Apollo program budget

Despite almost dying, Cernan still finds he has to apologise to the American public for his language. The TV anchors covering the mission would have earned far more. There was no danger money for going to the Moon, but crews were able to claim travel expenses. When they left the space programme, many astronauts were snapped-up by industry into high-paying executive positions.

Others became TV pundits or made money through personal appearances and endorsements. After suffering a cold during his Apollo 7 mission, Wally Schirra became the face of a range of decongestant tablets. Buzz Aldrin has advertised everything from insurance, cars and porridge oats. His income today is probably considerably more than it was in Join more than one million Future fans by liking us on Facebook , or follow us on Twitter or Instagram.

If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc. Apollo in 50 Numbers Space. But all this is not important, the main thing is money! Is not it? Jerry Pournelle reported that during the same time as Apollo, the US spent as much on cosmetics, and New York among large states, spent more on liquor.

Robert Zubrin in late 90s reported that we spend more on each; fast food, illegal drugs, and lotteries, than on NASA. He showed that in terms of fraction of the total or discretionary budget, NASA is getting only fractionally less than during Apollo, while doing much less development of new capability.

Not including black budget or ongoing operational costs in our continual war, each of which is more. Very good reading, and important insight. Close Menu Home. Were the Moon Missions really a worthwhile endeavor? Contents hide. Apollo Program The cost to return to the moon.

Interest on U. Debt Cost. Was the Apollo Program worth it? How much did Apollo 11 cost? How much did it cost to go to the moon in ? My Related Posts. Tags essay. Sceptic, Thanks for identifying the confusing phrasing.

Great, thanks John and feel free to do so with attribution. This chart shows that Project Apollo had the money it needed when it needed it, which helped ensure the success of the endeavor.

Few NASA programs since have enjoyed that luxury, and as a consequence, failed to adhere to their original schedules. Spending on Apollo and related programs, broken out by major program, per fiscal year. The final Saturn V rocket launched Skylab in Direct costs for the Saturn family of launch vehicles and related engine development, per year.

Nearly all cost data are from public NASA budget submissions covering the fiscal years FYs - , which list obligations contracted spending amounts for the fiscal year 2 years previous. For example, the FY budget justification lists obligated program amounts in FY This incident did not go unnoticed by NASA, who gave Young a slap on the wrist and then tightened up the list of what astronauts could bring along with them.

The film embedded below was shot at Natick Army Laboratory, who developed food for the Apollo program. It explores the establishment of a baseline for nutrition through rigorous testing that researchers hoped was an exaggeration of what astronauts would experience during space travel.

The Apollo program saw significant changes in food packaging and near-constant menu expansion in an effort to keep the astronauts healthy and happy.

User feedback was a major catalyst for change. Occasionally, they would even get a special treat. And for the first time, they ate with spoons. The resulting boost in morale made this weight increase justifiable for future missions, and the wetpack was born. It was around this time that NASA really started to consider individual preferences when devising recipes.

A woman named Rita Rapp developed a spoon-bowl package that allowed astronauts to enjoy a more Earth-like eating experience. Here is a complete overview of the Apollo Food Technology program , which was the inspiration for this post.

It has detailed information about all the foods the astronauts ate during the Apollo program, including full menus from each mission. It is also a nice exploration of the development of space-worthy foodstuffs and the constraints of same.

Skylab, the first US space station that was built out of Apollo parts, sounds like it was the height of weightless dining luxury.

Many of the foods were stored in plastic pouches and aluminum cans with pop tops. Although the stuff was developed for NASA and even appears in the Apollo 7 press kit PDF, page 83 , it has never flown into space , only off of the shelves of gift shops. As astronauts spend longer and longer periods in space, the need for tasty and nutritious food only grows more important.

Today, astronauts visit the NASA test kitchen first to help plan the menus before their trip to space. They enjoy everything from fresh fruits to spaghetti to beef jerky depending on preference.