Yeah. I thought so, too. Reminded me of one of my high school friends' dads. He played football at Marshall but got sick and didn't make the trip to North Carolina that ended with the return flight crashing at the airport and killing everyone on board.
Apollo 7, Mission "C", Once had a space-based mutiny, Led by Commander Schirra, Wall-e Because a bad head cold, had he. His crew named Walt and What's-His-Name Were forced to follow in his game, But their careers were not the same, Grounded, they would not have fame. So if this poem left you shook, It's spacey rhymes did set a hook, Then its high time you took a look, and sent me off my own signed book! Thanks! (deep bow)
Thank you, Amy, for this presentation on Donn. His son, Donn Jr., lived near me in Waimanalo, Hawai'i for many years. I got to know him through a mutual friend who is a well-known blues musician here. Donn Jr. is an accomplished jazz and blues guitarist who used to perform regularly with my friend. Of course, he would occasionally get asked if he was one of the Isley Brothers singers from the '60s, and was good natured about it. He and his family are back on the mainland now, but it was good to get to know him here and learn some "behind the scenes" things about his dad, who I have always remembered since his days as a NASA astronaut. Aloha nui...
Michael Collins' second book, an overview of the whole Space Program, was dedicated to his colleagues of the New Nineteen who had died, and recently this list had been added to. Charlie, Ted, C.C., Roger and Donn.
I met Eisele in Columbus, Ohio shortly after the flight. There actually was a "Donn Eisele" day in Columbus that included a parade, a reception, and a news conference. Enter Avery, a "cub" TV news reporter for the local CBS station. We had a few things in common; both Navy officers, both in the Masonic lodge, and most exciting to me, both pilots. I'd graduated from Ohio State University's flight program. Although not an astronaut candidate because of my eyes, I knew some of the local aviation experts from my TV news experience. And being aggressive, I asked the first question at the news conference! Somewhere, I have a still photo of me interviewing Eisele. And I have an Apollo flight suit patch. That's was my only connection to the space program until, in the late 1980s I worked at Strategic Defense.
Recipe for an Apollo C-Mission: For this autumn treat, spend a few years preparing the ingredients, using a few billion dollars and the hard work of 400,000 people. 1. Prepare rocket by stacking an S4-B on an S-1B first stage. Place 1 Command/Service Module (CSM) on top. For better results, use a Block II Command Module. 2. Pour 20,000 kg liquid hydrogen and 127,000 kg kerosene into tanks (keep refrigerated). 3. Place 3 pre-trained humans inside the Command Module, preferably of the Eisele, Cunningham, Schirra variety. If these are unavailable use Cernan, Stafford, and Young. 4. Burn first the kerosene, then the hydrogen, for 10 minutes. Season with generous helpings of liquid oxygen. 5. Let the spacecraft rise to the correct altitude and velocity, then separate rocket and allow the CSM to float free. 6. Marinate humans and CSM in orbit for 11 days, mixing in tests of the computer, navigation, propulsion, and support systems. Optional: take some savory pictures of planet below. 7. If tempers start to rise, remove helmets from humans and administer drugs to relieve congestion. 8. Place Command Module on trajectory to reenter atmosphere, baking the spaceship to a golden brown. Ensure heat shield is facing forward to prevent over cooking. 9. Reduce heat, unroll parachutes and dip Command Module into cool water. Let sit for 69 minutes. 10. Extract humans and use the information gathered to go to the Moon at a later date. 11. Can be served with ice cream. Enjoy!
HA! Ok, this is gold. Especially the direction to marinate the humans in the CSM. Winner! Shoot me an email (find it on my website -- amyshirateitel.com) and I'll get your book sent out to you!
Any man or woman who makes it into the astronaut program is worthy of being remembered and respected. It’s truly an accomplishment that many people never rise to. Thanks for pointing him out to be remembered. 😊
Walt Cunningham wrote a book 40 years ago (The All-American Boys) that takes an inside look at NASA and the Apollo 7 flight. It is probably if not the first, one of the first books to show astronauts as larger than life with the same human faults as everyone else, the faults being magnified by their positions.
RIP to the Group 3 Astronauts who never flew in space: C.C. Williams, Ted Freeman, Charlie Bassett (aircraft accidents) and Roger Chaffee (Apollo 1 capsule fire).
Don't forget the unofficial eighth Mercury astronaut, Jose Jimenez, portrayed on phonograph records and TV by comedian Bill Dana. Reporter: "Mr. Jimenez, what do you call this ... a crash helmet?" Jimenez: "Ohhhh, I hope not!"
Abbas Zaidi Thank you. Your hilarious posting brought back a flood of good memories. I was only 12 when Alan Shepard was launched. It seems like yesterday.
J Shepard Unfortunately, you're right. Personally I've never allowed political correctness to affect what I say or write. I consider it to be an abridgement of my liberty. I just practice common courtesy. If others find my communications offensive, they're misinterpreting me either by mistake or on purpose.
