Editing Apollo program (section)

===Origin and spacecraft feasibility studies===
{{main|Apollo spacecraft feasibility study}}

The Apollo program was conceived during the Eisenhower administration in early 1960, as a follow-up to Project Mercury. While the Mercury [[space capsule|capsule]] could support only one astronaut on a limited Earth orbital mission, Apollo would carry three. Possible missions included ferrying crews to a [[space station]], [[circumlunar trajectory|circumlunar flight]]s, and eventual crewed [[Moon landing|lunar landing]]s.

In July 1960, NASA Deputy Administrator [[Hugh L. Dryden]] announced the Apollo program to industry representatives at a series of [[Space Task Group]] conferences. Preliminary specifications were laid out for a spacecraft with a ''mission module'' cabin separate from the ''command module'' (piloting and reentry cabin), and a ''propulsion and equipment module''. On August 30, a feasibility study competition was announced, and on October 25, three study contracts were awarded to [[Convair|General Dynamics/Convair]], [[General Electric]], and the [[Glenn L. Martin Company]]. Meanwhile, NASA performed its own in-house spacecraft design studies led by [[Maxime Faget]], to serve as a gauge to judge and monitor the three industry designs.<ref name="chariots_feasibility">{{harvnb|Brooks|Grimwood|Swenson|1979|loc=Ch. 1.7: [http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/ch1-7.html "Feasility Studies"]. pp. 16–21.}}</ref>