The Industrial Impact of Apollo

Abstract

The aerospace industry of the United States produces virtually all of the rockets, spacecraft and associated equipment employed in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Apollo program for a manned lunar landing. The same industry also manufactures commercial aircraft as well as sophisticated military aircraft and other technical equipment used by the Department of Defense. The Apollo program has completed the first manned landing on the moon and is now entering the follow-on phase of a slower-paced continuing program of lunar exploration. Hence, it is very much in order to ask what impact these climactic events will have on the aerospace industry. But before doing this it may be useful to examine more carefully just what constitutes the aerospace industry.