In 1962, 186 scientists, including 18 Nobel laureates, stalled out debating...

https://blast-wiki.win/index.php/The_TIE_Fighter_Fallacy:_Why_Your_Understanding_of_Ion_Thrusters_Is_Probably_Wrong

In 1962, 186 scientists, including 18 Nobel laureates, stalled out debating propulsion. Nuclear, chemical, or electric? It wasn’t a clean, heroic path to the moon, but a messy, public argument. The reality of flight is paved with memos and egos.