It’s tempting to view the moon race as a straight line, but the 1962 propulsion...

https://page-wiki.win/index.php/The_1975_Astrology_Manifesto:_Why_Science_Got_Defensive_When_the_Rockets_Stopped_Burning

It’s tempting to view the moon race as a straight line, but the 1962 propulsion debate was a messy tug-of-war. Engineers fought over whether to trust nuclear, chemical, or electric engines, and nobody wanted to yield