APOLLO PROGRAM: LUNAR MISSIONS.
‘The way to the stars is open’,: by Sergei Korolev
In 1961, At the height of the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union, Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. A week later US launched its first astronaut, Alan Shephard. President John F. Kennedy believed if the US was to overtake the Soviet space program, it needed a bolder mission. At that time Kennedy addressed the Congress Union a 15-minute human spaceflight, no one knew if a moon landing was even possible, let alone in just 9 years. It would be an engineering and scientific endeavor never seen before, with both triumph and tragedy. The incredible mission of landing astronauts on the Moon would be known as the Apollo Program.
TRAGEDY TO TRIUMPH:
Before NASA could design the lunar spacecraft, it faced some fundamental questions about how it would send astronauts to the Moon. Fortunately, there was a man named Wernher Von Braun who was the top NASA Rocket Scientist to provide the answers. He developed Nazi Germany’s deadly V2 rocket during World War 2. It was the world’s first long-range guided missile. After the war, he was recruited by the US military to assist their own rocket program.
DIRECT ASCENT:
The most obvious landing on the moon is to send a spacecraft from the Earth to the Moon and back again. However, a massive rocket would be required for the spaceship big enough to hold all the supplies, gear, and fuel. Von suggested launching the spacecraft in pieces in smaller rockets and then assembling it in the orbit of Earth.
Later NASA Engineer John Houbolt suggested another option. It was considered dangerous by the senior Engineers of NASA. Not one but two spacecraft coupled together would journey to the Moon. The first is the Command and Service Module (CSM). It would provide fuel, power, supplies, and living space for three astronauts. The second spacecraft is the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM)- which would land on the moon. It would be piloted by the two astronauts whilst the third stayed behind to fly CSM. The plan was high-risk. To dock and undock the 2 spacecraft, NASA would need to invent new piloting techniques and execute them flawlessly, because if something went wrong the astronauts would have no hope of rescue. NASA embarked on years of pioneering research and development. Over 16 crewed missions in just 5 years. But John Kennedy didn’t live to see these achievements.
JOHN KENNEDY: “ Well space is there and we’re going to climb it, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And therefore we ask God’s blessing, on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventures on which man has ever embarked.”
PART 1:
Apollo 1:
NASA’s Darkest Hour: Prior to the First Launch of Lunar Mission.
“How do we get to the moon when we can’t talk between 3 buildings?”
Even after 5 years of development and testing, it was still riddled with defects. During ground tests, astronauts struggled with coolant leaks, plumbing, and short circuits in the electrical wirings.
Gus Grissom: “Hey! We’ve got a fire in the cockpit!” :
Those were the last words of the Apollo 1 astronauts. They were killed during the ground testing.
After a series of uncrewed spaceflights, the next mission would be Apollo 7.
Apollo 7:
Learning from the failures that caused the Apollo 1 fire, Nasa redesigned CSM, while the Lunar module was still in the design phase, and would be tested on later flights. Giving this new mission a thorough shakedown is the designated astronauts’ mission. They performed navigation drills and practiced docking maneuvers using their spent rocket booster as a target. The Mission was a Success.
Apollo 8: FIRST AROUND THE MOON. (beating Soviets)
Bill Anders: “There was probably one chance in three we wouldn’t make it back.”
To stop the Soviets from beating America to another first, Apollo 8 was originally intended to test the lunar module in the Earth orbit- would instead be sent on a mission to orbit the moon.
EARTH-MOON: DISTANCE TO SCALE APPROXIMATELY 240,000 miles, a giant leap.
Traveling to the moon required a huge rocket to launch the spacecraft. SATURN V ROCKET: 110 meters tall, this mighty rocket had dwarfed all the previous American rockets. Borman, Lovell, and Anders were the first humans to view the lunar surface close-up. For NASA the success of Apollo 8 has brought hope. Apollo 8 flew within 69 miles of the Moon’s surface. But crossing that final gap would be the greatest challenge of the Apollo Program. It would require a completely new and untested spacecraft.
Following an extensive series of successful and unsuccessful test missions, NASA prepared to send its first crew to the Moon. In order to comprehend the lunar surface, nine further missions were later launched.
Wait for part 2; the voyage has just begun to get even more amazing! I’ll be back in a few days. Until then keep reading :)