Apollo mission types A - Unmanned Saturn V and Command/Service Module (CSM) development (Apollo 4, Apollo 6) B - Unmanned Lunar Module (LM) development (Apollo 5) C - Manned CSM evaluation in low Earth orbit (Apollo 7) D - Manned CSM and LM development in low Earth orbit (originally planned for Apollo 8; flown as Apollo 9) E - Manned CSM and LM operations, a simulated lunar mission in an elliptical medium Earth orbit with an apogee of 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km)); never flown The planned sequence was changed when it became clear the first manned Lunar Module, LM-3, would not be ready in time for the December 1968 launch of Apollo 8, so this was flown as a lunar orbital mission using just the CSM (sometimes referred to as "a C Prime mission") and the E mission was canceled. F - Manned CSM and LM operations in lunar orbit, a "dress rehearsal" for the first landing (Apollo 10) G - First manned lunar landing (Apollo 11) H - precision landings with up to two-day stays on the Moon, with two lunar Extra-Vehicular Activities or "moonwalks" (Apollo 12, Apollo 13 (planned), Apollo 14) I - long duration CSM lunar orbital surveys using a Scientific Instrument Module mounted in an empty Service Module bay. These were incorporated into the J missions. J - longer three-day stays using an Extended LM, with three LEVAs and a Lunar Roving Vehicle (Apollo 15, Apollo 16, Apollo 17). Apollo 18 to 20 would have been J missions. Apollo 15 was originally planned as an H mission but was promoted to J as the program was curtailed.
Schirra basically pissed off NASA and he did not care since he was retiring. Yet he never stood up for his crew and they got burned by NEVER flying again. Yet schirra did appear on TV during Apollo missions.
The competition Limerick There once was a spaceman called Eisele Who's name isn't known very widely One mission he flew An Apollo Block 2 He didn't spend his time very wisely
Great stuff Amy! Have you thought about doing other videos on other "unknown" astronauts such as those unfortunately killed in training such as Ted Freeman, Elliott See, Charlies Bassett as well as those who never flew at all due to budget cuts such as Curt Michel?
2:09 into video: person shown most prominently in the scene; has a round face: That's Gus Grissom (1926.4.3-1967.1.27), one of the Mercury Seven; he was killed in the Apollo 1 fire. What's really tragic is that Deke Slayton, a Mercury 7 member who was grounded for medical reasons, intended that Grissom should be the first human to walk on the Moon.
Apollo 7 "C type mission" not to be confused with Apollo 8's very special "C Prime Mission". By the way Amy I think Cunningham of that crew did serve as back-up maybe on Apollo 12 so the idea that they were all banned after that flight is only half the story.
Amy, this type of video is what I had ment in Vintage Space, Profiles in space. The Unknown story and the person behind it. Just those short stories. Love your show.
Apollo 7 was a test flight in low earth orbit, aiming to demonstrate the command and service module and crew performance, space vehicle and mission support facilities performance, and the command and service module rendezvous capability. The Apollo 7 was launched by a Saturn 1B rocket. Then followed Apollo 8, that was the first manned flight to the Moon and this was the first manned mission for the Saturn 5 rocket. The mission repeated the tests and procedures of the previous mission, only this time in Lunar orbit. Apollo 9 was again in low earth orbit, that tested all the components and procedures of the Apollo space craft (CM, SM and LM including separation and redocking of the LM). The same tests were performed again in Lunar orbit by Apollo 10. Some say that the ascent module of the Apollo 10 LM had ballast instead of propellants, just in case the astronauts decided to test the LM all the way down. All these missions were a step by step approach to the Apollo 11 lunar landing. All tests of the Apollo spacecraft components would be done in LEO first and then repeated by the following mission in Lunar orbit.
The Apollo 11 gantry has been relocated at Kennedy Space Center to the Saturn V building and is now part of a quite moving memorial to the Apollo I crew that died I the block 1 fire. Worth a visit.
I know of Donn Eisele as an adulterer and part of a "mutiny" aboard Apollo 7. I obviously don't know him that well, so I might have to check out the memoir.
(In the voice of Julie Andrews) When you sing you begin with do-re-mi When you go to the moon you start with Mission types A, B, C A, B, C The first three Mission just need to be…type A, B, C Mission type C, a test with a man or threeeeee Type C, a manned test of the CSM, uh, eeeeeeeee Type C, an alligator floating free Type C, a flight with 2 Walters and what’s-his-name Don Eiseleeeee Type C, it made the flight controllers so antseeeee (From the hit musical The Sound of Moon-sic, which includes the major hits, Apollo 16 going on 17, My favourite things (that low gravity brings) and the sensational but slightly dry SCE to Auxiliary.)
Well if you know your Apollo crews off by heart, you know Donn Eisele. Like her and also me. I already did know about this story before watching it but I wanted to watch Amy describe it. She's so cool!
In San Diego, the site where General Dynamics bench tested the Atlas rocket engines in the 60's still exists. The size of the blast deflectors, are amazing. Have you ever visited this or any similar sites? And will you do a report on these, before they disappear from history
I was born and grew up in the Hilltop part of Columbus in the 1950's-60's and was very caught up in the space program at the time (built model rockets, took classes in space science at the science center downtown, even built and spent a couple of days living in a full size mock-up of the Gemini!). We lived close to the West High School where Donn Eisele went (years earlier). Shortly after Apollo 7 flew there was a luncheon in downtown Columbus for him and through a friend's dad I got invited to not only attend but sit at his table. I was in high school and it was a school day but it was a Friday and there was a big football game that night and the entire day was going to be devoted to pep rallies and such. I thought having lunch with an astronaut was much more important! I called my school to tell them what I was going to do but could only leave a message with a secretary because everyone was busy getting ready for the rallies. Then I spent most of the day at the luncheon. It was an exceptional experience and I got to personally spend time with him over lunch. Monday morning went I went to school I immediately got called in to the principals office and was told that my absence was inexcusable! I ended up with 30 days of detentions but it was well worth it, one of the more memorable experiences of my high school years.
