The Space Program: Project Apollo

THE SPACE PROGRAM: PROJECT APOLLO

Disaster Strikes

The Soviets and Americans both started new projects in 1967 in the race to be first on the Moon. The Americans initiated Project Apollo; the Soviets, Project Soyuz. Both began with horrible disasters that set each country's space program back a year and a half. The U.S. crew of Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee were testing the new Apollo systems on the ground in January 1967. On 27 January the three were inside the spacecraft that was going to be Apollo 1 breathing pure oxygen. Suddenly ground control noticed they had elevated heart rates. They were heard to say, "fire in the spacecraft" and "get us out of here." Then there was a burst of flame seen from outside. It took six minutes for technicians and workers to open the hatch. By that time the three astronauts were dead. The interior of the craft was estimated to have reached 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Apollo Suspended

The investigation of the accident reported that it could have been prevented. After Grissom's Mercury capsule sank, the hatches on space-craft were bolted shut to prevent premature opening in the ocean. An electrical spark, caused by broken insulation on electrical wires run under a close-fitting door, started the fire, which burned furiously in the pure oxygen atmosphere. There were waste rags in the craft, and flammable plastics were not isolated by fire walls. NASA suspended the project to redesign the craft and review work standards. Grissom had warned NASA that the spacecraft was badly designed. After twenty thousand test failures of the engine and craft, Grissom complained loudly. He hung a lemon from the Apollo 1 command module a week before he was killed inside it.

A Cosmonaut Is Killed

The Soviet Soyuz 1 mission was no more successful. For once, the Soviets announced the launching in advance. There was to be a launching of two one-man Soyuz craft, docking in space, swapping of cosmonauts, and reentering. Vladimir M. Komarov, the first Soviet to fly twice in space, took off on 23 April 1967. On the thirteenth orbit, the stabilizers failed, and the Soyuz went into an uncontrolled spin. Various other equipment failed as well, including the onboard computer system. Komarov tried twice to reenter without success. On the third try he fired his reentry retrorockets to stabilize the craft, but that failed too. American listening posts monitored his conversation. Komarov realized he was doomed, with no chance of escape. He did not even have an ejection seat. He said good-bye to his wife and Soviet premier Aleksey Kosygin and began reentry. He fell to the ground like a stone. Excessive reentry heat probably killed him before he hit the ground.

PROJECT APOLLO MANNED MISSIONS

MISSION NO.	LAUNCH DATE	ASTRONAUTS	FLIGHT TIME	MISSION
7	11 October 1968	Capt. Walter M. Schirra, Jr., USN Maj. Donn F. Eisele, USAF Walter Cunningham	10 days, 20 hrs.	prolonged earth orbit
8	21 December 1968	Col. Frank Borman, USAF Capt. James A. Lovell, Jr., USN Maj. William A. Anders, USAF	6 days, 3 hrs.	moon orbit
9	3 March 1969	Col. James A. McDivitt, Col. David R. USAF Scott, USAF Russell ("Rusty") Louis Schweickart	10 days, 1 hr.	lunar/command module docking
10	18 May 1969	Col. Thomas P. Stafford, Jr., USAF Comdr. John W. Young, Jr., USN Cornar. Eugene A. Cernan, USN	8 days	moon orbit, module docking
11	16 July 1969	Neil A. Armstrong Lt. Col. Michael Collins, USAF Col. Edwin ("Buzz") Aldrin, USAF	8 days, 3 hrs.	lunar landing
12	14 November 1969	Comdr. Charles ("Pete") Conrad, Jr., USN Comdr. Richard F. Gordon, Jr., USN Comdr. Alan L. Bean, USN	10 days, 5 hrs.	lunar landing

PROJECT SOYUZ MANNED MISSIONS

MISSION NO.	LAUNCH DATE	COSMONAUTS	FLIGHT TIME	MISSION
1	23 April 1967	Col. Vladimir M. Komarov, AF	1 day, 3 hrs.	orbit
3	26 October 1968	Col. Georgi T. Beregovoi, AF	3 days, 23 hrs.	rendezvous
4	14 January 1969	Lt. Col. Vladimir A. Shatalov, AF	2 days, 23 hrs.	docking
5	15 January 1969	Lt. Col. Boris V. Volynov, AF Alexei S. Yeliseyev Lt. Col. Yevgeni V. Khrunov	3 days, 1 hr.	docking
6	11 October 1969	Lt. Col. Georgi S. Shonin, AF Valeri Kubasov	4 days, 23 hrs.	orbit
7	12 October 1969	Lt. Col. Anatoli V. Filipchenko, AF Vladislav N. Volkov Lt. Col. Viktor V. Gorbatko, AF	4 days, 23 hrs.	orbit
8	13 October 1969	Col. Vladimir A. Shatalov, AF Alexei S. Yeliseyev	4 days, 23 hrs.	orbit

Manned Apollo Missions Resume

The next space flight was Apollo 7 (previous Apollo missions had no men aboard) using the multistage Saturn rocket. The first stage alone was capable of over 1.5 million pounds of thrust. Apollo had command, service, and lunar modules. Apollo 7 was a test of the Apollo-Atlas system and the new designs since the Apollo 1 tragedy. The mission started on 11 October 1968 and lasted almost eleven days, with Schirra, Donn F. Eisele, and Walter Cunningham, a civilian and former military pilot, aboard. The flight was distinguished by the bad temper of the astronauts, particularly Schirra, who seemed to be picking fights with ground control throughout the trip. All three had caught colds before blastoff.

