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This mission was Apollo 7, the first crewed Apollo flight to successfully reach the space. It was also the first launch of the astronaut since the Apollo 1 disaster in January 1967 that had killed all three passengers during what had to be a routine test.
"All the credibility of the Apollo program rested to some extent on this smooth flight, as well as on the subsequent launch schedule, very aggressive," said Michael Neufeld, space historian at Smithsonian National. Museum of Air and Space, said Space.com. [Building Apollo: Photos from Moonshot History]
After the Apollo 1 fire and a congressional investigation into what was not going well, NASA needed a win. So the agency did what it had to do to get one, moving away from the frantic pace of development.
"It forced a complete re-imagining of the project as a whole," Neufeld said. NASA has changed the wiring of the control module, exit hatches, etc., to ensure that future spacecraft would not cause the same type of disaster. "It is hard to imagine that the lunar landing could have been done, unfortunately, without the death of these astronauts."
When the new launch date finally arrived, astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele and Walter Cunningham piled into the new control module. This time, the launch went off without major incident and the trio orbited the Earth for nearly 11 days, proving that the Apollo program was safe for humans.
But while it may have been safe, it certainly was not pleasant. The three men caught colds within the close confines of the control module, and they did not handle the sniffles with kindness. (Colds in space are particularly uncomfortable, because without gravity, fluids do not cross the body as they do on Earth.)
The astronauts spent much of the mission playing with ground controllers and protesting their mission. When the time came to land again, they refused to wear their helmets, which would have prevented them from blowing their nose. NASA ground staff did not appreciate the insubordination and none of the three astronauts took part in a future mission.
"Of course, this has given the message to astronauts: stay on the line or risk being stolen," Neufeld said of the debacle.
A moment of tension is due to another factor that differentiated Apollo 7: this mission was the first time humans had broadcast live TV from space. At one point in the flight, Schirra canceled a scheduled show because the equipment was not ready. Nevertheless, live video has become a mainstay of NASA's missions.
The success of Apollo 7 took place against a backdrop of national tension, including high-profile assassinations and widespread demonstrations against the war in Vietnam, Neufeld said. However, while this mission was an important technological achievement and the success of the Apollo program, it did not convey to the American public the idea of spending so much money on the project.
"One of the favorite illusions of the Americans is that everyone was united by moon landing," said Neufeld. "The reality is that there was a lot of dissent."
Email Meghan Bartels at [email protected] or follow @meghanbartels. Follow us and Facebook. Original article on Space.com.
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