Apollo, the Greek god of light and healing, also served as messenger and punisher. From 1961 to 1972, the Apollo space program ran before coming to an abrupt end after an accidental fire caused by poor maintenance on their command module resulted in the deaths of astronauts Virgil Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee while conducting tests at launch pad.
Apollo 1
Astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee embarked on the inaugural Apollo flight aboard a Saturn V rocket that stood as tall as 36-story buildings – transporting their cramped Apollo command module to space.
An incorrect valve allowed fire to break out in their command module, which served as both living and working space. As it spread, flames and thick smoke enveloped their living and working environment and ruptured open their hatch releasing more flame and thick smoke than anticipated.
A second engine burn put them on a free-return trajectory around the moon. At hours before reentry, they jettisoned their service module. Armstrong and Aldrin descended their lunar ladder before radioing back to Mission Control that “The Eagle has landed.” Upon seeing that flag drop he announced, “That is one small step for mankind!” During three moonwalks they drove their rover 16 miles while gathering 209 pounds of samples.
Apollo 2
NASA had to rethink every aspect of how astronauts would travel between Earth and the moon after Apollo 1 ended tragically; from how astronauts would get around on the surface to how they’d leave Earth itself. As a result, Apollo 2 became a spacewalk-only mission designed to test both Lunar Module and Command Service Module (CSM).
In January 1967, American astronauts Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee were killed when fire erupted on the Apollo 1 launch pad during rehearsal of an actual launch attempt. Shortly afterwards in April Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov also died when his parachute failed to deploy during reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.
NASA originally planned on using Apollo 2 as a repeat of their first suborbital flight; however, after deliberation they decided to give it its current title, which put more focus on mission objectives than previously.
Apollo 3
NASA leaders quickly responded to Sputnik 1’s launch by ramping up their Apollo program in an effort to put astronauts on the Moon as soon as possible, out of concern that the United States had fallen behind its superpower rival, Soviet Russia, in the “Space Race.” Apollo 7 was originally planned as its inaugural lunar mission but due to an unfortunate fire on launch pad test day killing three crewmembers (Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee), and so its flight became Apollo 1.
Gemini program began as the next step, sending two-person crews into orbit to test technology necessary for human missions to the Moon. Following those flights, NASA tested its larger Apollo spacecraft. James McDivitt and Rusty Schweickart flew the Lunar Module alone towards its landing spot, collecting samples on its journey before landing safely back on earth.
Apollo 4
After the Soviet launch of Sputnik in October 1959, President John F. Kennedy established a goal for the United States of landing astronauts on the Moon by the end of the 1960s. NASA began planning for this goal with its Mercury and Gemini programs, sending single person crews into orbit to test maneuvers and components necessary for lunar landing.
Apollo 4 was scheduled as the next mission, but nine months prior an oxygen tank explosion on Apollo 1 killed astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee causing its cancellation and James Lovell, Fred Haise and John Swigert performing lunar orbital flights instead.
This mission marked the first use of a lunar rover on an Apollo mission, with Commander Thomas Stafford and Lunar Module Pilot Eugene Cernan using it to explore the lunar surface by collecting soil samples and conducting various experiments such as seismometer deployment.
Apollo 5
NASA was pleased with the success of Project Gemini and launched Apollo – an ambitious program which would develop advanced crewed spacecraft like Command Module (CM) and Service Module (SM), eventually leading to lunar landings. At first however, such landings weren’t on the agenda; rather it focused on testing both components separately as well as testing Saturn V rocket.
On November 9, 1967, NASA conducted its initial unmanned test flight – A-type mission – and evaluated various components of both CM and Saturn V spacecraft. Walter Schirra, Donn Eisele and R. Walter Cunningham from its crew were not selected to travel to the moon for this launch.
Apollo 5 marked a further test for the Lunar Module (LM). It marked its inaugural use of its Descent Propulsion System engine – consisting of two 39-second firings designed to simulate its deorbit and descent from lunar orbit into surface gravity wells on Moon surface.
Apollo 6
The Saturn V rocket was assembled at the Vehicle Assembly Building before it was installed on Mobile Launcher 2 at High Bay 3. The spacecraft consisted of three main parts; Command Module where astronauts lived; Lunar Module (LM) for moon landings and Service Module which managed all other parts of the craft.
Apollo 6 experienced an unexpected setback two minutes into flight when its rocket experienced severe Pogo oscillations which caused various parts of its craft to vibrate like tuning forks. Once corrected, this issue resolved itself normally and mission proceeded as scheduled.
This mission served as a dress rehearsal for the historic first manned lunar landing that occurred on July 21, 1969, performed by astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins. Additionally, it included lunar surface exploration of Mare Tranquillitatis region as well as spacewalk to retrieve film from Lunar Module.
Apollo 7
After the disastrous Apollo 1 launch pad fire of January 1967, which claimed three astronauts Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee’s lives and created significant tension between the US and Soviet Union, tension heightened further when Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders became the first humans ever to leave low-Earth orbit, travel around the moon, then return safely back home again.
NASA conducted this mission to test both its command module (CM) and Lunar Module (LM), and was successful. Furthermore, this mission kept NASA on course towards meeting their goal of landing astronauts on the moon by the end of this decade.
The Apollo 13 crew, led by James Lovell and including Fred Haise and John Swigert, spent 34 hours exploring their surroundings on the Moon before deploying its scientific package. Their journey took them through Fra Mauro highlands for three EVAs before an oxygen tank explosion crippled their spacecraft but allowed them to safely land back home again.
Apollo 8
The third stage of the spacecraft ignited, propelling it out of Earth orbit and on to its inaugural trans-lunar journey. It broke existing speed, distance and communication records – as well as being the first time television footage of an outbound spacecraft was transmitted back home.
Frank Borman, Michael Collins and William Anders took turns reading from Genesis before snapping an iconic photo of Earth (known as Earthrise). Additionally, this mission marked the first mission to reach the Moon without landing there.
Apollo 8’s success provided NASA a much-needed boost after suffering public opinion poll losses due to Gemini VII astronaut deaths and close calls with Apollo 13. NASA also saw significant progress as tensions between them eased between 1975-76; they worked on joint projects such as International Space Station.
Apollo 9
Since the Soviet launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, America has been working to develop rockets and spacecraft capable of transporting astronauts to the moon – an extraordinary engineering and technological challenge that would require unprecedented levels of development and deployment.
In December 1968, Apollo 8 astronauts James McDivitt and Alan Bean made history when they traveled to the Moon aboard their Lunar Module spacecraft. Although they didn’t land on its surface, they circled it while taking iconic photographs such as “Earthrise.”
This mission successfully demonstrated the capability of the lunar module (LM) to separate from its central spacecraft module (CSM), as well as mark the first time astronauts would dock it with another spacecraft. As tensions between the United States and Soviet Union subsided, now was an ideal time to test out this technology.