Soyuz Tries to Keep Pace

The Soviets countered with an unmanned Soyuz 2 on 25 October 1968 and Soyuz 3 on 26 October, manned by Georgi T. Beregovoi. His three-day mission involved rendezvous attempts with Soyuz 2. There appeared to have been some difficulty with close maneuvering, and the two craft never got closer than about 650 feet.

Orbiting the Moon on Christmas Day

Apollo 8, launched on 21 December 1968, was a major mission. Aboard were Borman, Lovell, and William A. Anders. At about three hours into the mission, they refired the Saturn rocket's fourth stage and left Earth orbit. On 24 December they began orbiting the moon at about seventy miles above its surface. After spending Christmas Day orbiting the moon, another rocket firing directed the craft back toward Earth. Reentry was perfect.

Cosmonauts Dock Successfully

The Soviets launched Soyuz 4 on 14 January 1969, with Vladimir A. Shatalov aboard. On 15 January Soyuz 5 was launched with cosmonauts Boris V. Volynov, Alexei S. Yeliseyev, and Yevgeni V. Khrunov aboard. They all stayed aloft about three days. During their time in space together the two craft docked, and the cosmonauts performed a space walk.

The Lunar Module Is Tested in Space

Apollo 9 had a special mission. The lunar module had never been tested before in space. It took off on 3 March 1969. The astronauts were James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott, and Russell Louis ("Rusty") Schweickart. Schweickart had space sickness at first, but on the fifth day he and McDivitt transferred from the command module to the lunar module. The two modules separated and later docked.

The Next to Last Step

Apollo 10 was the final mission before landing a man on the Moon. It took off on 18 May 1969 with Young, Stafford, Jr., and Cernan. They went to orbit around the Moon, and the lunar and command modules separated. The lunar module came within nine miles of the proposed lunar landing site in the Moon's Sea of Tranquility area. On attempting to remove the descent engines from the module and fire the ascent rockets, the lunar module went into a spin, but the astronouts regained control and docked successfully with the command module.

The Big Prize

Apollo 11 was the big one. Takeoff was on 16 July 1969. Aboard were Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin. The command module was named Columbia, and the lunar module was called Eagle. The two separated during lunar orbit, with Collins aboard the Columbia and Armstrong and Aldrin aboard the Eagle. On 20 July 1969, at 9:18 P.M., Americans reached the Moon. Armstrong announced the arrival: "The Eagle has landed." Four hours later the astronauts had on space suits. Armstrong was first to come out of the lunar module. On touching the Moon's surface, he said, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." About a third of the population of the world watched the event on television as it happened. While Armstrong collected Moon rocks and dust, Aldrin joined him. The astronauts collected samples and set up various experiments including a laser reflector. Their Moon walk took two and a half hours. They returned to the lunar module for some needed sleep. After nearly a day on the Moon, they fired the ascent rockets and were back in lunar orbit without a problem. After docking with Columbia, the three re-turned to Earth. Once there, they were put into a three-week quarantine.

Goal of Soyuz Becomes Unclear

Between 11 and 13 October 1969, the Soviets launched three Soyuz missions, involving a total of seven cosmonauts (Georgi S. Shonin, Valeri Kubasov, Anatoli V. Filipchenko, Vladislav N. Volkov, Viktor V. Gorbatko, Shatalov, and Yeliseyev). Docking was not performed, but the three ships did rendezvous. There is still some question about why the Soviets embarked on this mission. Some think they had abandoned the Moon race after the Soyuz 1 disaster and their problems with docking craft. They may have switched plans then to build a Salyut space station. The three Soyuz missions may have been a way to use up some hardware, keep their place in the space race, and perform scientific experiments.

Man Returns to the Moon

On 14 November 1969 Apollo 12 took off for the second manned lunar landing. On board were Conrad, Gordon, and Alan L. Bean. Conrad and Bean landed their lunar module in an area called the Ocean of Storms. The astronauts set up scientific experiments and visited the (unmanned) Surveyor 3 which had landed nearby in April of 1967. They then took off from the Moon, docked with the command module, and returned to Earth. The most striking discovery of Apollo 12 was life on the Moon. In a piece of insulation on the Surveyor 3 they discovered a colony of bacteria (Streptococcus mitis), which had managed to live over two years on the Moon. It is generally accepted that the organisms originally came from the Earth.