SPACE.com -- Apollo Program Astronaut Missions: A Timeline


	Apollo Program Astronaut Missions: A Timeline posted: 09:38 am ET 17 July 1999

Aapollo_manned_flights

The 12 Apollo missions that involved astronauts are described below. The names in parentheses are those of the Command Module and the Lunar Module used on the mission.

Apollo 1 - Ended in tragedy January 27, 1967.

Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White, Roger B. Chaffee were killed in a command module fire on the launch pad during a launch simulation at the Kennedy Space Center . Originally known as Apollo 204 and scheduled for launch February 21, 1967, the mission would have been the first manned Apollo mission. The tragedy prompted NASA to suspend Saturn 1B launches for almost a year and led to a major redesign of the Apollo Command Module (CM).

In the spring of 1967, NASA's associate administrator for manned space flight announced that the mission originally scheduled for Grissom, White and Chaffee would be known as Apollo 1. He said that the first Saturn V launch, scheduled for November 1967 would be known as Apollo 4. No missions or flights were ever designated Apollo 2 and 3.

Apollo 7 - October 11-12, 1968

Launch vehicle: Saturn 1B

Crew: Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Donn F. Eisele, R. Walter Cunningham.

Duration: 10 days, 20 hours with, 163 Earth orbits.

Milestones: First manned Command Service Module operations in the lunar landing program. First live TV transmission from manned spacecraft.

Apollo 8 - December 21-27, 1968

Launch vehicle: Saturn V

Crew: Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, Jr., William A. Anders.

Duration: 6 days, 3 hours. In lunar orbit 20 hours, with 10 orbits.

Milestones: First manned lunar orbital mission. Support facilities tested. Photographs taken of Earth and Moon. Live TV broadcasts.

Apollo 9 (Gumdrop and Spider) March 3 -13, 1969

Launch vehicle: Saturn V

Crew: James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott, Russell L. Schweickart.

Duration: 10 days, 1 hour with 152 orbits.

First manned flight of all lunar hardware in Earth orbit. Schweickart performed a 37 minutes EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity). Human reactions to space and weightlessness tested. First manned flight of lunar module (LM).

Apollo 10 (Charlie Brown and Snoopy) May 18-26, 1969

Launch vehicle: Saturn V

Crew: Eugene A. Cernan, John W. Young, Thomas P. Stafford.

Duration: 8 days, 3 minutes. In lunar orbit 61.6 hours, with 31 orbits.

Milestones: Dress rehearsal for Moon landing. First manned CSM/LM (Command and Service Module/ Lunar Module) operations in cislunar and lunar environment. Simulation of first lunar landing profile. LM taken within 50,000 feet (15,243 meters) of lunar surface. First live color TV from space. LM ascent stage jettisoned in orbit.

Apollo 11 (Columbia and Eagle) July 16-24, 1969

Launch vehicle: Saturn V

Crew: Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr.

Duration: 8 days, 3 hours, 18 minutes. In lunar orbit 59.5 hours, with 30 orbits.

Landing site: Sea of Tranquility (0.71 degrees North, 23.63 degrees East).

Milestones: First manned lunar landing mission and lunar surface EVA. "HOUSTON, TRANQUILITY BASE HERE. THE EAGLE HAS LANDED."--July 20, 1969. One EVA of 2 hours, 31 minutes. Flag and instruments deployed; Unveiled plaque on the LM descent stage with inscription: "Here Men From Planet Earth First Set Foot Upon the Moon. July 1969 A.D. We Came In Peace For All Mankind." Lunar surface stay time 21.6 hours; LM ascent stage left in lunar orbit. Gathered 44 pounds (20 kilograms) of material.

Apollo 12 (Yankee Clipper and Intrepid) November 14-24, 1969

Launch vehicle: Saturn V

Crew: Charles Conrad, Jr., Richard F. Gordon, Jr., Alan L. Bean

Duration: 10 days, 4 hours, 36 minutes. In lunar orbit 89 hours with 45 orbits. Lunar surface stay-time, 31.5 hours.

