1960July 29 - Project Apollo, an advanced spacecraft program to land men on the moon, was announced by NASA.
Oct. 25- NASA selected General Dynamics, General Electric, and Martin to conduct individual feasibility studies of an advanced manned spacecraft as part of the Apollo project.
1961
Jan. - NASA studies, by a committee headed by George Low (present Apollo spacecraft program manager), of a manned lunar-landing program were completed. Both a direct-ascent trajectory using large Nova-type launch vehicles and an earth-orbit rendezvous technique using Saturn-type launch vehicles were considered.
May 15 - Final reports on Project Apollo study contracts were submitted by General Dynamics, GE, and Martin.
May 25 - President Kennedy presented a plan to Congress for accelerating the space program based on a national goal of landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade.
July 28 - NASA issued a request for proposal to 12 companies for development of the Apollo spacecraft.
Aug. 9 - NASA selected MIT's Instrumentation Laboratory to develop the guidance and navigation system for the Apollo spacecraft.
Sept. 19 - NASA announced that the recently established Manned Spacecraft Center would be located at Houston, Tex.
Nov. 28 - NASA announced that a contract had been awarded to North American's Space Division for the Apollo spacecraft program.
Dec. 21 - The first four major Apollo subcontractors were announced: Collins Radio, telecommunications systems; Garrett Corporation's AiResearch Division, environmental control equipment; Honeywell Inc., the stabilization and control system; and Northrop Corporation's Ventura Division, parachute earth landing system.
1962
Jan. 22 - The first Apollo engineering order was issued, for fabrication of the first mockups of the Apollo command and service modules.
Feb. 9 - NASA announced that GE had been awarded a contract to provide integration analysis of the total Apollo space vehicle, including launch vehicle and spacecraft, to assure reliability of the entire system. GE was also named to develop and operate equipment to check out the Apollo systems.
Feb. 13 - Lockheed Propulsion Company was selected to design and build the solid-propellant launch-escape motor for Apollo.
Mar. 2 - Marquardt Corp. was selected to design and build the reaction-control rocket engines for the Apollo spacecraft.
Mar. 3 - Aerojet-General Corp. was named as subcontractor for the Apollo service propulsion system.
Mar. 9 - Pratt and Whitney was selected to build the Apollo fuel cell.
Mar. 23 - Avco Corp. was selected to design and install the ablative material on the spacecraft outer surface.
April 6 - Thiokol Chemical Corp. was selected to build the solid-propellant rocket motor to be used to jettison the Apollo launch escape tower.
July 11 - NASA announced that the lunar rendezvous mode would be used for the moon mission. This new plan called for development of a two-man lunar module to be used to reach the surface of the moon and return the astronauts to the lunar orbiting command module. ROSA administrator James Webb said this method was the most desirable from the standpoint of "time, cost, and mission accomplishment."
July 16 - Beech Aircraft Corp., was selected to build the spacecraft storage tanks for supercritical gases.
Aug. 22 - The length of the Apollo service module was increased from 11 feet 8 inches to 12 feet 11 inches to provide space for additional fuel.
Sept. 7 - Apollo command module Boilerplate I was accepted by NASA and delivered to a Space Division laboratory for land and water impact tests.
Nov. 7 - Grumman Aircraft was named by NASA to design and build the LM.
1963
Mar. 12 - Apollo Boilerplate 13, the first flight-rated boilerplate to be completed, was accepted by NASA and shipped to MSFC.
July 23 - Dr. George E. Mueller was named director, NASA's Office of Manned Space Flight.
Oct. 8- Dr. Joseph Shea, previously with NASA Headquarters, was named Apollo program manager at MSC. Nov. 7 - The first launch test - a pad-abort test of Boilerplate 6 - was conducted at White Sands.
1964
February - A boost protective cover was added to the launch escape system in order to protect the windows of the CM and the heat shield surfaces from soot from the LES motor.
May 13 - The second test flight of the Apollo program occurred at White Sands when Boilerplate 12 was launched by a Little Joe II vehicle during a high-stress, high-speed abort test. The launch escape system worked as planned, except that one of the three parachutes cut loose. The CM was landed without damage.
May 28 - Apollo command module Boilerplate 13 was placed in orbit from Cape Kennedy following launch by a Saturn I booster. This was the first Apollo vehicle to be placed in orbit, and the third Apollo test flight.
Sept. 18 - Apollo Boilerplate 15 was successfully orbited at Cape Kennedy by a Saturn I two-stage launch vehicle. This was the fourth Apollo test flight.