Apollo 7 was a C mission. I have always considered it the most important mission in the Apollo program. Had it failed, I believe the program would have been cancelled if lives were lost again. Getting back into space after Apollo 1 was not only a technical and industrial challenge, it was a test of our will.
What I remember most about the Apollo 7 mission is one of the astronauts (Schirra?) holding up a sign for the TV camera reading "Are you a turtle?" After which NASA had "technical difficulties" with the TV link.
Apollo 7 was part of the necessary but relatively unflashy effort to put men on the moon. Great things require a lot of unseen, unglorified work. Glad to see him get his due in your video.
Apollo 7 was a C type mission to evaluate the CSM in low earth orbit. The mission was designed to test the re-made Block II Apollo Command/Service Module. The crew orbited in Earth orbit so that they could check life-support, propulsion and control systems
Apollo VII was a mission of 'firsts' ...1st manned flight of the Apollo program (TYPE 'C'), 1st Manned launch of the Saturn IB, 1st 'Live' TV Broadcast from Space...but it was also the 1st mission of what later became known as "Return-To-Flight" Missions. Maybe that phrase was coined later after the 'Shuttle disasters', but it is the true meaning of the mission... it was designed to instill new confidence in all of the NASA employees, and the American People, in general.
Do you have any info about the modern engineering study of the Saturn V engine fuel pumps? I have heard snippets about how much pressure they were able to handle and how current engineers were surprised that designers in the 50s and 60s could create something that powerful.
For the only flight of mission type C, To test the block II module was key, Though reentry and tempers were hot, For astronaut heads filled with snot, They landed, at last, in the sea.
Apollo 7 was a type C mission, a manned Command/Service Module (CSM) evaluation in low Earth orbit. Also, and more excitingly, it was a mutinied mission! The mission also got some radical pictures of the S-IVB stage in orbit (which is actually my phone's wallpaper).
Apollo 7 - First Fully loaded Mission! Block 2 and fully loaded! Manned, locked, loaded and ready for a FULL shakedown! Unsung mission to another celestial body, full figured and vintage all the way!
A retired pirate walks into an astronaut bar. After watching him drink alone for a while, Deke Slayton gets up from his seat and moves over to join him. "Sorry to bother you," says Slayton, but I'm hoping you can settle a bet I have with Vance Brand." "And how am I to do that for ye, lad," asks the old salt. "Is it true that your favorite letter of the alphabet is R?" The elderly buccaneer belts out a laugh, which quickly fades into a a melancholy sigh. His smile fades into a far away stare, and after what seems like minutes, he turns his age-worn eyes toward the young astronaut. "There was a time when that was true, young master," he says softly. "but now, in truth, my heart yearns for the C."
Apollo 7 was set as a type C. The first manned low earth orbit to evaluate the CSM (command service module). Mutiny aboard the flight was due to an over-booked schedule and bad tempers form suffering a head cold. The loss of further missions came when Schirra basically told Mission Control to "piss off" concerning their reentry without wearing helmets.
Congratulations on Completing this Compilation of Contemporary Chronicles Collected and Circulated for your Craving Community of Captivated Commenters! As to the Correct Category which Contains this Command Capsule's un-Commemorated Cruise 'Cross the Cosmos, to my Contrition and Contempt, I must Confess I have not a Clue.
3 men slipped the surly bonds of earth 163 times they rode in low earth orbit Their Command Module spun in the heavens it was birth Test after Test, they worked and they gave - the mission was sorted But none of them saw a second chance into space In sickness and hunger For them, this was their final place in the race After a Mutiny that gained them no plunder.
As a teenager, I followed the space program closely, including this flight. At the time, of course, we had no idea that there were problems with the crew. I believe with Apollo 7 we saw the first TV broadcast from space. Also, for the first time, the TV audience could clearly hear and understand every word from the astronauts. Schirra was the comic and prankster of the Mercury group, and some of his hijinks were on display on this flight. During the broadcast, the crew held up two small, hand-lettered signs to the camera. The first read, "Greetings from the beautiful Apollo Room, high atop everything". The second sign read, "Keep those cards and letters coming in, Folks." Students at MIT responded with a "Send a card to Wally" campaign, and NASA was flooded with card and letters.
Apollo 7 was a "C" type mission which stood for Cold. It was a CSM (Crew Sinus Membranes) evaluation while in a low and crappy mood. The crew reported seeing a 4 Jawed Dragon while experimenting with pharmaceuticals. It was also a helmet undress rehearsal test to insure the crew would not have to endure future loss of gravity.
Few seem to realize just how critical the Apollo 7 mission was. The goal was to put the new, redesigned spacecraft through its paces and as rigorously as possible. The crew did just that with the spacecraft passing with flying colours. However, Mission Control kept adding things to the schedule until Wally Schirra called a halt. They'd accomplished their mission and more. Everyone was exhausted and Schirra knew that tired men make mistakes. Space is unforgiving of human error and the final crucial maneuver- atmospheric reentry- was upcoming. His decision was a wise one, BTW. It should be remembered that Walt Cunningham remained a respected figure in Houston and became the host of his own radio show, "Countdown To Logic", where he commented on space science and conservative politics.
The tale of mutinous scallywags often told about Apollo 7 reminds us of pirate stories of old on the high Sea. Appropriate, then, that this mission was type C.
