NASA engineers spent decades planning for and developing their Apollo missions, which involved many complex steps such as launching on a Saturn V rocket, sending astronauts into low Earth orbit, docking their command module with the lunar module, and returning home safely.
On July 20, 1969, Armstrong and Aldrin successfully landed the Eagle in the Sea of Tranquility for a two and half hour moonwalk.
The Apollo 1 Mission
In January 1967, tragedy struck during a preflight test of the Apollo Command Module when it caught fire and claimed Commander Virgil Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward White and Pilot Roger Chaffee’s lives. This tragedy sent shockwaves through the space program, forcing major redesign efforts of many systems within it.
NASA engineers had insisted on operating the CM with an atmosphere composed of pure oxygen – an extreme fire risk in Earth’s gravity. Unfortunately, pad technicians took an agonizing 17 seconds to open its doors – too late to save astronauts inside.
Changes that resulted from this revision included installing a single-piece hatch that opened outward easily. Pressurizing with an equal mix of oxygen and nitrogen was introduced, as were removal of all flammable materials; safety became an increased priority – something we would learn again during Challenger and Columbia disasters of 1986 and 2003.
Apollo 2 Mission
On this Apollo 2 mission, astronauts collected moon rocks and soil specimens and conducted scientific experiments including seismograph for measuring “moonquakes,” laser ranging retroreflector to determine exact distance of Moon from Earth as well as iconic Earthrise image taken during landing mission.
Armstrong and Aldrin completed a full dress rehearsal before they undocked Eagle from Collins and began its powered descent toward the surface of the Moon, eventually reaching its Sea of Tranquility after just two hours of descent.
Apollo 14 marked the first lunar landing since Apollo 1, when an oxygen tank fire killed all seven crewmembers during a prelaunch test. Led by Commander Jim Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise, they would explore Fra Mauro region of Moon while Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly remained orbiting aboard Odyssey spacecraft.
Apollo 3 Mission
The Apollo program not only led humans to the moon, but it also revolutionized our world. NASA has pioneered over 6,300 technologies that range from cordless power drills to computer joysticks used to control Hubble Space Telescope.
Apollo 1, originally designated AS-204, was the inaugural test flight of Saturn V rocket and Command/Service Module (CSM). On January 27, 1967, three astronauts — Roger Chaffee, Virgil “Gus” Grissom, and Edward White — died when fire engulfed their launch pad; consequently, this mission was renamed in their honor and eventually known as Apollo 1.
Apollo 10 astronauts Thomas Stafford, John Young and Eugene Cernan became close to the moon on their mission which served as a practice run for Apollo 11. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first humans ever to step foot onto its surface.
Apollo 4 Mission
Before NASA could conduct any manned missions to the moon, they first had to demonstrate the Saturn rocket family could safely carry human passengers. Testing began uncrewed in 1966 and Apollo’s maiden voyage landed on the lunar surface in 1969.
Apollo 4’s unmanned test flight confirmed the Saturn V rocket’s ability to successfully launch astronauts into Earth orbit and return them safely, as well as providing engineers with an up-close look at its heat shield that would protect astronauts during their return home.
Apollo 17 marked the inaugural use of a lunar module during an Apollo mission, providing astronauts with three days on the Moon before returning home. Command module pilot Ronald Evans and lunar module pilot Harrison Schmitt — initially trained as a scientist before becoming an astronaut — explored craters, boulders and mountains — including 22 hours and 4 minutes of EVA exploration time that is one of longest ever undertaken during an Apollo mission.
Apollo 5 Mission
Apollo 5 marked the first time an unmanned Lunar Module flight had ever been performed in space, testing both its navigation systems and engine operation in an actual environment. Furthermore, it conducted what came to be known as “fire in the hole” testing – this being depicted on its insignia patch.
Apollo 17’s iconic photo of Earth from 28,000 miles became an instantaneous icon of space travel, but it only signaled a new era in manned space exploration.
