S8 Ep954: (5) Bob Zimmerman reflects on the Cold War context of 1968, a year defined by Vietnam, riots, and political assassinations. Zimmerman disputes the idea that NASA had a "military culture," describing it instead as a civilian organization using World War II

(5) Bob Zimmerman reflects on the Cold War context of 1968, a year defined by Vietnam, riots, and political assassinations. Zimmerman disputes the idea that NASA had a "military culture," describing it instead as a civilian organization using World War II-style management to achieve great things. However, he critiques the program's top-down government structure as a "dead end" that mirrored Soviet centralization. Zimmerman argues this approach ultimately caused the program to lose political support once the Cold War "stunt" was achieved, rather than fostering a sustainable free-market space industry that could have continued lunar exploration.