Science: Waning Moon Program

At the height of the space race, NASA ambitiously scheduled ten lunar landings, planning to send Americans to the moon every four months or so until the end of 1972. As public interest in the moon program faded and Congress chopped away at NASA's budget, however, the space agency began having second thoughts. Earlier this year, it canceled the last of the scheduled missions, Apollo 20, and spaced out the remaining landings to twice a year. Last week, the space agency reluctantly scrubbed two more missions—Apollo 15 and Apollo 19—leaving only four more scheduled flights to the moon.

The cancellations bitterly disappointed...