| Before the Gemini and Apollo space programs there was the Mercury program; its purpose was to learn more about the effects of spaceflight on humans and to gain more technological experience for future spaceflights. The the original astronauts selected by NASA in 1957 were dubbed the "Mercury Seven" and included: Alan Shepard, Virgil "Gus" Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, Leroy "Gordo" Cooper and Donald "Deke" Slayton. The entire world watched with great excitement and anxiety as these first Americans were launched into space. Shepard, the hero of Derry, NH, became the first American in space on May 5, 1961; his successful flight of the Freedom 7 set the standard against which all future launches would be compared. 08DR/CL IJSCA 30 min. |
| During the months between March 1965 and November 1966, ten manned space missions known as the Gemini program were launched from Cape Kennedy; this was a bridge between the Mercury and Apollo programs. The flight experience gained from these missions paved the way for the future of space travel and for eventually going to the Moon. During this time they learned astronauts could spend two weeks in space, which would be the duration of a moon mission; also they learned the skills necessary to rendezvous and dock between two spacecraft and extra-vehicular activities (EVAs), which came to be called "space walks." 08DR/CL IJSCA 30 min. |
| A combined version of Programs 1 & 2 seen above is available. 08DR/CL IJSCA 60 min. |
| President John F. Kennedy's goal was that the United States would land a man on the Moon before 1970; however, as late as 1968, more test flights were needed before a lunar landing would be possible. On December 21 of that year the U.S. launched Apollo 8, which would successfully orbit the moon and return to earth. After launching, its three-man crew, Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders, took three days to reach the moon and became the first humans to see the far side of the Moon. On Christmas Eve, they even read a Biblical verse, which was broadcast over television. 08DR/CL IJSCA 30 min. |
| The three-man crew of Apollo 9 was Jim McDivitt, Dave Scott and Rusty Schweickart, who performed a number of firsts in space: the first manned flight of a Lunar Module, the first docking and extraction of a Lunar Module, the first docking of a two-manned spacecraft; also a two-man spacewalk. Their tests proved the Lunar Module was worthy of manned spaceflight. 08DR/CL IJSCA 30 min. |
| A combined version of Programs 3 & 4 seen above is available. 08DR/CL IJSCA 60 min. |
| The three-man crew of Apollo 10 included Thomas Stafford, John Young and Eugene Cernan, who left Earth on May 18, 1969; their mission was to check for potential landing sites on the lunar surface. The excitement about man landing on the Moon was building, and this final test flight would pave the way for a lunar landing. To ease some of the tension the crew dubbed the Command Module "Charlie Brown" and the Lunar Module "Snoopy." 08DR/CL IJSCA 30 min. |
| President John F. Kennedy said in speech he made in 1961 that America should commit to reaching the moon by the end of the 1960s; on Sunday, July 20, 1969, with the world watching, Apollo 11 achieved that mission. The three-man crew includes Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. As Collins orbited the Moon, Armstrong and Aldrin landed the lunar module on the surface of the Moon; Armstrong would go down in history for two famous quotes: first, "the Eagle has landed"; then, as he became the first human to step on the Moon, "that's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind"; Aldrin followed him; then for two-and-a-half hours, they took notes, photographed what they saw, and drilled core samples. 08DR/CL IJSCA 30 min. |
| A combined version of Programs 5 & 6 seen above is available. 08DR/CL IJSCA 60 min. |
| After the great success of Apollo 11, Apollo 12 launched on November 14, 1969; its three-man crew included Charles Conrad, Jr., Richard Gordon, Jr. and Alan Bean. The astronauts executed a precision landing of the Lunar Module within walking distance of the Surveyor III spacecraft, which had landed on the Moon back April 1967. Conrad and Bean became the third and fourth humans to walk on the Moon; they spent 31 hours on the lunar surface and over 7 hours exploring the Moon - almost three times as long as their predecessors; also they brought instruments from Surveyor III back to Earth to examine the effects of long-term exposure to the lunar environment. Today, the Command Module "Yankee Clipper" is on display at the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, Virginia. 08DR/CL IJSCA 30 min. |
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Associated Movie: Apollo 13, starring Tom
Hanks, Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon The number 13 has been identified as unlucky throughout history, and that could be said for Apollo 13; due to a power supply malfunction the planned lunar-landing mission had to be cancelled two days into its flight, ironically, problems began on April 13th; the three-man crew, James Lovell, John Swigert and Fred Haise, after successfully piloting the crippled spacecraft back to Earth, would never fly in space again. Technically, astronaut Lovell told NASA, "Houston, we've had a problem"; however, most people have heard that quote to be, "Houston, we've got a problem." The Apollo space missions had, unfortunately, become routine to much of the world; so in one important way, the dramatic return to Earth reminded people of the complexity and dangers associated with space travel, which in the end meant Apollo 13 was called a "Successful Failure." 08DR/CL IJSCA 30 min. |
| A combined version of Programs 7 & 8 seen above is available. 08DR/CL IJSCA 60 min. |
| Apollo 14 marked the return to space of America's first spaceman, Alan Shepard; the other two astronauts included Edgar Mitchell and Stuart Roosa. Shepherd, the hero of Derry, NH, had overcome Ménière's disease to become the only astronaut of the original Mercury Seven to reach the Moon. On this mission he gained even more fame when he hit two golf balls while on the Moon's surface; he and Mitchell completed a record nine-and-a-half hour lunar exploration. Today, the Command Module "Kitty Hawk" is on display at the Astronaut Hall of Fame in Titusville, Florida. 08DR/CL IJSCA 30 min. |
| On July 26, 1971, Apollo 15, one of the most successful voyages to the Moon was launched. It was the first of what were termed "J missions," which meant astronauts would have longer stays on the Moon and there would be a greater focus on science than what was possible on previous missions. The three-man crew included David Scott, James Irwin and Alfred Worden. This mission introduced the world to the Lunar Rover, which moved about 6-8 miles per hour and allowed Scott and Irwin to travel further from the Lunar Module Lander than ever before; they spent three days on the Moon and a total of 18 ½ hours outside the spacecraft. Meawhile, Worden orbited the Moon, using a Scientific Instrument Module (SIM), and studied the lunar surface and environment in great detail using a panoramic camera, gamma ray spectrometer, mapping camera, laser altimeter, mass spectrometer and a lunar sub-satellite. 08DR/CL IJSCA 30 min. |
| A combined version of Programs 9 & 10 seen above is available. 08DR/CL IJSCA 60 min. |
| The three-manned crew of Apollo 16 included John Young, Kenneth Mattingly Jr., and Charles Duke Jr.; theirs was the fifth mission to land on the Moon, and the only one to target the Descartes Highlands. The scientific results of the tests done by Young and Duke helped planetary geologists conclude that meteorite impacts were the dominant agent in shaping the moon's ancient surfaces; on a lighter side, the two astronauts set a lunar speed record, getting the Lunar Rover to travel at eleven miles per hour. Today, the command module is found at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. 08DR IJSCA 30 min. |
| Apollo 17 was the last manned NASA mission to land on the Moon to date. The three-manned crew included Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans and Harrison Schmitt and they broke a number of records set by previous flights. Schmitt, a trained geologist, and Cernan, were the last two men to set foot on the Moon; together they collected a record 240 pounds of Moon rocks during three Moonwalks; also Apollo 17 was the longest lunar mission in history. 08DR/CL IJSCA 30 min. |
| A combined version of Programs 11 & 12 seen above is available. 08DR/CL IJSCA 60 min. |