User:Kees08/List of crewed Apollo missions

The Apollo program logo. Inside is a representation of the Earth and the Moon with a large letter A linking the two. A grey circle surrounds the scene with the text "Apollo NASA"
Apollo program logo

The Apollo program was the third United States human spaceflight program carried out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished landing the first humans on the Moon from 1969 to 1972.[1] During the Apollo 11 mission, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed their Apollo Lunar Module (LM) and walked on the lunar surface, while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit in the command and service module (CSM), and all three landed safely on Earth on July 24, 1969.[2] Five subsequent Apollo missions also landed astronauts on the Moon, the last in December 1972. In these six spaceflights, twelve men walked on the Moon.[3]

Apollo ran from 1961 to 1972, with the first crewed flight in 1968. It achieved its goal of crewed lunar landing, despite the major setback of a 1967 Apollo 1 cabin fire that killed the entire crew during a prelaunch test.[4] After the first landing, sufficient flight hardware remained for nine follow-up landings with a plan for extended lunar geological and astrophysical exploration. Budget cuts forced the cancellation of three of these.[5] Five of the remaining six missions achieved successful landings, but the Apollo 13 landing was prevented by an oxygen tank explosion in transit to the Moon, which damaged the CSM's propulsion and life support. The crew returned to Earth safely by using the Lunar Module as a "lifeboat" for these functions.[6] Apollo used Saturn family rockets as launch vehicles, which were also used for an Apollo Applications Program, which consisted of Skylab, a space station that supported three crewed missions from 1973 through 1974, and the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project, a joint Earth orbit mission with the Soviet Union in 1975.[7]

A representation of the Moon, with a cluster of green triangles indicating the Apollo landing sites
Green triangles indicate locations of Apollo landings on the Moon

Apollo set several major human spaceflight milestones. It stands alone in sending crewed missions beyond low Earth orbit.[3] Apollo 8 was the first crewed spacecraft to orbit another celestial body, while the final Apollo 17 mission marked the sixth Moon landing and the ninth crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit. The program returned 842 pounds (382 kg) of lunar rocks and soil to Earth, greatly contributing to the understanding of the Moon's composition and geological history.[8] The program laid the foundation for NASA's subsequent human spaceflight capability. Apollo also spurred advances in many areas of technology incidental to rocketry and crewed spaceflight, including avionics, telecommunications, and computers.[9]

The Apollo program used four types of launch vehicles. The first was the Little Joe II, which was used for uncrewed suborbital launch escape system development.[10] The second is the Saturn I, which was used for uncrewed suborbital and orbital hardware development.[11] The third is the Saturn IB which was used for preparatory uncrewed missions and Apollo 7.[12] Last, the Saturn V which was used for uncrewed and crewed Earth orbit and lunar missions.[13] The Marshall Space Flight Center, which designed the Saturn rockets, referred to the flights as Saturn-Apollo (SA), while Kennedy Space Center referred to the flights as Apollo-Saturn (AS). This is why the uncrewed Saturn I flights are referred to as SA and the uncrewed Saturn IB are referred to as AS.

Alphabetical mission types

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The Apollo program required sequential testing of several major mission elements in the runup to a crewed lunar landing. An alphabetical list of major mission types was proposed by Owen Maynard in September 1967.[14][15] Two "A-type" missions performed uncrewed tests of the CSM and the Saturn V, and one B-type mission performed an uncrewed test of the LM. The C-type mission, the first crewed flight of the CSM in Earth orbit, was performed by Apollo 7.

The list was revised upon George Low's proposal to commit a mission to lunar orbit ahead of schedule, an idea influenced by the status of the CSM as a proven craft and production delays of the LM.[16] Apollo 8 was reclassified from its original assignment as a D-type mission, a test of the complete CSM/LM spacecraft in Earth orbit, to a "C-prime" mission which would fly humans to the Moon. Once complete, it obviated the need for the E-type objective of a medium Earth orbital test. The D-type mission was instead performed by Apollo 9; the F-type mission, Apollo 10, flew the CSM/LM spacecraft to the Moon for final testing, without landing. The G-type mission, Apollo 11, performed the first lunar landing, the central goal of the program.

