Topic: Apollo 7 50th anniversary (Oct. 11-22, 2018)
Tallpaul Member
Posts: 171 From: Rocky Point, NY, USA Registered: Feb 2012
posted 10-11-2018 06:59 AM
Today (Oct. 11, 2018) is the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 7. The eleven-day mission proved the viability of the Apollo spacecraft.
oly Member
Posts: 971 From: Perth, Western Australia Registered: Apr 2015
posted 10-11-2018 09:28 AM
This gives a great perspective on the spacing of each subsequent mission leading up to Apollo 11.
Each mission had its highlights and faults and were significant in its own way.
jtheoret Member
Posts: 358 From: Albuquerque, NM USA Registered: Jul 2003
posted 10-12-2018 02:53 AM
From Apollospace.com:
October 11, 1968: Liftoff of Apollo 7. The Apollo era begins, and within nine short months and four additional missions, America landed men on the Moon and a human being set foot there.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo era, beginning with the launch of Apollo 7 in October 1968, I have been working for much of the last three years in anticipation with my film focusing on the photography of the mission.
Apollospace presents, "Reflections: Apollo 7 in Pictures and Words," featuring our best Apollo 7 photography described by the sole remaining crewman from that mission: Apollo 7 astronaut Walt Cunningham. In this 23 minute film, Walt reflects on his NASA career, some of his favorite Apollo images, and the future of human spaceflight to Mars. The interview was shot in 4K on August 30, 2018, and the dozens of Apollo era images featured in the film are higher resolution than that - so select the 4K option in the settings. Please enjoy Walt's reflections on Apollo 7 and the many wonderful photographs he took. The beginning, fifty years ago today.
oly Member
Posts: 971 From: Perth, Western Australia Registered: Apr 2015
posted 10-12-2018 03:37 AM
Great film, thanks for sharing.
SkyMan1958 Member
Posts: 880 From: CA. Registered: Jan 2011
posted 10-12-2018 09:06 PM
Excellent film! Thank you for the link!
Paul78zephyr Member
Posts: 678 From: Hudson, MA Registered: Jul 2005
posted 10-12-2018 11:38 PM
Very good film - thank you for sharing.
perineau Member
Posts: 244 From: FRANCE Registered: Jul 2007
posted 10-13-2018 08:00 AM
Absolutely brilliant — thanks for posting!
Panther494 Member
Posts: 425 From: London UK Registered: Jan 2013
posted 10-13-2018 09:49 AM
Excellent. Loved the film. Thank you for doing this, a fantastic mission that is all too often overshadowed by what followed.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 43576 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 10-15-2018 11:05 AM
NASA release
NASA Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 7
On Oct. 11, 1968, NASA launched its first crewed Apollo mission, which paved the way for the moon landing less than a year later.
The Apollo 7 crew was commanded by Walter Schirra, with Command Module Pilot Donn Eisele, and Lunar Module Pilot Walter Cunningham. The mission consisted of an 11-day Earth-orbital test flight to test the Apollo command and service module. It was also the first time a crew flew on the Saturn IB rocket.
Although Apollo 7 was a complete technical success, it was born out of a tragedy. After the fatal fire that took the lives of the Apollo 1 crew—Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee, and Ed White—the Apollo 7 crew took over the mission.
Apollo 1 was supposed to be the first crewed Apollo mission. During a launch rehearsal test at Cape Kennedy, an electrical fire broke out in the cabin. Because the cabin atmosphere was pure oxygen, the fire spread incredibly quickly. The fire also created intense pressure inside the cabin, and because the hatch could only swing inward, the crew was stuck inside.
All further crewed missions had to wait until NASA could determine the sources of the mishap—technical and organizational—and ensure that nothing like it would happen again. In the 21 months between Apollo 1 and Apollo 7, the Apollo spacecraft and spacesuits were redesigned to more safely fly crews to space.
While Apollo 4, 5, and 6 practiced some of the maneuvers necessary to build up to a lunar landing, such as the first flight of the Saturn V rocket and high-speed reentry, none of these missions were crewed. (Apollo 2 and 3 were skipped in the sequence out of respect to the Apollo 1 crew.)
By late 1968, NASA was ready to move forward from the Apollo 1 disaster and work toward landing on the moon. The Apollo 7 crew not only had to take over the mission that their friends and colleagues had died training for, but they have to prove to the world that the Apollo program was still in good shape to continue.
"Gus would be the first person to say, 'Let's get on with it. Do good work,'" said Apollo 7 Commander Wally Schirra, reflecting on the mission.
On Oct. 11, Apollo 7 launched from Cape Kennedy Air Force Station, Florida. The Saturn IB rocket performed well and the liftoff was smooth. Aside from minor hardware problems, there were no significant problems or anomalies during the flight. The Apollo Command and Service Module passed the test and cleared the way for Apollo 8 to complete its lunar orbit, and instilled the confidence in the Apollo 11 crew to land on the moon. Apollo 7 was not only the first three-person American space mission, but it was also the first to include a live television broadcast from inside an American spacecraft.
Eleven days after the launch, the Apollo 7 crew splashed down south of Bermuda and the crew was instantly celebrated for their success.
"It was the longest, it was the most ambitious, and most successful first test flight of any new flying machine, ever," said Apollo 7 Lunar Module Pilot Walter Cunningham. "And it's still true today, 50 years later."
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 43576 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 10-15-2018 11:08 AM
NASA is publishing daily features about what was occurring aboard Apollo 7 50 years ago:
Posts: 3324 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 10-15-2018 12:15 PM
There are some nice views in this Apollo 7 launch video from Retro Space HD.
Gilbert Member
Posts: 1340 From: Carrollton, GA USA Registered: Jan 2003
posted 10-16-2018 09:01 AM
I remember the mission well. We all knew NASA was back on track for the moon.
jtheoret Member
Posts: 358 From: Albuquerque, NM USA Registered: Jul 2003
posted 10-17-2018 10:07 AM
Thanks for the kind words about my Apollo 7 film. Here is a short clip from it with Walt discussing mission photography and assignments.