Hey Amy, can you look at discussing the internal issues/conflicts between the astronauts and MCC or anyone and how that affected them at the time but eventually wound up being accounted for in current day policy (ie. giving astronauts breaks in space, etc etc) (ex. of Apollo 7 and Skylab 4, and then anything else that you may know of). Thanks
Apollo 7 was the only manned Apollo mission launched on a Saturn 1-B rocket and from pad 34 at Cape Kennedy. Apollo 7 was the first manned test of the Command and Service Module. The crew orbited the Earth 163 times and spent 10 days and 20 hours in space. Type C, of course.
Type C mission Command/Service Module testing. It was the mission were a Juvenile bird, after seeing his older cousins and brothers, gained life, opened its wings and took off breaking the chains of gravity. His wings not perfect, now free and light has now in space, looking down at earth and up to the moon. He held firm, watching his younger brothers high above so that they could see the path and perils of the charming bright disc.
It was a type C Mission - manned CSM evaluation in low Earth orbit. I was 6 years old and a great fan of space-flight when Apollo 7 launched. I built (very inaccurate) LEGO-Rockets and other spacecraft. Though I am Austrian I felt as if we all were American in our effort to push the boundaries of science and exploration further and further on a global scale - a goal we are missing today...
Apropos of nothing, this made me think of a British comedy film called, "I'll Never Forget What's'isname", a 1967 film (right smack in the middle of the Apollo era, lol). Oliver Reed stars as a frustrated ad agent who want's to bring the whole house down, perhaps predicting Reginald Perrin's plight. Highly recommended.
KEEP THOSE CARDS AND LETTERS COMING IN. There's a tribute to Donn Eisele and Apollo 7 right here on the sixth floor of the main library on Broward Boulevard / Andrews Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where I am pecking this out as this videotape unfurls. I always thought that one particular photo of him partially in shadow makes him nearly a dead ringer for Kevin Spacey. Or vice versa.
Dangit. Happened again. "I'll watch one VS video on my lunch break." 2 hours and 9 VS videos later, "Crap! I'm late for a meeting!" When will I learn...
I'll write a limerick: The Apollo 7 test flight Was a manned csm, if I'm right, It flew in low-orbit like NASA had taught it, just three days short of a fortnight! Do you ship to EU?
What I like to see is a review and your opinion of "From Here To The Moon". It is one of my favorites of the series on Apollo. Also, like to know your thoughts on Al Sheppard from his Mercury launch to his running of the Astronaut Office to Apollo 14. The story of the Astronaut's nurse and some of the rumors about affairs with some of the Astronauts.
Don was lucky as fuck his shoulder got him out of that first launch. we learned a lot about system design requirements when dealing with potentially elevated o2 levels and raised flammability of materials.
First full mod 2 test, and you did not mention Chris Kraft and Deke Slayton's role in never letting them fly again. also the snafu about not wearing helmets during the re-entry.
That's one lucky shoulder dislocation.
Two.
It saved Mel Gibson's life in one of the Lethal Weapon movies...
Yeah. I thought so, too.
Reminded me of one of my high school friends' dads.
He played football at Marshall but got sick and didn't make the trip to North Carolina that ended with the return flight crashing at the airport and killing everyone on board.
One year to the day before the fire.
*He died at the early age 57 due to a heart attack not very lucky ..*
Donn Eisele's son Donn is one of my best friends and music partner. We play swing music.
Apollo 7, Mission "C",
Once had a space-based mutiny,
Led by Commander Schirra, Wall-e
Because a bad head cold, had he.
His crew named Walt and What's-His-Name
Were forced to follow in his game,
But their careers were not the same,
Grounded, they would not have fame.
So if this poem left you shook,
It's spacey rhymes did set a hook,
Then its high time you took a look,
and sent me off my own signed book!
Thanks! (deep bow)
*applause*
I declare you the winner, though I have no authority to do so! well played.
If I had a vote, you'd get it.
I see what you did there. 😬
Thank you, Amy, for this presentation on Donn. His son, Donn Jr., lived near me in Waimanalo, Hawai'i for many years. I got to know him through a mutual friend who is a well-known blues musician here. Donn Jr. is an accomplished jazz and blues guitarist who used to perform regularly with my friend. Of course, he would occasionally get asked if he was one of the Isley Brothers singers from the '60s, and was good natured about it. He and his family are back on the mainland now, but it was good to get to know him here and learn some "behind the scenes" things about his dad, who I have always remembered since his days as a NASA astronaut. Aloha nui...
Michael Collins' second book, an overview of the whole Space Program, was dedicated to his colleagues of the New Nineteen who had died, and recently this list had been added to. Charlie, Ted, C.C., Roger and Donn.
Of all the Apollo astronauts, he was the Apolloest.
YEs
GeekRedux ore AppoLowest
I met Eisele in Columbus, Ohio shortly after the flight. There actually was a "Donn Eisele" day in Columbus that included a parade, a reception, and a news conference. Enter Avery, a "cub" TV news reporter for the local CBS station. We had a few things in common; both Navy officers, both in the Masonic lodge, and most exciting to me, both pilots. I'd graduated from Ohio State University's flight program. Although not an astronaut candidate because of my eyes, I knew some of the local aviation experts from my TV news experience. And being aggressive, I asked the first question at the news conference! Somewhere, I have a still photo of me interviewing Eisele. And I have an Apollo flight suit patch. That's was my only connection to the space program until, in the late 1980s I worked at Strategic Defense.
so his shoulder saved him from burning on the launch pad
Recipe for an Apollo C-Mission:
For this autumn treat, spend a few years preparing the ingredients, using a few billion dollars and the hard work of 400,000 people.