Armstrong and Aldrin achieved something no human had previously accomplished: they walked on the moon and left lasting evidence behind that can still be seen today. Furthermore, this mission helped scientists better understand its history.
Apollo 6 Mission
After Apollo 4 and 5, NASA decided that their next step should be sending astronauts all the way to our natural satellite, where they would circle it while taking photos – including iconic Earthrise shots that helped foster environmental activism.
Apollo 6, also known as AS-502 among spacecraft fleet, was intended as an initial test of Saturn V’s capability of sending a Command and Service Module (CM) to lunar orbit. Unfortunately, however, launch issues plagued this mission from the very start.
Violent vibrations produced by the Saturn V’s massive engines caused it to behave unexpectedly, prompting engineers working for NASA to find solutions – known as POGO or “pogo effect.” They eventually managed to correct it so quickly that an Apollo 7 mission was launched just eight months later!
Apollo 7 Mission
NASA was in need of something positive after the Apollo 1 launchpad fire of January 1967, so they utilized Apollo 7 – with commander Walter Schirra as command module pilot, Lunar Module pilot Walt Cunningham piloting and Command Module pilot Donn Eisele leading. It proved a confidence builder.
Their mission was to test both the new Command/Service Module (CSM), an enormous, cone-shaped spacecraft with an inner pressure vessel and outer shell, as well as its launch vehicle – Saturn 1B rocket – and perform rendezvous tests using S-IVB final stage, just like when picking up Lunar Module.
At a time when images from space were rare, the crew made the first ever live television broadcast from space. Their broadcasts revealed how they lived and worked aboard their cramped spacecraft; even showing handwritten cards reading “Keep Those Cards and Letters Coming In, Folks”. That proved very helpful to NASA.
Apollo 8 Mission
On December 21, Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders became the first humans to leave low Earth orbit and fly around our natural satellite. Their mission had an accelerated timeline due to President Kennedy’s death and was meant as a dress rehearsal for Apollo 11.
After four minutes of using their service module engine, astronauts successfully entered lunar orbit. Rolling their spacecraft around to observe it from below, they were stunned to witness a lunar landscape composed of pitted surfaces covered in craters upon craters as well as rifts, mares and rilles gliding by below them – they had never imagined such beauty existed within our solar system!
NASA had provided them with experience through their Mercury and Gemini programs, which sent one-person crews into orbit to test maneuvers and equipment in preparation for Apollo lunar landing missions. Each crew occupied both a command module and Lunar Module from which they later separated to land on the moon.
Apollo 9 Mission
As reports and concerns over the Apollo program mounted, astronauts James Lovell, Frank Borman and William Anders completed an arduous 10-day mission by orbiting the Moon ten times during that period. Their crew also conducted test firings of their docked service module propulsion system as well as taking dramatic in-flight Hasselblad photographs during their voyage.
This was the inaugural maneuvering of a Lunar Module (LM) in space and tested its ascent/descent engines and crew transfer procedures while docking maneuvers were being completed. Although most of it went according to plan, Command Module Pilot Dave Scott and Lunar Module Pilot Russell Schweickart had to modify a scheduled spacewalk due to nausea issues arising during its execution.
Apollo 10 Mission
The Apollo 10 mission was a test flight of the Apollo spacecraft and lunar module. It marked the first time a complete Apollo spacecraft operated in lunar orbit. Objectives included rendezvousing with Lunar Module flight systems as well as testing programmed trajectories.
Thomas Stafford and Gene Cernan, commander and Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 10, respectively, were highly experienced spaceflight veterans. Stafford had previously piloted Gemini 3 and Gemini X spacecraft respectively while Cernan served as command module commander during a joint US/Soviet Apollo-Soyuz test project in 1975.
Initial progress on this mission went smoothly. The crew even got to experience a unique feat for space travel–the first color video broadcast from space on a standard 525-line, 30-frame-per-second color television system.