Lecture Notes

LEC # TOPICS STUDENT NOTES
1 Introduction and overview (PDF)
2 Apollo as a complex system (PDF)
3 Historical/technical analysis of engineering systems (PDF)
4 Systems engineering and atlas (PDF)
5 Organizing research from NACA to NASA (PDF)
6 Sputnik, Mercury, and the Cold War (PDF)
7 Kennedy's decision: From politics to engineering specs (PDF)
8 The LOR decision (PDF)
9 The Soviet moon program (PDF)
10 Gemini and early Apollo engineering (PDF)
11 Apollo guidance and control (PDF)
12 Astronautical guidance (PDF)
13 Engineering the LEM (PDF)
14 Designing a landing (PDF)
15 NASA's current moon plans (PDF)
16

Apollo software

Presentation by Doug Cooke of NASA (PDF - 1.8 MB) (Courtesy of NASA.)

(PDF)
17 Apollo 11 (PDF)
18 Apollo 14: An astronaut's view (PDF)
19 Apollo 12 and group project freetime (PDF)
20 Covering Apollo: The role of the press (PDF)
21 Life support and human factors I (PDF - 1.4 MB) (PDF)
22 Bob Parker: Scientist-astronauts and lunar science (PDF)
23 Student presentations  
24 Student presentations wrap-up (PDF)
25 MIT museum trip  
26 Final class (PDF)