1. Prepare rocket by stacking an S4-B on an S-1B first stage. Place 1 Command/Service Module (CSM) on top. For better results, use a Block II Command Module.
2. Pour 20,000 kg liquid hydrogen and 127,000 kg kerosene into tanks (keep refrigerated).
3. Place 3 pre-trained humans inside the Command Module, preferably of the Eisele, Cunningham, Schirra variety. If these are unavailable use Cernan, Stafford, and Young.
4. Burn first the kerosene, then the hydrogen, for 10 minutes. Season with generous helpings of liquid oxygen.
5. Let the spacecraft rise to the correct altitude and velocity, then separate rocket and allow the CSM to float free.
6. Marinate humans and CSM in orbit for 11 days, mixing in tests of the computer, navigation, propulsion, and support systems. Optional: take some savory pictures of planet below.
7. If tempers start to rise, remove helmets from humans and administer drugs to relieve congestion.
8. Place Command Module on trajectory to reenter atmosphere, baking the spaceship to a golden brown. Ensure heat shield is facing forward to prevent over cooking.
9. Reduce heat, unroll parachutes and dip Command Module into cool water. Let sit for 69 minutes.
10. Extract humans and use the information gathered to go to the Moon at a later date.
11. Can be served with ice cream.
Enjoy!
HA! Ok, this is gold. Especially the direction to marinate the humans in the CSM. Winner! Shoot me an email (find it on my website -- amyshirateitel.com) and I'll get your book sent out to you!
Our best astronaut by far--John Young. He flew Gemini, Apollo (also walked on the Moon) and was the commander of the first Space Shuttle flight
He doesn't seem to have been liked by the shuttle astronauts who worked under him.
Jim Lovell made the trip 2 times but never could step on the Moon - AP8 and AP13
Ohhh YEAH, Isley... I loved that song "It's Your Thing"!
Any man or woman who makes it into the astronaut program is worthy of being remembered and respected. It’s truly an accomplishment that many people never rise to. Thanks for pointing him out to be remembered. 😊
"I can hear Cronkite now. And as Apollo 7 lifts off, we bid a fond farewell to Wally, Walt, and What's-his-name"
@@Constantine-the-Great2000 good catch. A great scene really.
Walt Cunningham wrote a book 40 years ago (The All-American Boys) that takes an inside look at NASA and the Apollo 7 flight. It is probably if not the first, one of the first books to show astronauts as larger than life with the same human faults as everyone else, the faults being magnified by their positions.
RIP to the Group 3 Astronauts who never flew in space: C.C. Williams, Ted Freeman, Charlie Bassett (aircraft accidents) and Roger Chaffee (Apollo 1 capsule fire).
Don't forget the unofficial eighth Mercury astronaut, Jose Jimenez, portrayed on phonograph records and TV by comedian Bill Dana. Reporter: "Mr. Jimenez, what do you call this ... a crash helmet?" Jimenez: "Ohhhh, I hope not!"
Joseph Cope "so Mr Jimenez, why do they call it a blast off?"
"Because I have to take a blast before I go off...."
Abbas Zaidi Thank you. Your hilarious posting brought back a flood of good memories. I was only 12 when Alan Shepard was launched. It seems like yesterday.
That would be a great episode, but we are probably too PC to discuss such shenanigans these days.
"You're on your way, Jose!"
J Shepard Unfortunately, you're right. Personally I've never allowed political correctness to affect what I say or write. I consider it to be an abridgement of my liberty. I just practice common courtesy. If others find my communications offensive, they're misinterpreting me either by mistake or on purpose.
I'm old enough to remember Bill Dana doing his Jose routine with Ed Sullivan. I believe he was a native Puerto Rican.
Apollo mission types
A - Unmanned Saturn V and Command/Service Module (CSM) development (Apollo 4, Apollo 6)
B - Unmanned Lunar Module (LM) development (Apollo 5)
C - Manned CSM evaluation in low Earth orbit (Apollo 7)
D - Manned CSM and LM development in low Earth orbit (originally planned for Apollo 8; flown as Apollo 9)
E - Manned CSM and LM operations, a simulated lunar mission in an elliptical medium Earth orbit with an apogee of 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km)); never flown
The planned sequence was changed when it became clear the first manned Lunar Module, LM-3, would not be ready in time for the December 1968 launch of Apollo 8, so this was flown as a lunar orbital mission using just the CSM (sometimes referred to as "a C Prime mission") and the E mission was canceled.
F - Manned CSM and LM operations in lunar orbit, a "dress rehearsal" for the first landing (Apollo 10)
G - First manned lunar landing (Apollo 11)
H - precision landings with up to two-day stays on the Moon, with two lunar Extra-Vehicular Activities or "moonwalks" (Apollo 12, Apollo 13 (planned), Apollo 14)
I - long duration CSM lunar orbital surveys using a Scientific Instrument Module mounted in an empty Service Module bay. These were incorporated into the J missions.
J - longer three-day stays using an Extended LM, with three LEVAs and a Lunar Roving Vehicle (Apollo 15, Apollo 16, Apollo 17). Apollo 18 to 20 would have been J missions. Apollo 15 was originally planned as an H mission but was promoted to J as the program was curtailed.
Nice, also, that list reminds me of linux man pages XD
What a cool RUclips Channel.
Toi?!? Ici!! Tu vois, il y a toujours mieux...
*même chose pour mon orthographe...
Mais qu’est-ce que tu fais ici mon vieux ?
