What happened during the Apollo 1 pad test?

27 January 1967. One of the worst tragedies in the history of spaceflight occurred on January 27, 1967 when the crew of Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee were killed in a fire in the Apollo Command Module during a preflight test at Cape Canaveral.

What is the Apollo heat shield made of?

epoxy resin
To protect the Apollo Command Module from the extreme heat of reentry, NASA chose an ablative heat shield composed of a brazed steel honeycomb substructure, a fiberglass honeycomb shell filled with phenolic epoxy resin.

What does a command module pilot do?

The CM Pilot’s (CMP) principal task was guidance and navigation, although he also flew the spacecraft at times. On the lunar mission, he is the astronaut who will remain in the CM while the other two descend to the surface of the moon.

Who last worked on the Moon?

For their final EVA, Schmitt stepped out of the Apollo lunar module onto the surface of the Moon after Cernan, and is therefore the 12th and (at present) the last person to have stepped out onto the Moon, and when they re-entered the lunar module, Cernan stepped in last, after Schmitt, and is therefore (at present) the …

How thick was the Apollo heat shield?

The heat shield varied in thickness from 2 inches (5.1 cm) in the aft portion (the base of the capsule, which faced forward during reentry) to 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) in the crew compartment and forward portions. Total weight of the shield was about 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg).

How many times did the rocket engine fire on the Moon?

When the rocket was headed to the moon, this stage fired twice. The first time was during launch: Moments after the S-II second stage shut down, the S-IVB would take over and bring the astronauts into Earth orbit. The engine’s second fire powered a maneuver called the translunar injection, which carried astronauts toward the moon.

What was the name of the Apollo 11 lunar module?

Apollo 11 Lunar Module / EASEP. NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 1969-059C. The Apollo 11 Lunar Module (LM) “Eagle” was the first crewed vehicle to land on the Moon. It carried two astronauts, Commander Neil A. Armstrong and LM pilot Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr., the first men to walk on the Moon.

What did astronauts do on the Moon?

Astronauts’ tasks on the surface, included collecting rocks, setting up experiments, driving the lunar rover and even testing the limits of mobility in their spacesuits. The first human on the moon was Neil Armstrong, who landed with Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969.

Which rocket was used for every Apollo flight?

The rocket was used for every crewed Apollo flight except Apollo 7, which was the first test in orbit of the Apollo command-module spacecraft. Of course, the Saturn V also flew missions near the Earth. It first launched in 1967 for Apollo 4, an uncrewed test flight.