The initial A-G[14][17] list was expanded to include later mission types:[1]: 466  H-type missions—Apollo 12, 13 (planned) and 14—would perform precision landings, and J-type missions—Apollo 15, 16 and 17—would perform thorough scientific investigation. The I-type objective, which called for extended lunar orbital surveillance of the Moon,[18] was incorporated into the J-type missions.[1]: 466 

Alphabetical mission types of the Apollo Program
Mission Type Missions Description
A Apollo 4
Apollo 6
"Unmanned flights of launch vehicles and the CSM, to demonstrate the adequacy of their design and to certify safety for men."[17][a]
B Apollo 5 "Unmanned flight of the LM, to demonstrate the adequacy of its design and to certify its safety for men."[17]
C Apollo 7 "Manned flight to demonstrate performance and operability of the CSM."[17]
C' Apollo 8 "Command and service module manned flight demonstration in lunar orbit."[1]: 466 
D Apollo 9 "Manned flight of the complete lunar landing mission vehicle in low Earth orbit to demonstrate operability of all the equipment and (insofar as could be done in Earth orbit) to perform the maneuvers involved in the ultimate mission."[17]
E "Manned flight of the complete lunar landing mission vehicle in Earth orbit to great distances from Earth."[17]
F Apollo 10 "A complete mission except for the final descent to and landing on the lunar surface."[17]
G Apollo 11 "The initial lunar landing mission."[17]
H Apollo 12
Apollo 13 (planned)
Apollo 14
"Precision manned lunar landing demonstration and systematic lunar exploration."[1]: 466 
I "Reserved for lunar survey missions (not used)."[18]
J Apollo 15
Apollo 16
Apollo 17
"Extensive scientific investigation of Moon on lunar surface and from lunar orbit."[1]: 466 

Manned Apollo missions

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The Block I CSM spacecraft did not have capability to fly with the LM, and the three crew positions were designated Command Pilot, Senior Pilot, and Pilot, based on U.S. Air Force pilot ratings. The Block II spacecraft was designed to fly with the Lunar Module, so the corresponding crew positions were designated Commander, Command Module Pilot, and Lunar Module Pilot regardless of whether a Lunar Module was present or not on any mission.[19]

A total of fifteen Saturn V vehicles were ordered (through AS-515), which would have been enough for three more Moon landing missions through Apollo 20. This flight was cancelled around the time of the Apollo 11 first landing mission to make the launch vehicle available for the Skylab space station. Shortly thereafter, Apollo 18 and 19 were cancelled in response to Congressional cuts in NASA's budget.[7]

Several of the missions involved extravehicular activity (EVA), spacewalks or moonwalks outside of the spacecraft. These were of three types: testing the lunar EVA suit in Earth orbit (Apollo 9), exploring the lunar surface, and retrieving film canisters from the Scientific Instrument Module stored in the Service Module.[20]

Mission Patch Launch date Crew Launch vehicle[b] CM name LM name Duration Remarks Refs
Apollo 1
 
21 February 1967

Launch Complex 34 (planned)

Gus Grissom
Ed White
Roger B. Chaffee
Saturn IB
(AS-204)
Never launched. On 27 January 1967, a fire in the command module during a launch pad test killed the crew and destroyed the module. This flight was originally designated AS-204, and was renamed to Apollo 1 at the request of the crew's families. [1][21][22][23][24]
Apollo 7
 
11 October 1968

15:02 GMT

Launch Complex 34

Wally Schirra
Donn F. Eisele
Walter Cunningham
Saturn IB
(AS-205)
10d 20h
09m 03s
Test flight of Block II CSM in Earth orbit; included first live TV broadcast from American spacecraft. [1][21][25][26][27]
Apollo 8
 
21 December 1968

12:51 GMT

Launch Complex 39A

Frank Borman
James Lovell
William Anders
Saturn V

(AS-503)

06d 03h

00m 42s

First circumlunar flight of CSM, had ten lunar orbits in 20 hours. First crewed flight of Saturn V. [1][21][28][29][30]
Apollo 9
 
