It’s tempting to view the moon race as a straight line, but the 1962 propulsion...

https://foxtrot-wiki.win/index.php/The_1962_Apollo_Planning_Brawl:_Why_Logic_Often_Takes_a_Backseat_to_Ego

It’s tempting to view the moon race as a straight line, but the 1962 propulsion debate was a messy tug-of-war. Engineers fought over whether to trust nuclear, chemical, or electric engines, and nobody wanted to yield