As the fire spread, technicians rushed towards the capsule’s hatch in search of the necessary ratchet to open it. They knew the capsule was pressurized with pure oxygen, which fuels fire. And they knew there were numerous combustible materials – from paper checklists and Velcro fastenings to nylon netting – within its walls that could […]
Apollo Mission Cockpit Fire Read More »
NASA’s Apollo program successfully put men on the Moon in 1969. This chart from NGA’s Aeronautical Chart and Information Center depicts key mission events. The Columbia was used by astronauts during most of their mission as their living and command center, equipped with an impressive rocket engine to maneuver them into lunar orbit and out
Apollo Mission Diagram Read More »
Apollo command module power was supplied primarily by fuel cells that used hydrogen and oxygen as feedstock to produce electricity, producing drinking water that astronauts consumed as drinking supplies. NASA developed this technology as batteries would add too much weight, and the group that created these cells, now known as HyAxiom Inc, still produces them
The Apollo Mission Fuel Cell Assembly Read More »
With Grissom, White and Chaffee secured inside, technicians scrambled to open their capsule’s hatch using a ratchet-like device that released latches one after another. Engineers were aware of the fact that the spacecraft’s pure oxygen atmosphere was potentially flammable; however, they contended it would only ignite at 5 pounds per square inch instead of the
Which Apollo Mission Caught Fire? Read More »
CAPE CANAVERAL — Bright winter flowers bloom amid the weeds around an unsettling concrete and steel hulk that marks one of the darkest days in American space history – the Apollo 1 command module was destroyed by fire during a launch rehearsal test on Jan 27, 1967, marking one of America’s darkest moments in space
Apollo Mission Fire Read More »
On December 24, 1968, Apollo 8 astronauts Bill Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell first saw Earth while orbiting the Moon – it was an astounding view! Astronauts documented this event with several photographs; Earthrise became a timeless icon of 20th-century technological endeavor and environmental awareness. Earthrise On a few days after Apollo 8 had
Apollo 8 Mission Photos Read More »
Apollo 12 set sail on November 14, 1969 – less than four months after Armstrong and Aldrin first set foot on the moon. Commander Pete Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Al Bean had one task in mind for Apollo 12: landing within walking distance of Surveyor III probe in Ocean of Storms. Landing on the
Apollo 12 Mission Summary Read More »
Six such vehicles carried astronauts from and to the Moon as part of the Apollo program for scientific investigation, collapsing into an adapter on the back of S-IVB third stage rocket. After visual inspection of its landing gear, the LM’s descent engine conducted a 30-second Descent Orbit Insertion burn to reduce speed and gradually approach
Apollo Mission Vehicles Read More »
The Saturn V rocket consisted of three sections, which included: (1) The command module (CM), which contained astronaut quarters and flight control systems; (2) the service module, for propulsion and spacecraft support; and (3) Eagle, its lunar module – together these comprised the CSM. On its 27th orbit around the Moon, Columbia docked with the
The Apollo Mission Stages Read More »
