Beyond 17: The Apollo Applications Program and Losing the New Frontier

Who we could have been ... The Apollo lunar landing program was arguably the imaginative and technological zenith of the twentieth century. However, few have ever known that zenith could have been higher, then continued still onto greater heights. Beyond 17is the story of the Apollo Applications Program and the times in which it emerged. Under this program existing Apollo hardware, knowledge, and experience would have been further purposed into new missions to continue Apollo and human space exploration, including longer stays on the moon, a permanent lunar base, and a journey to Mars around 1985. These brave ideas and hopes, however, did not find fertile ground. Underfunded, then finally unfunded and cancelled, by December of 1972 Apollo was over, along with the possibility that such ethereal explorations just might have saved us from ourselves. Also by Fairleigh Brooks Fiction Notes of a Would-Be Astronaut "Exhausted and frustrated by compromise, Tom McAllister hits the highways in search of self. Although reminiscent of Jack Kerouac's On the Road, Note of a Would-Be Astronaut is better. This cross-country odyssey is a trip I thoroughly enjoyed." – Laurie Birnsteel, author of Sunspot and Kahala "An engaging inner and outer travelogue, replete with vivid descriptions, vignettes of fascinating characters, and inner knots reminiscent of R.D. Laing. This story of Passages-midlife crisis search for self is sure to resonate with many of us, especially those who like to think while they read. Enjoy!" -- Stan Franklin, author of Artificial Minds Other Fiction Poems Stories (2024) Mr. Willy & Arthur A Presentation of Short Stories Without Regard to Marketing Lady Chatterley's Pool Boy About the Author Fairleigh Brooks has written about the history of science and technology in numerous articles and commentaries over the years. Being a space cadet since he was a small boy, that interest has focused largely on space exploration, specifically manned space exploration. Within these considerations Brooks has explored how technology arose, its purpose, and how technology changes the ideas and concepts of who we are, and why we are.