Modern History/Space Exploration/Space Race/Apollo Missions
In detailing the history of the Apollo missions, the most compelling question as a historian is, "where to stop?" As mankind's perhaps most significant achievement, the wealth of information regarding the Apollo missions is overwhelming. Below is a brief overview of the purpose, achievements, and some other critical data regarding each mission.
Apollo 1
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During a 'plugs-out' (disconnected from any earthbound umbilicals) test, faulty wiring under one of the astronauts seats combined with the cabin atmosphere which was 16 Pounds per square inch (PSI) pure oxygen caused a fire in the cabin, killing all three crew members in less than a minute: Virgil I. ("Gus") Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee. Later missions would use a less combustible mixture of nitrogen and oxygen.
Apollo 4
[edit | edit source]NASA elected to skip Apollo's 2 and 3 and move directly to mission 4. Mission 4 was the first full test of the Saturn V platform.
Apollo 5
[edit | edit source]First test of Command Module in space.
Apollo 6
[edit | edit source]Test of Command Module Heat shield and separation of launch vehicle stages.
Apollo 7
[edit | edit source]Manned test of the Command Service Module in Earth orbit.
Commander: Walter M. Schirra
Command Module Pilot: Donn F. Eisele
Lunar Module Pilot: R. Walter Cunningham
Landing Site: Not applicable; did not leave Earth orbit.
Duration: 10 days, 20 hours, 9 min, 3 seconds.
Apollo 8
[edit | edit source]Manned test of the Command Service Module in Lunar orbit.
Commander: Frank F. Borman, II
Command Module Pilot: James A. Lovell, Jr.
Lunar Module Pilot: William A. Anders
Landing Site: None; no Lunar Module flown with this mission.
Duration: 6 days, 3 hours, 0 min, 42 seconds.
Apollo 9
[edit | edit source]Manned test of the Lunar Module in Earth orbit.
Command Module: Gumdrop
Lunar Module: Spider
Commander: James A. McDivitt
Command Module Pilot: David R. Scott
Lunar Module Pilot: Russell L. Schweickart
Landing Site: Not applicable; did not leave Earth orbit.
Mission Objective: Initial test of Lunar Module. Tested LM engines, backpack life support systems, navigation systems, and docking ability.
Duration: 10 days, 1 hour, 0 min, 54 seconds.
Apollo 10
[edit | edit source]Manned test of the Lunar Module in Lunar orbit.
Command Module: Charlie Brown
Lunar Module: Snoopy
Commander: Thomas P. Stafford
Command Module Pilot: John W. Young
Lunar Module Pilot: Eugene A. Cernan
Landing Site: None; descended to within 14km of lunar surface and returned to orbit.
Mission Objective: 'Dress rehearsal' for Apollo 11 lunar landing. Tested lunar descent and ascent operations.
Duration: 08 Days, 0 hours, 3 min, 23 seconds.
Apollo 11
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First manned lunar landing.
Command Module: Columbia
Lunar Module: Eagle
Commander: Neil Armstrong
Command Module Pilot: Michael Collins
Lunar Module Pilot: Edwin E. ("Buzz") Aldrin Jr.
Landing Site: Mare Tranquilatis (Sea of Tranquility)
Mission Objective: Land on the moon safely and return safely.
Duration: 08 Days, 03 hours, 18 min, 35 seconds.
Apollo 12
[edit | edit source]Command Module: Yankee Clipper
Lunar Module: Intrepid
Commander: Charles P. Conrad, Jr.
Command Module Pilot: Richard F. Gordon, Jr.
Lunar Module Pilot: Alan L. Bean
Landing Site: Ocean of Storms
Mission Objective: Retrieve parts of lunar probe Surveyor 3, deploy Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments package.
Duration: 10 days, 4 hours, 36 minues.
Apollo 13
[edit | edit source]Lunar landing was aborted due to failure of the second CSM oxygen tank, and associated collateral damage. Crew was safely returned.
Command Module: Odyssey
Lunar Module: Aquarius
Commander: James A. Lovell, Jr.
Command Module Pilot: John L. Swigert, Jr.
Lunar Module Pilot: Fred W. Haise, Jr.
Landing Site: Fra Mauro (mission aborted)
Mission Objective: Initial mission was exploration in the Fra Mauro lunar highlands. (mission aborted)
Duration: 5 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes, 41 seconds
Apollo 14
[edit | edit source]Command Module: Kitty Hawk
Lunar Module: Antares
Commander: Alan B. Shepard, Jr.
Command Module Pilot: Stuart A. Roosa
Lunar Module Pilot: Edgar D. Mitchell
Landing Site: Fra Mauro
Duration: 09 days, 02 hours, 2 minutes.
Apollo 15
[edit | edit source]First use of the Lunar Rover (LRV).
Command Module: Endeavour
Lunar Module: Falcon
Commander: David R. Scott
Command Module Pilot: James B. Irwin
Lunar Module Pilot: Alfred M. Worden
Landing Site: Hadley-Apennine region near Apennine Mountains.
Duration: 12 days, 17 hours, 12 minutes.
Apollo 16
[edit | edit source]Command Module: Casper
Lunar Module: Orion
Commander: John W. Young
Command Module Pilot: Thomas K. Mattingly II
Lunar Module Pilot: Charles M. Duke, Jr.
Landing Site: Descartes Highlands.
Duration: 11 days, 01 hour, 51 minutes.
Apollo 17
[edit | edit source]Final Apollo lunar landing. First NASA mission to include a scientist-astronaut (Jack Schmitt).
Command Module: America
Lunar Module: Challenger
Commander: Eugene A. Cernan
Command Module Pilot: Ronald E. Evans
Lunar Module Pilot: Harrison H. ("Jack") Schmitt
Landing Site: Taurus-Littrow, highlands and valley area.
Duration: 12 days, 13 hours, 52 minutes.