Schirra basically pissed off NASA and he did not care since he was retiring. Yet he never stood up for his crew and they got burned by NEVER flying again. Yet schirra did appear on TV during Apollo missions.
yeah, sometimes the class clown has another side
maybe it would have been better to allow each individual crew member to decide weather or not to wear their helmet doing re entry
The competition Limerick
There once was a spaceman called Eisele
Who's name isn't known very widely
One mission he flew
An Apollo Block 2
He didn't spend his time very wisely
Great stuff Amy! Have you thought about doing other videos on other "unknown" astronauts such as those unfortunately killed in training such as Ted Freeman, Elliott See, Charlies Bassett as well as those who never flew at all due to budget cuts such as Curt Michel?
C.C. Williams has one of the greatest quotes. "I'm a Marine, I'm a trained killer."
You did a great job on the book Young lady.😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
2:09 into video: person shown most prominently in the scene; has a round face: That's Gus Grissom (1926.4.3-1967.1.27), one of the Mercury Seven; he was killed in the Apollo 1 fire. What's really tragic is that Deke Slayton, a Mercury 7 member who was grounded for medical reasons, intended that Grissom should be the first human to walk on the Moon.
Where has this channel been all my life? Talking about 60's Space Race and the all the stuff I love to bore my family about? Subscribed!
Apollo 7 "C type mission" not to be confused with Apollo 8's very special "C Prime Mission". By the way Amy I think Cunningham of that crew did serve as back-up maybe on Apollo 12 so the idea that they were all banned after that flight is only half the story.
I instantly recognized Donn Eisele's name, although the context would be most likely from being grounded for Apollo 1.
I will never forget Ole What's His Name.
Apollo 7 was technically block 2, but the couches and some other equipment weren't ready for the launch date so block 1s were used in their place.
Nice to get a heads up on one of the more obscure astronauts. Thanks for that.
since it never left earth orbit we see,
and a lunar module there was not to be,
then that means the mission type must be c.
I learned a lot from this video that I had not known before watching it. Thanks Amy
And I thought Don Eisele (Isley) was one of the Isley Brothers. "You know you make me wanna SHOUT"! etc. hahaha
Amy, this type of video is what I had ment in Vintage Space, Profiles in space. The Unknown story and the person behind it. Just those short stories. Love your show.
Apollo 7 was a test flight in low earth orbit, aiming to demonstrate the command and service module and crew performance, space vehicle and mission support facilities performance, and the command and service module rendezvous capability. The Apollo 7 was launched by a Saturn 1B rocket. Then followed Apollo 8, that was the first manned flight to the Moon and this was the first manned mission for the Saturn 5 rocket. The mission repeated the tests and procedures of the previous mission, only this time in Lunar orbit. Apollo 9 was again in low earth orbit, that tested all the components and procedures of the Apollo space craft (CM, SM and LM including separation and redocking of the LM). The same tests were performed again in Lunar orbit by Apollo 10. Some say that the ascent module of the Apollo 10 LM had ballast instead of propellants, just in case the astronauts decided to test the LM all the way down. All these missions were a step by step approach to the Apollo 11 lunar landing. All tests of the Apollo spacecraft components would be done in LEO first and then repeated by the following mission in Lunar orbit.
The Apollo 11 gantry has been relocated at Kennedy Space Center to the Saturn V building and is now part of a quite moving memorial to the Apollo I crew that died I the block 1 fire. Worth a visit.
I know of Donn Eisele as an adulterer and part of a "mutiny" aboard Apollo 7. I obviously don't know him that well, so I might have to check out the memoir.
Digging the new hair color👍👍
I have his autograph....from 1966
There once was a man from Ohio
who flew on the 7th Apollo.
Though his name escapes me,
the mission was Type C,
and clearly his motto was YOLO!
Congrats on finally getting the book out!
(In the voice of Julie Andrews)
When you sing you begin with do-re-mi
When you go to the moon you start with Mission types A, B, C
A, B, C
The first three Mission just need to be…type A, B, C
Mission type C, a test with a man or threeeeee
Type C, a manned test of the CSM, uh, eeeeeeeee
Type C, an alligator floating free
Type C, a flight with 2 Walters and what’s-his-name Don Eiseleeeee
Type C, it made the flight controllers so antseeeee
(From the hit musical The Sound of Moon-sic, which includes the major hits, Apollo 16 going on 17, My favourite things (that low gravity brings) and the sensational but slightly dry SCE to Auxiliary.)
LOLOL
Vinnie Ice Gallagher Her voice now is too graveleeeee. LOLOLOL
Amy your vids are the Most Apollo vids ever!
Well if you know your Apollo crews off by heart, you know Donn Eisele. Like her and also me. I already did know about this story before watching it but I wanted to watch Amy describe it. She's so cool!
In San Diego, the site where General Dynamics bench tested the Atlas rocket engines in the 60's still exists. The size of the blast deflectors, are amazing. Have you ever visited this or any similar sites? And will you do a report on these, before they disappear from history
I was born and grew up in the Hilltop part of Columbus in the 1950's-60's and was very caught up in the space program at the time (built model rockets, took classes in space science at the science center downtown, even built and spent a couple of days living in a full size mock-up of the Gemini!). We lived close to the West High School where Donn Eisele went (years earlier). Shortly after Apollo 7 flew there was a luncheon in downtown Columbus for him and through a friend's dad I got invited to not only attend but sit at his table. I was in high school and it was a school day but it was a Friday and there was a big football game that night and the entire day was going to be devoted to pep rallies and such. I thought having lunch with an astronaut was much more important! I called my school to tell them what I was going to do but could only leave a message with a secretary because everyone was busy getting ready for the rallies. Then I spent most of the day at the luncheon. It was an exceptional experience and I got to personally spend time with him over lunch. Monday morning went I went to school I immediately got called in to the principals office and was told that my absence was inexcusable! I ended up with 30 days of detentions but it was well worth it, one of the more memorable experiences of my high school years.
