Saturn V launch
The Apollo Missions
What do you already know about the Apollo missions?
In the 1960’s and 1970’s there was a ‘space race’ to land on the Moon between America and the Soviet Union (Russia and other countries now).
While the Soviet Union managed to get some initial unmanned missions to the Moon they never managed to get a man on the Moon. America did.
There were eleven Apollo Missions that made it up to space between 1968 to 1972. Six missions landed on the Moon.
Saturn V launch
Command Module and Service Module together orbiting the Moon.
Walking on the Moon for the first time.
The Saturn V Rocket
The Apollo missions used a Saturn V rocket. It was massive and bigger than the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) in London.
The rockets had three main stages. Stage 1 contained a huge fuel tank to help launch the rocket, powered by five incredibly strong F-1 engines at the bottom.
The middle section, called stage 2 took over after the first stage dropped off. It used five smaller J-2 engines to push the rocket almost into orbit.
Stage 3 was right at the top and took over once the stage 2 had dropped off. It had one J-2 engine which fired to get the spacecraft into Earth’s orbit and again to send it to the Moon. It then dropped off like the other stages.Â
Apollo Spacecraft
On top of this was the Apollo spacecraft, which included the command module, the service module and the lunar module.
The command module was where the astronauts spent most of their time and was where the flight was controlled. This is also the only part that lasted the whole journey and returned to Earth.
Below this was the service module which provided power, oxygen and water to the command module. It also had a engine to help steer the spacecraft toward the Moon, entering and leaving lunar orbit, and returning to Earth.
Then there was the lunar module. The lunar module detached from the rest of the spacecraft to take two of the crew to the lunar surface, support them on the Moon, and return them to the command and service module.
Apollo Missions before Apollo 11
Before the first mission launched there was a tragedy. On the 27th January 1967 the first Apollo crew, were going through a test run on the launch pad in Florida. Unfortunately a fire broke out in their capsule during this test and all three astronauts, Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee died.
There was no Apollo 2 or 3. Apollo 4, 5 and 6 were unmanned tests of the Saturn V rocket and lunar module.
Apollo 7
Launched on the 11th October 1968
Crew – Walter Schirra, R. Walter Cunningham and Donn Eisele
This was the first manned mission to space. The crew were in space for 11 days and they orbited Earth 163 times, conducting tests, and then came back to Earth.
Apollo 8
Launched on the 21st December 1968
Crew – Frank Borman, Bill Anders and Jim LovellÂ
This was the first mission to fly to the Moon. It orbited around the Moon and then came back to Earth.
Apollo 9
Launched on the 3rd March 1969
Crew – James McDivitt, Russell Schweickart and David Scott
This mission stayed in Earth’s orbit again. It was the first to carry a lunar module into orbit. The lunar module was separated from the command module and flew independently for six hours to test it and one of the astronauts went outside the lunar module to test the spacesuit astronauts would wear on the Moon.
Apollo 10
Launched on the 18th May 1969
Crew – Tom Stafford, Eugene Cernan and John Young
This was the full test run for the following mission. They flew the lunar module for 8 hours, coming within 10 miles of the lunar surface and passing over the Sea of Tranquility, where Apollo 11 would land.
A photo taken of the first view of the Earth from the Moon.
You can actually see the Apollo 10 Command Module at the Science Museum in London.
Apollo 11
Apollo 11
Launched on the 16th July 1969
Crew – Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins
This mission was special because it was the first time astronauts had landed on the Moon. You can learn more about this mission by reading The First Moon Landing page.
Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin on the Moon
Apollo Missions after Apollo 11
Apollo 12
Launched on the 14th November 1969
Crew – Pete Conrad, Alan Bean and Richard Gordon
This mission also landed safely on the Moon.
Apollo 13
Launched on the 11th April 1970
Crew – Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert
This mission didn’t land on the Moon as planned. This was because there was an explosion in the Service Module which damaged the spacecraft when they were 2/3 of the way to the Moon. They were incredibly lucky to get back safely, sling shotting around the Moon and powering down the Command Module and using the Lunar Module as a ‘lifeboat’ to them back to Earth. It was an uncomfortable journey back as they had to conserve enough power to have enough to make it back. Once they were back close to Earth they powered the Command Module back up and had just enough power to do so. They made it back through the Earth’s atmosphere and safely back home.
Astronaut Ken Mattingly was supposed to be on the failed Apollo 13 mission, but they were worried about him being ill. He had to stay on Earth and was replaced on the mission. He was one of the many people that helped get the astronauts back to Earth safely, alongside others at Mission Control. While that mission didn’t get to land on the Moon, Ken Mattingly did, on the later successful Apollo 16 mission.
Apollo 14
Launched on the 31st January 1971
Crew – Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell and Stuart Roosa
This was an interesting mission as Alan Shepard, America’s first astronaut to go up into space, returned to space on the mission. The crew spent more than nine hours outside the lunar module and completed number of experiments.
Apollo 15
Launched on the 26th July 1971
Crew – David Scott, James Irwin and Alfred Worden
On this mission the astronauts drove a car on the Moon, called a lunar rover and were on the surface for 18 hours.
Apollo 16
Launched on the 16th April 1972Â
Crew – John Young, Charles Duke and Ken Mattingly
On this mission the astronauts also drove a lunar rover and Ken Mattingly completed a space walk too.
Apollo 17Â
Launched on the 7th December 1972
Crew – Gene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt and Ronald Evans
This was the last mission to the moon and the astronauts spent 3 whole days on the surface of the Moon. The missions to the Moon were stopped after this mission because of a lack of money and because the Moon had been explored quite a bit by then.
Three astronauts went on two Apollo missions, Jim Lovell (Apollo 8 and 13), John Young (Apollo 10 and 16), and Gene Cernan (Apollo 10 and 17).Â
A photo of the damaged Apollo 13 Service Module taken just after it was separated from the Command Module up in space.
The last mission to the Moon
What we've learnt...
The Apollo missions were launched up into space by huge Saturn V rockets.
On top of the rocket was the Apollo spacecraft, which was made up of a Command Module and a Service Module. On most missions it also included a Lunar Module too.
Apollo 11 was the first mission to land on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men to walk on the Moon during this mission.
Apollo 13 was the one mission that went up into space but ‘failed’ to land on the Moon. The astronauts were very lucky to get back to Earth.
Apollo 17 was the last mission to the Moon. 12 men during the Apollo missions got to walk on the Moon.
Test your knowledge...
The Apollo Missions Quiz
If you click the correct answer the box will turn green. If it’s the wrong answer it will turn red and then show you what the correct answer was. Remember to read or listen to the questions carefully! If you are listening to the questions using Text To Speech make sure you pause it after it has read the questions and answers so you have a chance to think!
#1. Who was the first person on the Moon?
#2. What was the last Apollo mission?
#3. What was the first Apollo mission to land on the Moon?
#4. What was the first Apollo mission to orbit the Moon?
#5. What Apollo mission didn’t make it to the Moon but did eventually land safely back on Earth?
Results
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Question Time...
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