One-Way Space Man

This is a fascinating read.

Though they termed it “one-way,” Cord and Seale did not propose a suicide mission. They estimated that a rocket capable of launching a three-man Direct-Ascent Apollo mission to retrieve the One-Way Space Man — that is, a rocket with between 1.1 million and 3.5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff — would become available in the U.S. in the 1965-to-1967 period, between 18 and 24 months after his arrival on the moon.

The early days of the space program often sound incredible to me, and they do note that this plan wasn't really very seriously considered, but it certainly grabs the imagination.

Can you even begin to imagine landing on the moon fifty years ago with the promise that someone will probably develop the technology to bring you back in the next couple of years?