Kennedy's administration into agreeing to some sort of
post-Mercury program.

... and the odd thing was the MIT team actually had a Mars feasibility study
underway in the late 1950s.

gb