In 1962, NASA experts debated reaching the moon. Some wanted big rockets, but...

https://dlf-ne.org/is-nuclear-propulsion-worth-it-just-to-shave-time-to-mars/

In 1962, NASA experts debated reaching the moon. Some wanted big rockets, but the docking team won by betting on a complex path. It was a choice of which engineering headache to manage, not raw genius. Those rejected plans explain our success.