3 March 1969

16:00 GMT

Launch Complex 39A

James McDivitt
David Scott
Rusty Schweickart
Saturn V

(AS-504)

Gumdrop Spider 10d 01h

00m 54s

First crewed flight test of Lunar Module; tested propulsion, rendezvous and docking. EVA tested the Portable Life Support System (PLSS). [1][21][31][32][33]
Apollo 10
 
18 May 1969

16:49 GMT

Launch Complex 39B

Thomas P. Stafford
John Young
Eugene Cernan
Saturn V

(AS-505)

Charlie Brown Snoopy 08d 00h

03m 23s

"Dress rehearsal" for lunar landing. The LM descended to 8.4 nautical miles (15.6 km) from lunar surface. [1][21][34][35][36]
Apollo 11
 
16 July 1969

13:32 GMT

Launch Complex 39A

Neil Armstrong
Michael Collins
Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin
Saturn V

(AS-506)

Columbia Eagle 08d 03h
18m 35s
First crewed landing in Sea of Tranquility; including a single surface EVA. [1][21][2][37]
Apollo 12
 
14 November 1969

16:22 GMT

Launch Complex 39A

Charles (Pete) Conrad
Richard F. Gordon Jr.
Alan Bean
Saturn V

(AS-507)

Yankee Clipper Intrepid 10d 04h
36m 24s
First precise Moon landing in Ocean of Storms near Surveyor 3 probe. Two surface EVAs and returned parts of Surveyor to Earth. [1][21][38][39]
Apollo 13
 
11 April 1970

19:13 GMT

Launch Complex 39A

James Lovell
Jack Swigert
Fred Haise
Saturn V

(AS-508)

Odyssey Aquarius 05d 22h
54m 41s
Intended Fra Mauro landing cancelled after SM oxygen tank exploded. LM used as "lifeboat" for safe crew return. First S-IVB stage impact on Moon for active seismic test. [1][21][40][6]
Apollo 14
 
31 January 1971

21:03 GMT

Launch Complex 39A

Alan Shepard
Stuart Roosa
Edgar Mitchell
Saturn V

(AS-509)

Kitty Hawk Antares 09d 00h
01m 58s
Successful Fra Mauro landing. Broadcast first color TV images from lunar surface. Conducted first materials science experiments in space. Conducted two surface EVAs. [1][21][41][42]
Apollo 15
 
26 July 1971

13:34 GMT

Launch Complex 39A

David Scott
Alfred Worden
James Irwin
Saturn V

(AS-510)

Endeavour Falcon 12d 07h
11m 53s
Landing at Hadley–Apennine. First extended LM, three-day lunar stay. First use of Lunar Roving Vehicle. Conducted 3 lunar surface EVAs and one deep space EVA on return to retrieve orbital camera film from SM. [1][21][43][44]
Apollo 16
 
16 April 1972

17:54 GMT

Launch Complex 39A

John Young
Ken Mattingly
Charles Duke
Saturn V

(AS-511)

Casper Orion 11d 01h
51m 05s
Landing in Descartes Highlands. Conducted 3 lunar EVAs and one deep space EVA. [1][21][45][46]
Apollo 17
 
7 December 1972

05:33 GMT

Launch Complex 39A

Eugene Cernan
Ronald Evans
Harrison Schmitt
Saturn V

(AS-512)

America Challenger 12d 13h
51m 59s
Landing at Taurus–Littrow. First professional geologist on the Moon. First night launch. Conducted 3 lunar EVAs and one deep space EVA. [1][21][47][48]

Cancelled missions

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Several planned missions of the Apollo program of the 1960s and 1970s were canceled for a variety of reasons, including changes in technical direction, the Apollo 1 fire, hardware delays, and budget limitations.

