Apollo

The Apollo 1 patch was embroidered and worn on the right breast. All subsequent patches through ASTP were silk-screened onto beta cloth and worn on the left breast.

Apollo 1
The Apollo 1 crew died in a fire -- in the AS 204 spacecraft that they were to fly on their mission -- during a ground test at Pad 34 on 27 January 1967.

Apollo 7
The eleven-day mission to test the Apollo CSM in earth orbit was successful, despite the crankiness of the crew, all of whom developed head colds during the flight -- prompting later flight crews to be quarantined prior to their missions. The spacecraft was launched on a Saturn IB launch vehicle.

Apollo 8
Apollo 8 marked the first crewed launch of the Saturn V; but more significantly it was the first time humans voyaged to the vicinity of another celestial body. The mission proved the ability to navigate to the moon and back. The crew spent 20 hours in lunar orbit.

Apollo 9
Apollo 9 was the first manned test of the Apollo LM, and reintroduced the practice of naming spacecraft, which was now needed to differentiate the two craft in flight. The CSM was named Gumdrop, and the LM was named Spider in homage to their forms. The mission successfully tested the LM, joint CSM/LM operations, and the Apollo space suit.

Apollo 10
A dress rehearsal for the first lunar landing mission, the Apollo 10 LM Snoopy was flown to within 14 km of the lunar surface. Every major component of a lunar mission, aside from landing, being tested, Apollo 10 paved the way for a landing attempt on the next flight.

Apollo 11
Apollo 11 landed in Mare Tranquillitatis on 20 July 1969, becoming humankind's first landing on and contact with another celestial body. A two and a half hour moonwalk accomplished the setup of a set of basic science equipment, and the collection of 21 kg of lunar samples.

Apollo 12
This second lunar landing proved the ability to land at a precise target. Commander Conrad landed the LM Intrepid within 180 meters of the Surveyor III spacecraft, which had landed several years earlier in Oceanus Procellarum. Two four-hour moonwalks saw the erection of the first ALSEP nuclear-powered scientific station, and an excursion to the Surveyor lander.

Apollo 13
The Apollo 13 mission, which had been targeted for the Fra Mauro region of the Moon, was aborted after an oxygen tank explosion crippled the CSM Odyssey, forcing the crew to use the LM Aquarius as a "lifeboat" in order to return safely to earth.

Apollo 14
Alan Shepard commanded this mission, thereby becoming the only one of the Mercury astronauts fly to the Moon. The Fra Mauro landing site was considered interesting enough to warrant targeting Apollo 14 there after the aborted Apollo 13 mission, but the expedition to the rim of Cone crater failed to reach its goal.

Apollo 15
The first of the "extended stay" missions, and the first to carry a "lunar rover", Apollo 15 landed at the visually stunning Hadley Appenine site. In addition to an extended program of lunar surface activities, the CSM Endeavour carried a suite of science equipment to study the Moon from orbit.

Apollo 16
The LM Orion landed at the Descartes region in the lunar central highlands. The largest single lunar sample -- 11 kg -- was collected by the Apollo 16 astronauts in the course of their 3-day stay.

Apollo 17
The last of the lunar landing missions for the century, Apollo 17 broke all records for lunar surface operations, at the Taurus-Littrow landing site. The flight was also distinguished as the first to include a scientist-astronaut, LMP Harrison Schmitt.

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