Apollo Missions

The Apollo Missions

The Famed 15 Apollo Missions

Throughout the Space Race, the most famed missions launched by the US are collectively known as the Apollo Missions

[NASA. Grissom, White, and Chaffee in front of the launch pad containing their AS-204 space vehicle. January 17th, 1967]

Apollo I

"Jan. 27, 1967, tragedy struck on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy during a preflight test for Apollo 204 (AS-204). The mission was to be the first crewed flight of Apollo, and was scheduled to launch Feb. 21, 1967. Astronauts Virgil Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee lost their lives when a fire swept through the command module, or CM."



[NASA. Apollo 1. June 14, 2012]

There are no missions named "Apollo 2" or "Apollo 3"

Apollo Missions from 4 through 6 were all missions testing various forms of equipment.  These were all unmanned flights.

[NASA. The prime crew of Apollo 7. October 11th, 1968]

Apollo 7

"Apollo 7 was the first crewed flight of the Apollo spacecraft [...]. The primary objectives of the Earth orbiting mission were to demonstrate Command and Service Module (CSM), crew, launch vehicle, and mission support facilities performance and to demonstrate CSM rendezvous capability. Two photographic experiments and three medical experiments were planned."

[NASA. Apollo 7. October 11th, 1968.]

Apollo 8

"This spacecraft was the first of the Apollo series to successfully orbit the moon, and the first manned spacecraft to leave Earth's gravity and reach the Moon. The mission achieved operational experience and tested the Apollo command module systems, including communications, tracking, and life-support, in cis-lunar space and lunar orbit, and allowed evaluation of crew performance on a lunar orbiting mission. The crew photographed the lunar surface, both farside and nearside, obtaining information on topography and landmarks as well as other scientific information necessary for future Apollo landings."

[NASA. Apollo 8. December 21st, 1968.]

[NASA. The crew of Apollo 8, as seen during training before their launch on Dec. 21, 1968. December 21st, 1968.]

[NASA. Apollo 9 Crew March 3rd, 1969]

Apollo 9

"Apollo 9 was the third crewed Apollo flight and the first crewed flight to include the Lunar Module (LM).  [...] The primary objective of the mission was to test all aspects of the Lunar Module in Earth orbit, including operation of the LM as an independent self-sufficient spacecraft and performance of docking and rendezvous manuevers. The goal was to simulate maneuvers which would be performed in actual lunar missions."

[NASA. Apollo 9. March 3rd, 1969.]

Apollo 10

"This spacecraft was the second Apollo mission to orbit the Moon, and the first to travel to the Moon with the full Apollo spacecraft, consisting of the Command and Service Module (CSM-106, "Charlie Brown") and the Lunar Module (LM-4, "Snoopy").  [...] The primary objectives of the mission were to demonstrate crew, space vehicle, and mission support facilities during a manned lunar mission and to evaluate LM performance in cislunar and lunar environment. The mission was a full "dry run" for the Apollo 11 mission, in which all operations except the actual lunar landing were performed. "

[NASA. Apollo 10. May 18th, 1969.]

[NASA. From left, Eugene A. Cernan, lunar module pilot; John W. Young, command module pilot; and Thomas P. Stafford, commander, in 1968. 1968.]

[NASA. The Apollo 11 lunar landing mission crew. July 1st, 1969]

Apollo 11

"Apollo 11 was the first mission in which humans walked on the lunar surface and returned to Earth. [...] During their stay on the Moon, the astronauts set up scientific experiments, took photographs, and collected lunar samples. The LM took off from the Moon on 21 July and the astronauts returned to Earth on 24 July."

[NASA. Apollo 11. July 16th, 1969.]

Apollo 12

"Apollo 12 was the second mission in which humans walked on the lunar surface and returned to Earth. [...] During their stay on the Moon, the astronauts set up scientific experiments, took photographs, examined the nearby Surveyor 3 spacecraft which had landed on the Moon 2 1/2 years earlier and removed pieces for later examination on Earth, and collected lunar samples on two moonwalk EVA's. The LM took off from the Moon on 20 November and the astronauts returned to Earth on 24 November."

[NASA. Apollo 12. November 14th, 1969.]

[NASA. Apollo 12 Crew. November 14th, 1969.]

[NASA. Apollo 13 - Prime Crew Portrait. December 12th, 1970.]

Apollo 13

"Apollo 13 was intended to be the third mission to carry humans to the surface of the Moon, but an explosion of one of the oxygen tanks and resulting damage to other systems resulted in the mission being aborted before the planned lunar landing could take place."

[NASA. Apollo 13. April 11th, 1970.]

Apollo 14

"Apollo 14 was the third mission in which humans walked on the lunar surface and returned to Earth. During their stay on the Moon, the astronauts set up scientific experiments, took photographs, and collected lunar samples. The LM took off from the Moon on 6 February and the astronauts returned to Earth on 9 February."

[NASA. Apollo 14. January 31st, 1971.]

[NASA. The crew of Apollo 14. January 31st, 1971.]

[NASA. The prime crew of the Apollo 15 lunar landing mission. June 28th, 1971.]

Apollo 15

"Apollo 15 was the fourth mission in which humans walked on the lunar surface and returned to Earth.  During their stay on the Moon, the astronauts set up scientific experiments, took photographs, and collected lunar samples. The LM took off from the Moon on 2 August and the astronauts returned to Earth on 7 August."

[NASA. Apollo 15. July 26th, 1971.]

Apollo 16

"Apollo 16 was the fifth mission in which humans walked on the lunar surface and returned to Earth. During their stay on the Moon, the astronauts set up scientific experiments, took photographs, and collected lunar samples. The LM took off from the Moon on 24 April and the astronauts returned to Earth on 27 April."

[NASA. Apollo 16. April 16th, 1972.]

[NASA. Apollo 16 Crew. April 16th, 1972.]

[NASA. Apollo 17 Crew. October 10th, 1972.]

Apollo 17

"Apollo 17 was the sixth and last Apollo mission in which humans walked on the lunar surface.  During their stay on the Moon, the astronauts set up scientific experiments, took photographs, and collected lunar samples. The LM took off from the Moon on 14 December and the astronauts returned to Earth on 19 December."

[NASA. Apollo 17. December 7th, 1972.]

The Outcome

The Apollo missions were essentially a springboard for the further development and researching of the utilization of space.  These missions were able to test and perfect a series of various machines and devices.  In addition, a variety of new ideas were slowly forming to further benefit humanity.  These included the continuous testing of satellites and other forms of spacecraft.  Space shuttles were being launched frequently in the 1970s and 1980s.  The Voyager missions have gone out of our solar system, and probes are now testing the Sun's surface for more research. All in all, with the beginning of Apollo reaching the moon, space is slowly being researched and understood by scientists everywhere.

Note:  The Apollo missions, some of the most famed missions to ever take place in the history of humanity were completely dominated by white males.  Thankfully, in the ensuing years, the first African American, Asian American and many more ethnic minorities entered space in a series of space shuttle missions.  

"Firsts"

Conclusion