Mission name/designation Commander Command Module Pilot Lunar Module Pilot Mission date Date of cancellation Remarks Refs
AS-205 (aka Apollo 2) Walter Schirra Donn Eisele Walter Cunningham August 1967 22 December 1966 Deemed unnecessary; crew flew on Apollo 7 [49]
Apollo 18 Richard Gordon Vance Brand Harrison Schmitt February 1972 2 September 1970 Budget cuts [5][50]
Apollo 19 Fred Haise William Pogue Gerald Carr July 1972 2 September 1970 Budget cuts [5][50]
Apollo 20 Pete Conrad or Stuart Roosa Paul Weitz Jack Lousma December 1972 4 January 1970 Launch vehicle needed to launch Skylab [5][50][51]

Post-Apollo missions using Apollo hardware

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There were several missions that used Apollo hardware after the cancellation of Apollo 18, Apollo 19, and Apollo 20.[52]

Order Launch Mission Launch vehicle Commander Pilot Science Pilot Duration Remarks Refs
1 14 May 1973

17:30 UTC

Launch Complex 39A

Skylab 1
 
Saturn V

(AS-513 minus S-IVB)

Uncrewed launch of the Skylab space station. The space station was later crewed by missions Skylab 2, Skylab 3 and Skylab 4. [21]
2 25 May 1973

13:00 GMT

Launch Complex 39B

Skylab 2[53]
 
Saturn IB

(AS-206)

Pete Conrad Paul J. Weitz Joseph P. Kerwin 28d 00h
49m 49s
First crew of the Skylab space station. [21]
3 28 July 1973

11:10 GMT

Launch Complex 39B

Skylab 3[53]
 
Saturn IB

(AS-207)

Alan Bean Jack R. Lousma Owen K. Garriott 59d 11h
09m 34s
Second Skylab station crew. Reaction Control System thruster malfunction nearly necessitated a Rescue Mission. [21]
4 16 November 1973

14:01 GMT

Launch Complex 39B

Skylab 4[53]
 
Saturn IB

(AS-208)

Gerald P. Carr William R. Pogue Edward Gibson 84d 01h
15m 31s
Third and final Skylab crew. Penultimate flight of Apollo. [21]
5 15 July 1975

12:20 GMT

Launch Complex 39B

Apollo–Soyuz Test Project
Saturn IB

(AS-210)

Thomas P. Stafford Vance D. Brand Deke Slayton 09d 01h
28m 
Final flight of both Apollo and the Saturn IB. Rendezvous and docking with Soyuz 19 spacecraft. The inadvertent entry of toxic gases into the cabin atmosphere created a potentially life-threatening health risk to the astronauts during re-entry. [21]

Notes

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  1. ^ Although the A-type designation was used in official documents to refer only to Apollo 4 and Apollo 6[1]: 466 , specifically their uncrewed orbital flights of the CSM and use of the Saturn V rocket, Samuel C. Phillips also used the A-type designation to refer to AS-201, AS-203 and AS-202: "A. Unmanned flights of launch vehicles and the CSM, to demonstrate the adequacy of their design and to certify safety for men. Five of these flights were flown between February 1966 and April 1968; Apollo 6 was the last."[17]
  2. ^ Serial number displayed in parentheses

