Apollo was the NASA program that led to a total of 11 spaceflights and moonwalks by American astronauts.
The Apollo Program’s equipment was put to the test during the first four flights. Of the last seven trips, six made it to the moon. In 1968, the first Apollo mission took place. In 1969, the first lunar landing took occurred. The 1972 lunar landing was the final one.
Twelve astronauts in total stepped on the moon. There, the astronauts engaged in scientific research. They looked at the lunar landscape. They gathered moon rocks and brought them home.
For this program, NASA created the Apollo Command Module. There was space in the capsule for three astronauts. The Command Module transported the astronauts to the moon and back. The spacecraft utilized in the Mercury and Gemini missions were smaller than this one. The spaceship provided enough area for the astronauts to move around. The crew space was roughly the size of a car.
For the moon landing, the Lunar Module was employed, another spacecraft. The astronauts were transported by this spaceship from the moon’s orbit to the moon’s surface and returned. Two astronauts could travel on it.
The Apollo program employed two different kinds of rockets. The smaller Saturn I (1) B rocket was used for the initial flights. Its height was comparable to a 22-story structure. Two stages made up this rocket. That indicates that it had two components. When the first component ran out of fuel, it separated from the other and exploded in the atmosphere of Earth. The second section kept on soaring. The new Apollo capsule was tested in Earth orbit using the Saturn IB rocket.
The more potent Saturn V (5) rocket was employed for the other missions. The Apollo spacecraft was launched to the moon with this three-stage rocket. It was around the height of a 36-story structure.
Apollo 8 was the first spacecraft to carry people to the moon. On Christmas Eve in 1968, it went in circles around the moon. Apollo 8 did not, however, touch down on the moon. After traveling around the moon, it returned to Earth. Jim Lovell, Bill Anders, and Frank Borman made up the crew.
The Apollo 11 mission’s first moon landing took place on July 20, 1969. Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and Neil Armstrong made up the Apollo 11 crew. Collins remained in orbit near the moon while Armstong and Aldrin made lunar landings.
One of the more well-known lunar missions is Apollo 13. This flight was the subject of a movie. The moon landing planned for Apollo 13 took place. The spacecraft ran into trouble in route. NASA had to devise a safe return plan for the astronauts. Before heading back to Earth, Apollo 13 completed one orbit of the moon. Despite the issue, they managed to land successfully on Earth.
