Apollo 7
Apollo 7 was a mission in the NASA's Apollo program. It was the first crewed mission in the Apollo program and the first crewed US space flight after Apollo 1 disaster. The mission was a C type mission. Apollo 7 was launched on October 11, 1968 and stayed in space for 10 days, 20 hours, 9 minutes and three seconds.[4]:76 It orbited the Earth. Apollo 7 was the first crewed launch of the Saturn IB launch vehicle and the first three-person US space mission. The crew were Commander Walter M. Schirra, with Command Module Pilot Donn Eisele and Lunar Module Pilot R. Walter Cunningham. The mission was designed to test the re-made Block II Apollo Command/Service Module. The crew orbited in Earth orbit so that they could check life-support, propulsion and control systems. The mission was a success. It gave NASA the confidence to launch Apollo 8 later.
 The crew of Apollo 7 transmitted the first live television broadcast aboard an American crewed spacecraft. | |
| Mission type | Crewed CSM test flight |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA[1] |
| COSPAR ID | 1968-089A |
| SATCAT no. | 3486 |
| Mission duration | 10 days, 20 hours, 9 minutes, 3 seconds |
| Orbits completed | 163 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Apollo CSM-101 |
| Manufacturer | North American Rockwell |
| Launch mass | 36,419 pounds (16,519 kg)[2] |
| Landing mass | 11,409 pounds (5,175 kg) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 3 |
| Members | |
| Callsign | Apollo 7 |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | October 11, 1968, 15:02:45 UTC |
| Rocket | Saturn IB SA-205 |
| Launch site | Cape Kennedy LC-34 |
| End of mission | |
| Recovered by | USS Essex |
| Landing date | October 22, 1968, 11:11:48 UTC |
| Landing site | North Atlantic Ocean 27°32′N 64°04′W / 27.533°N 64.067°W |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee | 227 kilometers (123 nmi) |
| Apogee | 301 kilometers (163 nmi) |
| Inclination | 31.6 degrees |
| Period | 89.79 minutes |
| Epoch | October 13, 1968[3] |
 Left to right: Eisele, Schirra, Cunningham | |
Apollo 7 Media
Schirra's crew in training for Apollo 2, 1966
The crew during water egress training
Apollo 7's Saturn IB, SA-205, at Launch Complex 34
The Apollo 7 Saturn IB space vehicle is launched from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 34 at 11:03 a.m. October 11, 1968. A tracking antenna is on the left and a pad service structure on the right.
Apollo 7 S-IVB rocket stage in orbit
Cunningham during the mission
A crewmember being hoisted into the recovery helicopter
The crew is welcomed aboard the USS Essex
Apollo 7 and 8 astronauts at the White House with President Lyndon and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, Vice President Humphrey, NASA Administrator James E. Webb and Charles Lindbergh
References
- ↑ Orloff, Richard W. (September 2004) [First published 2000]. "Table of Contents". Apollo by the Numbers: A Statistical Reference. NASA History Division, Office of Policy and Plans. NASA History Series. Washington, D.C.: NASA. ISBN 0-16-050631-X. LCCN 00061677. NASA SP-2000-4029. Archived from the original on August 23, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
- ↑ "Apollo 7 Mission Report" (PDF). Washington, D.C.: NASA. December 1, 1968. p. A-47.
- ↑ McDowell, Jonathan. "SATCAT". Jonathan's Space Pages. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
- ↑ Furniss, Tim (2001). The History of Space Vehicles. London: Grange Books. ISBN 1-84013-370-8.