References

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  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Apollo Program Summary Report (PDF) (Report). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. April 1975. JSC-09423. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Apollo 11 (AS-506)". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 21 September 2017.[dead link]
  3. ^ a b Riley, Christopher (15 December 2012). "Apollo 40 years on: how the moon missions changed the world for ever". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  4. ^ Teitel, Amy (28 October 2018). "What Happened to Apollos 2 and 3?". Popular Science. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d Williams, David (11 December 2003). "Apollo 18 through 20 - The Cancelled Missions". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  6. ^ a b Apollo 13 Mission Report (PDF) (Report). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. September 1970. MSC-02680. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  7. ^ a b Silber, Kennith (16 July 2009). "Down to Earth: The Apollo Moon Missions That Never Were". Scientific American. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  8. ^ "Lunar Rocks and Soils from Apollo Missions". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  9. ^ Gaudin, Sharon (20 July 2009). "NASA's Apollo technology has changed history". Computerworld. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  10. ^ Bongat, Orlando (16 September 2011). "Little Joe II". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  11. ^ "Rocket, Launch Vehicle, Test, Saturn I, Block 1". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. 2016-03-13. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  12. ^ Portree, David S. F. (16 September 2013). "A Forgotten Rocket: The Saturn IB". Wired. Wired (magazine). Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  13. ^ Bongat, Orlando. "Saturn V". National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
  14. ^ a b Brooks, Courtney G.; Grimwood, James M.; Swenson, Loyd S. (1979). "Tragedy and Recovery". Chariots for Apollo: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft. NASA.
  15. ^ Murray, Charles; Cox, Catherine Bly (1989). Apollo: The Race to the Moon. Simon and Schuster. pp. 315–16. ISBN 9780671706258.
  16. ^ Cortright, Edgar M., ed. (2019). Apollo Expeditions to the Moon. Dover. p. 171. ISBN 9780486836522.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cortright, Edgar M., ed. (2019). Apollo Expeditions to the Moon. Dover. p. 172. ISBN 9780486836522.
  18. ^ a b "Part 2(D) – July through September 1967". The Apollo Spacecraft – A Chronology. Volume IV. NASA. 1975. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
  19. ^ Shayler, David (26 August 2002). Apollo: The Lost and Forgotten Missions. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 117, 124–125. ISBN 9781852335755.
  20. ^ Evans, Ben (17 December 2017). "Walking in the Void: 45 Years Since the Last Deep-Space EVA". AmericaSpace. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Cite error: The named reference hallion-crouch was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ "Apollo 1". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  23. ^ "Apollo 1 (AS-204)". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  24. ^ Garber, Steve (10 September 2015). "Apollo-1 (AS-204)". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  25. ^ Ryba, Jeanne (8 July 2009). "Apollo 7". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  26. ^ "Apollo 7 (AS-205)". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  27. ^ Apollo 8 Mission Report (PDF) (Report). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. February 1969. MSC-PA-R-69-1. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  28. ^ Ryba, Jeanne (8 July 2009). "Apollo 8". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  29. ^ "Apollo 8 (AS-503)". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  30. ^ Apollo 8 Mission Report (PDF) (Report). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. February 1969. MSC-PA-R-69-1. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  31. ^ "Apollo 9". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 8 July 2009. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  32. ^ "Apollo 9 (AS-504)". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  33. ^ Apollo 9 Mission Report (PDF) (Report). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. May 1969. MSC-PA-R-69-2. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  34. ^ "Apollo 10". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 8 July 2009. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  35. ^ "Apollo 10 (AS-505)". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  36. ^ Apollo 10 Mission Report (PDF) (Report). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. August 1969. MSC-00126. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  37. ^ Apollo 11 Mission Report (PDF) (Report). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. November 1969. MSC-00171. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  38. ^ "Apollo 12 (AS-507)". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 21 September 2017.[dead link]
  39. ^ Apollo 12 Mission Report (PDF) (Report). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. March 1970. MSC-01855. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  40. ^ "Apollo 13 (AS-508)". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 21 September 2017.[dead link]
  41. ^ "Apollo 14 (AS-509)". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 21 September 2017.[dead link]
  42. ^ Apollo 14 Mission Report (PDF) (Report). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. May 1971. MSC-04112. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  43. ^ "Apollo 15 (AS-510)". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 21 September 2017.[dead link]
  44. ^ Apollo 15 Mission Report (PDF) (Report). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. December 1971. MSC-05161. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  45. ^ "Apollo 16 (AS-511)". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 21 September 2017.[dead link]
  46. ^ Apollo 16 Mission Report (PDF) (Report). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. December 1971. MSC-07230. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  47. ^ Cite error: The named reference apollo17-report was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  48. ^ "Apollo 17 (AS-512)". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 21 September 2017.[dead link]
  49. ^ Wade, Mark. "APOLLO 7: AS-205". astronautix. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  50. ^ a b c Rousseau, Steve (2 September 2011). "Why Apollo Really Stopped at 17". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  51. ^ "Apollo 20". Astronautix. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  52. ^ "The Skylab Program". NASA History Office. October 22, 2004. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  53. ^ a b c Due to a management error, the Skylab mission patches were incorrectly designed using an inconsistent mission numbering scheme."Skylab Numbering Fiasco". WilliamPogue.com.

Bibliography

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