Archive for November, 2009

  • Apollo 8

    Apollo 8

    In the second manned Apollo flight, and the first manned test of the giant Saturn V rocket, a three-man crew took a flight all the way to the moon. Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders orbited the moon ten times, and read from Genesis on Christmas eve.

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  • Apollo 9

    Apollo 9

    Apollo 9 was the first manned test of a lunar module. In March 1969, Dave Scott and Rusty Schweikert took the LM on a spin in earth orbit, while commander Jim McDivitt flew the command module (“Gumdrop”) solo. When the two vehicles docked, it was America’s first docking of two manned spacecraft

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  • Apollo 10

    Apollo 10

    A dress rehearsal for the first moonlanding, Apollo 10 took Gene Cernan and his crew to the moon in May 1969. As Tom Mattingly stayed aboard the command module (“Charlie Brown”), Cernan and Tom Stafford took the LM (“Snoopy”) to within 10 miles of the lunar surface—above the Sea of Tranquility.

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  • Apollo 11

    Apollo 11

    NASA met President Kennedy’s goal by landing on the moon in July 1969. The Apollo 11 command module (“Columbia”) got them there. The final leg down to the surface was taken by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin via the LM, “Eagle”. Meanwhile, Mike Collins orbited above alone.

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  • Apollo 12

    Apollo 12

    Carrying the all Navy crew of Pete Conrad, Alan Bean and Dick Gordon to the moon, Apollo 12 was less-watched than the first moon landing of Apollo 11. But it was an amazing mission, overcoming 2 lightning strike during launch to achieve a pinpoint landing. Conrad and Bean brought walked over to an unmanned Surveyor [...]

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  • Apollo 13

    Apollo 13

    Apollo 13′s amazing adventure is now more famous for the movie than the event. But when an explosion canceled this moonlanding in 1970, millions were transfixed as Lovell, Haise and Swigert barely limped home.

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  • A deadly re-entry

    A deadly re-entry

    As Boris Volnyov watched the flames lapping at the blunt nose of his Soyuz spacecraft, he felt certain that death was near. With his heat shield out of position, the 5,000 degree heat outside would soon consume him. He could already smell the burning of the rubber seals which held the spacecraft’s hatch in place. [...]

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