Apollo Project | Universe Today

Written by Tega Jessa

The Apollo Project was the series of missions sponsored by NASA with the express goal of sending a Manned spacecraft to the moon and back successfully. The program was the culmination of the Space Race between the USSR and the United States. The United States had to face the bad press the came from being beat to the punch by the Soviets with their incredible firsts in Space Exploration. The President and key scientist made a public push for a grand goal for the US Space program with the goal being to be the first nation to send men to the moon.

The technological feat needed to achieve this was astonishing and was one of the greatest coordination of nation's resources since WWII. This was not just a program to expand current scientific knowledge but a veritable technological arms race. This was vital as only such urgency allowed for the political will needed to bring the resources for the mission. Also to make the feat of a manned mission to the moon a reality it was necessary to test and confirm each part of the trip. From the first flight to the moon, to the landing, and the final return to Earth. In short all the Apollo Missions before Apollo 13 were a test to make sure that every part of the key mission would go off without a hitch.

The first set of mission did not even have the Apollo moniker attached. They were simply lettered A through H. Each of these missions tested the various components of the final space craft that would carry astronauts to the moon. These unmanned test flights continued until the Apollo 6 mission.

The first manned mission was Apollo 7. This mission focused on testing the Lunar Module by having it orbit the moon. Apollo 8 and 9 were also Earth orbit mission that tested how the landing part of the Lunar space craft would work. Apollo 10 was the most important manned test flight before Apollo 11. That mission was considered a dry run to see if the craft could safely carry astronauts to the moon and back. The flight was a simple. The craft was to fly to the moon orbit it and come back. It was a success and soon afterward the first lunar landing occurred with the Apollo 11 mission.

There were 5 more Apollo missions with the last one being Apollo 16. The Apollo program was eventually ended due to the greater than anticipated cost and the focus on the next NASA program, Skylab which would become the first US space station.

If you enjoyed this article there are several others on Universe Today that you will like. There is a great article about what really happened on Apollo 13. There is also an article about the Space Race that is informative.

You can also find other resources with information about the Apollo Program online. The Apollo Program NASA web page has information on all the missions. You can also learn more about the history of the program on NASA's history of manned spaceflight website.

You can also check out Astronomy Cast. Episode 149 is about the Constellation Program which will be the United State's attempt to return to the moon.

Filed under: Astronomy