Landing site: Ocean of Storms (3.04 degrees South, 23.42 degrees West).

Milestones: Retrieved parts of the unmanned Surveyor 3, which had landed on the Moon in April 1967. Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) deployed. LM descent stage impacted on Moon. Gathered 75 pounds (34 kilograms) of lunar material.

Apollo 13 (Odyssey and Aquarius) April 11-17, 1970

Launch vehicle: Saturn V

Crew: James A. Lovell, Jr., John L. Swigert, Jr. Fred W. Haise, Jr.

Duration: 5 days, 22.9 hours.

Milestones: Third lunar landing attempt. Mission aborted after rupture of service module oxygen tank. Classed as "successful failure" because of experience in rescuing crew. Spent upper stage successfully impacted on the Moon.

Apollo 14 (Kitty Hawk and Antares) January 31 - Febraury 9, 1971

Launch vehicle: Saturn V

Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Stuart A. Roosa, Edgar D. Mitchell

Duration: 9 days

Landing site: Fra Mauro (3.65 degrees south, 17.48 degrees West).

Milestones: ALSEP and other instruments deployed. Lunar surface stay-time, 33.5 hours; 67 hours in lunar orbit, with 34 orbits. 2 S (Extra-Vehicular Activities) of 9 hours, 25 minutes. Third stage impacted on Moon. Gathered 94 pounds. (42 kilograms) of lunar material using hand cart for first time to transport rocks.

Apollo 15 (Endeavor and Falcon) July 26-August 7, 1971

Launch vehicle: Saturn V

Crew: David R. Scott, James B. Irwin, Alfred M. Worden

Duration: 12 days, 17 hours, 12 minutes. In lunar orbit 145 hours with 74 orbits.

Lunar surface staytime: 66.9 hours.

Landing site: Hadley-Apennine region (26.08 degrees North, 3.66 degrees East) near Apennine Mountains.

Milestones: 3 EVAs of 10 hours, 36 minutes. Worden performed 38 minutes EVA on way back to Earth. First to carry orbital sensors in service module of CSM. ALSEP deployed. Scientific payload landed on Moon doubled. Improved spacesuits gave increased mobility and stay-time. Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), electric-powered, 4-wheel drive car, traversed total 17 miles (27.9 km) Small sub-satellite left in lunar orbit for first time. Gathered 169 pounds (6.6 kilograms) of lunar material.

Apollo 16 (Casper and Orion) April 16-27, 1972

Launch vehicle: Saturn V

Crew: John W. Young, Thomas K. Mattingly II, Charles M. Duke, Jr.

Duration: 11 days, 1 hour, 51 minutes. In lunar orbit 126 hours, with 64 orbits.

Lunar surface stay-time: 71 hours.

Landing site: Descartes Highlands (8.97 degrees South, 15.51 degrees East).

Milestones: First study of highlands area. Selected surface experiments deployed, ultraviolet camera/spectrograph used for first time on Moon, and LRV used for second time. Mattingly performed a one-hour in-flight EVA. Gathered 213 pounds (95.8 kilograms) of lunar material.

Apollo 17 (America and Challenger) December 7-19, 1972

Launch vehicle: Saturn V

Crew: Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald B. Evans, Harrison H. Schmitt

Duration: 12 days, 13 hours, 52 minutes. In lunar orbit 17 hours.

Lunar surface stay-time: 75 hours.

Landing site: Taurus-Littrow (20.16 degrees North, 30.77 degrees East), highlands and valley area.

Milestones: Three EVAs totaled 22 hours, 4 minutes. Evans performed trans-Earth EVA lasting 1 hour 6 minutes. Last lunar landing mission. First scientist-astronaut to land on Moon - Schmitt. Sixth automated research station set up. LRV traverse total 18.9 miles (30.5 km). Gathered 243 pounds (110.4 kilograms) of lunar material.

Source: NASA