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That's not actually true. The Mercury and Gemini programs, sure - both of them used ICBM as their boosters. So did the Vostok, Vokshod, and Soyuz programs. Ap
by trothamel 3y ago
That's not actually true.
The Mercury and Gemini programs, sure - both of them used ICBM as their boosters. So did the Vostok, Vokshod, and Soyuz programs.
Apollo was very different. The Saturn booster is so much larger and more complicated than any reasonable ICBM would be, it would be gloriously inefficient at that role.
The Apollo program was a cold war thing. But it wasn't a military thing, it was a different kind of competition.
If you take a look at the vintage Rockets of the World poster (https://venngage-wordpress-gallery.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2016/08/Rockets-of-the-World.jpg https://venngage-wordpress-gallery.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/...) you can see how much bigger the N1 and Saturn V (spanning the last two rows), compared to the earlier boosters on the third and fourth rows.
- izacus 3y agoApollo was absolutely a part of a military thing (as I said, an offshoot) as well and it's also a reason why it died before finishing when its military use became questionable.
- jfoutz 3y agoWell, from that perspective, what isn't a military thing? The internet is a communication to survive nuclear war. Forklifts and pallets were to simplify military logistics. The highway system is to provide point to point connections without risking losing a railway. Cell phones are kinda private, but a lot of the components came from special hardware for the military. I'm sure there's lots of neat tech we use everyday that isn't rooted in military funding, I just can't think of any at the moment.