Space Policy Edition: Why Apollo Happened (with Roger Launius)

Half a century has passed since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin imprinted humanity's first footsteps upon another world. Apollo 11 was the culmination of a decade's worth of fervent activity in which the United States marshaled resources and manpower at a pace not seen outside of warfare. Space historian Dr. Roger Launius joins the show to explain why Apollo happened the way it did, how a moonshot briefly became a solution to a national security problem, and why it is unlikely to happen again. Casey Dreier also provides a space policy update.

• "Apollo's Legacy: Perspectives on the Moon Landings" by Roger Launius (Amazon)
• Roger Launius Curriculum Vitae
• How much did the Apollo program cost?
• The Planetary Society celebrates Apollo at 50
• NASA's FY 2020 budget update
• LightSail 2 Mission Control Dashboard