|
Horizon was a 1959 US Army study to establish a military lunar outpost. According to the project plan, by the end of 1964, a total of 40 Saturn vehicles would have been launched to assemble the necessary spacecraft and infrastructure in low earth orbit. Cargo delivery to the moon would begin in January 1965 with the first manned landing by two men in April 1965. The build-up and construction phase continued until the outpost would be manned by a task force of 12 men in November 1966.
This build-up program required 61 Saturn I (not to be confused with the Saturn C-1, which was later redesignated as the Saturn I) and 88 Saturn II launchings through November 1966. Some 490,000 pounds of useful cargo would be transported to the moon. During 1967, the first operational year of the lunar outpost, a total of 64 launchings were scheduled, resulting in an additional 266,000 pounds of cargo on the moon. The total cost of the eight and one-half year program presented in the study was estimated to be six billion dollars.
Soon after the Horizon study was completed, NASA was formed and assigned all space exploration tasks. The Von Braun team that led Horizon were transferred to NASA. The origins of the Apollo project can be seen in Horizon.
The Horizon Orbital Return Vehicle was envisioned to carry 10 to 16 men.
References:
Encyclopedia Astronautica.
Wikipedia.
|