Apollo 7 was a C mission. I have always considered it the most important mission in the Apollo program. Had it failed, I believe the program would have been cancelled if lives were lost again. Getting back into space after Apollo 1 was not only a technical and industrial challenge, it was a test of our will.
To me, "Apollo" always brings to mind the "Wally, Walt, and Don" show.
What I remember most about the Apollo 7 mission is one of the astronauts (Schirra?) holding up a sign for the TV camera reading "Are you a turtle?" After which NASA had "technical difficulties" with the TV link.
Apollo's 'C' mission gave these three men 11 days to marvel at this blue marble from above.
Apollo 7 was part of the necessary but relatively unflashy effort to put men on the moon. Great things require a lot of unseen, unglorified work. Glad to see him get his due in your video.
Even the glorified astronauts had to do a ton of unglorified work. Their lives weren't that glamorous for the most part.
This might be my favorite Vintage Space video. I MUST have that book! Great work. So excited.
Great Vid!!! Thank you Amy!
Apollo 7 was a C mission - in fact, the only C-type mission flown. Thanks for making these videos!
Best. Teacher. Ever.
I can relate to Donn Eisele much better, that I can to all the other "perfect" astronauts.
Once again, thank you for sharing the story!
Mission type C it was
To Earth orbit it went
With men and CSM
Sorry, not haiku. ;>)
Apollo 7 was a C type mission to evaluate the CSM in low earth orbit. The mission was designed to test the re-made Block II Apollo Command/Service Module. The crew orbited in Earth orbit so that they could check life-support, propulsion and control systems
Apollo VII was a mission of 'firsts' ...1st manned flight of the Apollo program (TYPE 'C'), 1st Manned launch of the Saturn IB, 1st 'Live' TV Broadcast from Space...but it was also the 1st mission of what later became known as "Return-To-Flight" Missions. Maybe that phrase was coined later after the 'Shuttle disasters', but it is the true meaning of the mission... it was designed to instill new confidence in all of the NASA employees, and the American People, in general.
For a man that could not be remembered, He'd be one of the first of the crewed Apollo missions to space.
Do you have any info about the modern engineering study of the Saturn V engine fuel pumps? I have heard snippets about how much pressure they were able to handle and how current engineers were surprised that designers in the 50s and 60s could create something that powerful.
For the only flight of mission type C,
To test the block II module was key,
Though reentry and tempers were hot,
For astronaut heads filled with snot,
They landed, at last, in the sea.
There was a man named Eisele,
Who made the cut in '63.
Went up with Wally & Walt,
But his travels came to a halt,
After only one Mission Type C.
I don't feel so out of place now finding this channel and being a geek!! Great channel!!
All American Boys by Walt Cunnighman. Very cool book with some insight into the myth of apollo 7.
Apollo 7 was a type C mission, a manned Command/Service Module (CSM) evaluation in low Earth orbit.
Also, and more excitingly, it was a mutinied mission!
The mission also got some radical pictures of the S-IVB stage in orbit (which is actually my phone's wallpaper).
Apollo 7 - First Fully loaded Mission! Block 2 and fully loaded! Manned, locked, loaded and ready for a FULL shakedown! Unsung mission to another celestial body, full figured and vintage all the way!
I remember seeing Apollo 7 in orbit just after sunset from my yard in Ohio. It was clearly visible with the naked eye.
I Carefully Considered the Category in Concern for this Certain Celestial Cruise. The Correct Consonant Confounds me Completely.
half man, half Apollo, all astronaut
A retired pirate walks into an astronaut bar. After watching him drink alone for a while, Deke Slayton gets up from his seat and moves over to join him. "Sorry to bother you," says Slayton, but I'm hoping you can settle a bet I have with Vance Brand."
"And how am I to do that for ye, lad," asks the old salt.
"Is it true that your favorite letter of the alphabet is R?"
The elderly buccaneer belts out a laugh, which quickly fades into a a melancholy sigh. His smile fades into a far away stare, and after what seems like minutes, he turns his age-worn eyes toward the young astronaut.
"There was a time when that was true, young master," he says softly. "but now, in truth, my heart yearns for the C."
Apollo 7 was set as a type C. The first manned low earth orbit to evaluate the CSM (command service module). Mutiny aboard the flight was due to an over-booked schedule and bad tempers form suffering a head cold. The loss of further missions came when Schirra basically told Mission Control to "piss off" concerning their reentry without wearing helmets.
Congratulations on Completing this Compilation of Contemporary Chronicles Collected and Circulated for your Craving Community of Captivated Commenters! As to the Correct Category which Contains this Command Capsule's un-Commemorated Cruise 'Cross the Cosmos, to my Contrition and Contempt, I must Confess I have not a Clue.
I concur.
David Lawrence I 'C' commedically your clues correctly
Correct and concise, but slightly confusing.
Very Cleverly Concocted.
