NASA aborts plan for moon book

WASHINGTON — The nation's space agency sent men to the moon 33 years ago, but its plan to sponsor a mini-book documenting that those Apollo landings really happened blew up on liftoff. Its mission was aborted this week by bad publicity.

After decades of mostly ignoring those who were skeptical about the moon landings, NASA hired Houston author and aerospace engineer Jim Oberg this fall to write a 10-chapter "monograph" for $15,000. His mission was to deliver a point-by-point rebuttal of conspiracy theorists who say the six Apollo moon landings were hoaxes.

When Knight Ridder reported the book deal, the resulting ridicule led NASA to kill the plan Wednesday, agency spokesman Bob Jacobs said. NASA will pay Oberg $5,000 for work he had already done.

Oberg said he would still write the book, but with different funding.