As I awaited word from NASA, political changes in early 1969
would have a profound effect on the future of NASA and the space program.
President Lyndon B. Johnson had left office on January 20, 1969. Johnson was
the “Godfather” of the space program. As the powerful Senate Majority Leader,
he worked to establish NASA, set up an
influential Senate Committee to oversee it, and shepherd large budget increases
for NASA through Congress. Space was one of Johnson’s assignments as Vice
President. Then Projects Gemini and Apollo through Apollo 8 occurred during his
presidency. It is no coincidence that he was invited to, and attended the Apollo
11 launch, as shown in this picture I took. On the other hand, his successor,
President Richard M. Nixon, saw space exploration as a tool for political
advantage and international prestige. Nixon would later cancel Apollo 18-20 and
in 1972 approve plans for a scaled-down space shuttle which would be only be
partially reuseable, leading to many problems later.
#Apollo11Eyewitness Post
#12
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