Dec. 8 - The fifth Apollo test flight occurred at White Sands when Boilerplate 23 was lifted off the pad by a Little Joe II in a high Q abort test.
1965
Feb. 16 - Apollo Boilerplate 16 was launched from Cape Kennedy in a micrometeoroid test. A Pegasus satellite was carried aloft in a modified Apollo SM. All equipment functioned as planned. This was the sixth Apollo test flight.
May 19 - Apollo Boilerplate 22 was launched at White Sands in a planned high-altitude test of the launch escape system. The Little Joe II disintegrated at low altitude, resulting in an unscheduled but successful low-altitude abort test. This was the seventh test flight.
May 25 - The second Pegasus satellite was put into orbit at Cape Kennedy during the Saturn I launch of Apollo Boilerplate 26. This was the eighth Apollo test flight.
June 29 - Apollo Boilerplate 23A was successfully launched at White Sands during a pad abort test. All systems functioned as planned. This was the ninth Apollo test flight, and the fifth abort test. This boilerplate module, previously designated Boilerplate 23, had been launched at White Sands during a high Q test.
July 30 - Apollo Boilerplate 9A was launched at Cape Kennedy and was used to place the third Pegasus satellite into orbit.
Oct. 20 - The first actual Apollo spacecraft, SC 009, was accepted by NASA and subsequently shipped to Cape Kennedy. All previously completed Apollo vehicles had been boilerplate and mockup articles.
Dec. 26 - Apollo SC 009 was mated with the Saturn IB at the Kennedy Space Center.
Dec. 31 - Command modules accepted by l~lASA by the end of 1965 included 18 mockups, 18 boilerplates, and 2 spacecraft.
1966
Jan. 20 - A power-on tumbling abort test of the launch escape system was conducted at White Sands with the launch of SC 002. This was the sixth and gnat launch escape test; the LES was then declared qualified.
Feb. 26 - First unmanned flight of Apollo spacecraft (SC 009) was conducted to test command module's ability to withstand entry temperatures, determine adequacy of command module for manned entry from low orbit, test command and service module reaction control engines and test service module engine firing and restart capability. Recovery was in the South Atlantic, 5300 miles downrange, near Ascension Island.
Aug. 25 - Second unmanned test of Apollo spacecraft (SC 011) was conducted to test command module's ability to withstand entry temperatures under high heat load. After three-quarters of an orbit the spacecraft, which reached an altitude of 700 miles, was recovered 260 statute miles from Wake Island.
Oct. - The first Apollo Block II parachute qualification test was conducted at El Centro, Calif.
1967
Jan. 27 - During a manned ground test of an Apollo spacecraft (SC 012) while the vehicle was atop the Saturn IB booster, a flash fire in the command module resulted in the deaths of Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. NASA immediately established a review board to determine the cause of the fire and the changes which would be necessary to prevent such fires in the future.
Apr. 9 - The review board presented its findings to the NASA administrator. While the exact cause of the fire was not determined conclusively, the board recommended a number of changes, including the elimination of most of the combustible materials in the spacecraft, the protection of wires in the spacecraft, and the installation of a quick- opening hatch. These and other changes were incorporated in later spacecraft.
Nov. 9 - The Apollo 4 mission, the first using the Saturn V launch vehicle, was considered. The spacecraft reached an altitude of 11,234 miles, entered the atmosphere at a speed of 24,917 mph, and splashed down in the Pacific six miles from the recovery ship after a flight of eight hours 37 minutes. This flight qualified the heat shield for lunar flight.
1968
Jan 22 -The lunar module was tested during the flight designated Apollo 5. A wrong number in the guidance logic caused immediate shutdown of the descent engine, and led to a series of abnormal events. The LM performed very well, however, and accomplished most of its objectives, including its ability to abort a landing on the moon and to return to the command module during its orbiting lunar flight.
Apr. 4 - Apollo 6, the second test of the Saturn V launch vehicle, although problems developed with the launch vehicle, the spacecraft's accomplishments were impressive. These included the longest single burn in space of the service propulsion engine, proper control of the engine by the guidance and navigation subsystem, and another successful test of the heat shield.
Apr. 29 - NASA announced that next Saturn V/ Apollo flight would be manned, and would take place during the latter part of 1968. The next scheduled Apollo flight, designated Apollo 7, will be manned and will use a Saturn IB launch vehicle.
Copyright 1997-2005 by John
Duncan |