Project Surveyor and the Hughes Aircraft Company

Article

“Project Surveyor and the Hughes Aircraft Company” by Philip Horzempa
Published in Quest Volume: 29 #3 (2022)

Abstract

Beginning with the launch of Sputnik 1, humans were attempting feats that had formerly been the purview of science fiction. The Surveyor lunar lander was one of the robots at the forefront of these efforts. Its goal was an ambitious one, landing on an alien world.
In 1932, Howard Hughes founded his namesake aircraft company, now tasked with creating a machine that would gently land on the Moon. The team of engineers at the Hughes Aircraft company would be treading new territory in the world of aerospace.
As the Surveyor project was progressing, there was another factor over which they had no control. The Soviets were breathing down their necks. In 1965 alone, the USSR had launched six Luna soft-landing vehicles, some acknowledged, some not.
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Citation

Horzempa, Philip. “Project Surveyor and the Hughes Aircraft Company.” Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly 29, no. 3 (2022): 26-34.