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Author
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Topic: Apollo missions crew announcement dates
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Paul78zephyr
Member Posts: 678
From: Hudson, MA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 09-16-2014 01:29 PM
  
What were the crew announcement dates for all Apollo missions 1, 7-17? The only one I know is Apollo 11: announced 24 March 1969. I'm not even sure if that is correct. If you know any of these dates please post what you have. Or if you have a link to where they are all listed please post. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 43576
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 09-16-2014 01:45 PM
NASA's indexes of news releases are a good start: 1966-1968 | 1969-1971 - March 21, 1966: Gemini and Apollo Crews Selected
- Dec. 22, 1966: Naming of Second and Third Apollo Crews
- Nov. 20, 1967: Flight Crews for Second and Third Flights
- Nov. 13, 1968: Prime Crewmen for Apollo 10
- April 10, 1969: Apollo 12 Crew Assignment
- Aug. 6, 1969: Announcing Crews for Apollo 13 and 14
- March 26, 1970: Naming of Flight and Support Crews for Apollo 15
- March 3, 1971: Apollo 16 Prime and Backup Crews
- Aug. 13, 1971: Prime and Backup Crews for Apollo 17
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Paul78zephyr
Member Posts: 678
From: Hudson, MA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 09-16-2014 02:32 PM
Dec. 22, 1966: Naming of Second and Third Apollo Crews Apollo 2, 3? Nov. 20, 1967: Flight Crews for Second and Third Flights Apollo 8, 9?Also I didn't see any listed news release for Apollo 11 crew announcement. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-16-2014 02:34 PM
The announcement that Lovell would replace Collins as CMP on the third manned Apollo mission was made in a news release dated August 8, 1968.That was before the Borman crew was notified of a change in mission assignments to a CSM-only flight in either circumlunar or lunar orbit. |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 2983
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 09-16-2014 02:51 PM
First public announcement by NASA in naming the Apollo 11 crew was made on Jan. 30, 1969, but of course Slayton made the crew decision almost seven weeks earlier (early Dec. 1968). |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-16-2014 03:02 PM
The caption for S69-16682 mentions the Apollo 11 crew selection and press conference in the MSC auditorium. It is dated January 10, 1969.Captions are sometimes wrong, though. |
Headshot
Member Posts: 891
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 09-16-2014 03:45 PM
The Chicago newspaper clippings I have agree with LM-12's January 10, 1969 date of NASA's Apollo 11 crew public announcement. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-16-2014 04:04 PM
The Manned Spacecraft Center MSC Roundup newsletter also indicates it was January 10. |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 2983
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 09-16-2014 04:26 PM
Thanks for the corrections, however, after some quite re-checks, I've got sources indicating Jan. 9 and 10 as official crew release dates from Houston (Aldrin says the 9th in his books). But it seems more likely the 10th as others here have posted.Many of my original NASA glossies, though, put the first public announcement on Jan. 30, 1969, picturing the crewmen in their suits and ties. But like said before, captions on the backs of photographs — even if NASA issued — are not always accurate. But I have to wonder why a whole series of original NASA photos are indicating Jan. 30th as their first release day; any ideas why? |
Lou Chinal
Member Posts: 1332
From: Staten Island, NY
Registered: Jun 2007
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posted 09-17-2014 12:00 PM
As I recall the announcement was made the night of Jan. 9th, 1969. I was driving along in my Triumph Spitfire with a friend (Another space geek). We were waiting all day for the news. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-17-2014 10:12 PM
The three Skylab crews were announced on January 18, 1972. The ASTP crew was announced on January 30, 1973. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 11-20-2014 06:10 AM
NASA news release number 69-9 titled "Apollo 11 Crew Announcement" is dated January 9, 1969. |
chet
Member Posts: 1506
From: Beverly Hills, Calif.
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 11-20-2014 01:43 PM
For numerologists Jan. 9 seems to be the "best" date anyway, as it translates to 1.9.69 (1969) - just sayin'. |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2458
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 11-20-2014 11:31 PM
quote:
Originally posted by chet:
For numerologists Jan. 9 seems to be the "best" date anyway, as it translates to 1.9.69 (1969) - just sayin'.
But only if you write your dates in a funny way.  |
schnappsicle
Member Posts: 396
From: Houston, TX, USA
Registered: Jan 2012
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posted 11-21-2014 06:50 AM
Having worked as a member of the media for a short while, I know there are many times when an announcement is made one day and they hold a press conference the next day to make the "official announcement."That might explain the difference between the January 9 and 10 dates for the Apollo 11 crew announcement. Personally, I find it hard to take any of these dates seriously. The astronauts spent several years training for their missions, yet they were announced as crew members a mere months before the mission? I understand there's a difference between general spaceflight training and training for a specific mission. Perhaps I'm giving the astronauts too little credit, but six months does not seem like enough time to prepare anyone for what the Apollo crews had to do. Maybe that's why they're on my heroes list. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 11-21-2014 10:29 AM
The earliest date that I could find in the crew training summary for Apollo 11 is January 15, 1969. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 01-20-2019 01:08 PM
The NASA website has this image of the Apollo 11 crew with the following caption: On Jan. 9, 1969, NASA announced the prime crew of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. This portrait was taken on Jan. 10, the day after the announcement of the crew assignment. Later that year in July 1969, the crew launched to the Moon and into history. From left to right are lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin; commander Neil Armstrong; and command module pilot Michael Collins. They were photographed in front of a lunar module mockup beside Building 1 at what is now Johnson Space Center, following a press conference at the Center to introduce the crew. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 01-20-2019 05:33 PM
The Apollo 15 crew announcement on March 26, 1970 mentions this, regarding the backup crew: Gordon, Brand and Schmitt will be eligible for selection as prime crewmen for any mission subsequent to Apollo 16. So that would include Apollo 17. I thought the backup crew had to skip two missions before moving to the prime crew.The Apollo 15 crew announcement came about six months before the Apollo 18 and Apollo 19 missions were cancelled.
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Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3160
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 01-20-2019 09:04 PM
How would I access the complete text of the JSC press release relating to the Apollo 15 back-up crew? I've found a list of all of the 1970 press releases, but there is nothing to click on to access the full text. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 01-20-2019 09:23 PM
Here are the 1970 press releases (pdf).
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LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 01-23-2019 03:27 AM
When were Vance Brand and Don Lind named as the Skylab Rescue Mission crew? |
Fra Mauro
Member Posts: 1624
From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted 01-23-2019 08:50 AM
I believe it was August 4, 1973. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 01-23-2019 11:43 AM
There were rescue plans for all three Skylab missions. But the announcement of the prime and backup crews for the three Skylab missions on January 18, 1972 does not mention a rescue crew. |
Fra Mauro
Member Posts: 1624
From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted 01-23-2019 12:22 PM
A crew only became an issue after the launch of the second manned mission, and the failure of two RCS quads on the SM. For a time, NASA wasn't sure if the other two were going to fail as well. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3160
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 01-24-2019 04:10 PM
quote:
Originally posted by LM-12:
Here are the 1970 press releases (pdf).
Thank you very much - very interesting and very helpful. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 01-25-2019 06:17 PM
Brand and Lind are mentioned as the designated crewmen for a possible Skylab 4 rescue mission in a September 25, 1973 news release. |
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