3 men slipped the surly bonds of earth
163 times they rode in low earth orbit
Their Command Module spun in the heavens it was birth
Test after Test, they worked and they gave - the mission was sorted
But none of them saw a second chance into space
In sickness and hunger
For them, this was their final place in the race
After a Mutiny that gained them no plunder.
The mission wasn't only about the shiny Block II but it was also the Saturn IB's first launch that put crew into space. The mission was a Type 'C' :D
As a teenager, I followed the space program closely, including this flight. At the time, of course, we had no idea that there were problems with the crew. I believe with Apollo 7 we saw the first TV broadcast from space. Also, for the first time, the TV audience could clearly hear and understand every word from the astronauts.
Schirra was the comic and prankster of the Mercury group, and some of his hijinks were on display on this flight. During the broadcast, the crew held up two small, hand-lettered signs to the camera. The first read, "Greetings from the beautiful Apollo Room, high atop everything". The second sign read, "Keep those cards and letters coming in, Folks." Students at MIT responded with a "Send a card to Wally" campaign, and NASA was flooded with card and letters.
C is for Manned-CSM-evaluation-in-low-Earth-orbit, that's good enough for me! It's also a mouthful
That's cool about the book. I have a signed Walt Cunningham "The All-American Boys" book.
Apollo 7 was a "C" type mission which stood for Cold. It was a CSM (Crew Sinus Membranes) evaluation while in a low and crappy mood. The crew reported seeing a 4 Jawed Dragon while experimenting with pharmaceuticals. It was also a helmet undress rehearsal test to insure the crew would not have to endure future loss of gravity.
Few seem to realize just how critical the Apollo 7 mission was. The goal was to put the new, redesigned spacecraft through its paces and as rigorously as possible. The crew did just that with the spacecraft passing with flying colours. However, Mission Control kept adding things to the schedule until Wally Schirra called a halt. They'd accomplished their mission and more. Everyone was exhausted and Schirra knew that tired men make mistakes. Space is unforgiving of human error and the final crucial maneuver- atmospheric reentry- was upcoming. His decision was a wise one, BTW. It should be remembered that Walt Cunningham remained a respected figure in Houston and became the host of his own radio show, "Countdown To Logic", where he commented on space science and conservative politics.
I thought everyone knew about Apollo 7 as the mutiny in space.
The tale of mutinous scallywags often told about Apollo 7 reminds us of pirate stories of old on the high Sea. Appropriate, then, that this mission was type C.
Hey Amy, can you look at discussing the internal issues/conflicts between the astronauts and MCC or anyone and how that affected them at the time but eventually wound up being accounted for in current day policy (ie. giving astronauts breaks in space, etc etc) (ex. of Apollo 7 and Skylab 4, and then anything else that you may know of). Thanks
Apollo 7 was the only manned Apollo mission launched on a Saturn 1-B rocket and from pad 34 at Cape Kennedy. Apollo 7 was the first manned test of the Command and Service Module. The crew orbited the Earth 163 times and spent 10 days and 20 hours in space. Type C, of course.
Oh Amy. I love you
Type C mission Command/Service Module testing. It was the mission were a Juvenile bird, after seeing his older cousins and brothers, gained life, opened its wings and took off breaking the chains of gravity. His wings not perfect, now free and light has now in space, looking down at earth and up to the moon. He held firm, watching his younger brothers high above so that they could see the path and perils of the charming bright disc.
It was a type C Mission - manned CSM evaluation in low Earth orbit. I was 6 years old and a great fan of space-flight when Apollo 7 launched. I built (very inaccurate) LEGO-Rockets and other spacecraft. Though I am Austrian I felt as if we all were American in our effort to push the boundaries of science and exploration further and further on a global scale - a goal we are missing today...
Apropos of nothing, this made me think of a British comedy film called, "I'll Never Forget What's'isname", a 1967 film (right smack in the middle of the Apollo era, lol). Oliver Reed stars as a frustrated ad agent who want's to bring the whole house down, perhaps predicting Reginald Perrin's plight. Highly recommended.
"...white picket fences." I like that.
KEEP THOSE CARDS AND LETTERS COMING IN. There's a tribute to Donn Eisele and Apollo 7 right here on the sixth floor of the main library on Broward Boulevard / Andrews Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where I am pecking this out as this videotape unfurls. I always thought that one particular photo of him partially in shadow makes him nearly a dead ringer for Kevin Spacey. Or vice versa.
Dangit. Happened again. "I'll watch one VS video on my lunch break." 2 hours and 9 VS videos later, "Crap! I'm late for a meeting!" When will I learn...
Greetings from England. Apollo 7's as a type "C" mission.
I'll write a limerick:
The Apollo 7 test flight
Was a manned csm, if I'm right,
It flew in low-orbit
like NASA had taught it,
just three days short of a fortnight!
Do you ship to EU?
Just read about him today!
What I like to see is a review and your opinion of "From Here To The Moon". It is one of my favorites of the series on Apollo. Also, like to know your thoughts on Al Sheppard from his Mercury launch to his running of the Astronaut Office to Apollo 14. The story of the Astronaut's nurse and some of the rumors about affairs with some of the Astronauts.
Don was lucky as fuck his shoulder got him out of that first launch. we learned a lot about system design requirements when dealing with potentially elevated o2 levels and raised flammability of materials.
Apollo 7 was a Type C mission. A manned CSM Earth orbit flight.
You have me laughing at 'what his name'.
He was so Apollo.
First full mod 2 test, and you did not mention Chris Kraft and Deke Slayton's role in never letting them fly again. also the snafu about not wearing helmets during the re-entry.