1968: Apollo 7 (NASA)

Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the Apollo programme to be launched. It was an eleven-day Earth-orbital mission, the first manned launch of the Saturn IB launch vehicle, and the first three-man American space mission.

After the January 1967 Apollo launch pad fire, the Apollo command module had been extensively redesigned. Schirra, who would be the only astronaut to fly Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions, commanded this Earth-orbital shakedown of the command and service modules. Since it was not carrying a lunar module, Apollo 7 could be launched with the Saturn IB booster rather than the much larger and more powerful Saturn V. Schirra wanted to give Apollo 7 the callsign "Phoenix" (the mythical bird rising from its own ashes) in memory to the loss of the Apollo 1 crew, but NASA management were against the idea.

The Apollo hardware and all mission operations worked without any significant problems, and the Service Propulsion System (SPS), the all-important engine that would place Apollo in and out of lunar orbit, made eight nearly perfect firings.

Goals for the mission included the first live television broadcast from an American spacecraft (Gordon Cooper had broadcast slow scan television pictures from Faith 7 in 1963) and testing the lunar module docking manoeuver.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• iaf
• 1968
• space
• nasa
• apollo

[Novellus78]

People are free to "believe" and to "claim" almost everything. Certain people claim they got kidnapped by aliens. Some others believe they were or even are Jesus. And some believe they are messed around by their government. But that's all nothing more than subjective claims and absolutely nothing of importance. It's somehow sad but also funny at the same time. I feel sorry for those people who seem to get stuck in the middle ages and don't arrive in the reality.

[adendorff1879]

Cosmored2...even though you give every indication of being real, I think you're a hoax.

[745917203views]

In 68, people were smart enough to know this took place. People were serious about a reduced set of focused goals for the future. And among those goals were simple inventions we all use today. Today, society has gone down hill to include 95% uneducated idiots, some of which ramble about how this is impossible, while using inventions from a small number of billion dollar companies while listening to dumbed down music, 50% of which is rap containing little to no music. Our world is slipping..

[Nielzep]

I love thos ' beeps ' across the radio , just soo epic !

[monokhem]

@belgamie Not true. All the answeres to every Moon Hoax claim are readily available.

[john81blaze]

im part of what regular people would call the unwanted part of society but im not stupid enuff to claim this was a hoax only an idiot would beleive we didnt go to the moon....wake up and smell the cofee

[dirac33]

I remember seeing the Apollo space helmet and thinking WTF IS THAT THING?? That's not a helmet, it's a fishbowl!

[eventcone]

@belgamie Respectfully, a couple of points in response:

1. It's not about "proving" the moon landings happened. The hoax proponents are making one hell of an accusation here, so the burden of proof rests with them. They want to claim that people who served their country are liars? They should prove it!

2. In my experience, the vast majority of these people (I didn't say all) do not respond to rational argument. They want to believe that it was a hoax and are blinded by their own prejudice.

[belgamie]

@Novellus78

with all respect: i think the apollo missions were real.but don't underestimate the people who are sceptic about it.Cause you have to admit that the information that we get aren't all the answers to our questions and that makes people think.so learn to convince people with real proof instead of talking like a big man who doesn't know anything about everything

[Slatch35]

Those poor guys, they sure were in a bad mood. lol.

[AcePilot101]

Today we can't even defend our border with Mexico let alone explore space.

What a tragedy! Why do people talk about the moon landing "hoax" and not the Obama farce?

[journeyquest1]

NASA command center: "Back to work you lazy bum." Schirra: "Screw you sideways."