An alternative to the lunar-orbit rendezvous where the command module is launched directly to the surface. This negated the need to have two docking maneuvers and would allow three astronauts to reach the surface. Launched atop the massive, eight-engined Saturn C-8.When the Michoud Ordnance Plant was chosen by NASA as the site for the assembly of the first stages of the Saturn, the height of the factory roof dictated that the Saturn C-5 would be the largest diameter rocket that could be assembled there. This nailed the coffin shut on the C-8, and lunar-orbit rendezvous would be the method used to put men on the moon.More info:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_ascenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_C-8