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Apollo 13 launch. Credit: NASA
There were many missions during the Apollo program. Each Apollo mission used the same spacecraft design and layout. In this article you will find the components of those spacecraft and links to an article about every Apollo mission ever flown.
The Apollo spacecraft had three different components: the command module, the service module, and the lunar module. The command module of the Apollo spacecraft was the control center and living quarters for the crew. It contained the pressurized main crew cabin, crew couches, control and instrument panel, optical and electronic guidance systems, communications systems, environmental control system, batteries, heat shield, reaction control system, forward docking hatch, side hatch, five windows and the parachute recovery system.
The service module of the Apollo spacecraft was a portion of the spacecraft that was unpressurized and contained fuel cells, batteries, high gain antenna, radiators, water, oxygen, hydrogen, reaction control system and propellant to enter and leave lunar orbit, and service propulsion systems. On some missions it also carried a scientific instrument package, mapping camera and a small sub-satellite to study the Moon. A major portion of the service module was taken up by propellant and the main rocket engine that placed the Apollo spacecraft into and out of lunar orbit.
The lunar module of the Apollo spacecraft was the portion that landed on the moon and returned to lunar orbit. It was designed to fly solely in the vacuum of space. It was divided into two major parts, the Descent Module and the Ascent Module. It supplied life support systems for two astronauts for a total of four to five days. The Descent Module contained the landing gear, landing radar antenna, descent rocket engine, and fuel to land on the Moon. It also had several cargo compartments used to carry the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Packages(ALSEP), Mobile Equipment Cart, the lunar rover, surface television camera, surface tools and lunar sample collection boxes. The Ascent Module contained the crew cabin, instrument panels, overhead hatch/docking port, forward hatch, optical and electronic guidance systems, reaction control system, radar and communications antennas, ascent rocket engine and fuel to return to lunar orbit and rendezvous with the Apollo Command and Service Modules.
There were a total of 20 Apollo missions scheduled. Missions 18-20 were canceled because of budgetary constraints. Here are the links to articles about each Apollo flights:
Apollo 1
Apollo 2
Apollo 3
Apollo 4
Apollo 5
Apollo 6
Apollo 7
Apollo 8
Apollo 9
Apollo 10
Apollo 11
Apollo 12
Apollo 13
Apollo 14
Apollo 15
Apollo 16
Apollo 17
Apollo 18-20
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