- 5/31/2025
Between 1969 and 1972 twelve men walked on the surface of the moon. It was seen as the first chapter in an ambitious program of space exploration. But what started with NASA's Apollo missions ended with the Apollo missions. Humanity's boldest venture is now 50 years in the past. To The Moon - From Dream To Reality looks back at the people and the technology of the Apollo era.
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00:00:00In July 1969, the crew of Apollo 11 was preparing for the United States' first attempt at landing men on the Moon.
00:00:13NASA, the space agency charged with making the mission possible, had existed for little more than a decade.
00:00:21Apollo 11 was the first of six successful Moon missions.
00:00:31The result of an unprecedented surge in scientific and engineering activity with remarkable spin-offs.
00:00:43This is the story of how Cold War paranoia and incredible expenditure paid off.
00:00:50In less than nine years, the United States went from space amateur to technological hyperpower.
00:00:57In 1950s America, life was good. The country's vast productive power had switched from making tanks, ships and aircraft during the Second World War, to cars and refrigerators.
00:01:12The United States could dominate the world in a responsible, capitalist sort of way.
00:01:19America had emerged from the Second World War as the unchallenged nuclear-armed superpower.
00:01:26But there was a problem. The Soviet Union had finished the war with a giant battle-hardened army.
00:01:33And the country soon had its own nuclear weapons, becoming the world's second superpower.
00:01:40Its communist ideology, calling for international revolution, was a direct threat to the West.
00:01:47America was discovered and such.
00:02:09both the soviet union and the united states had been working to extend their nuclear strike
00:02:21capabilities by developing missile technology here the soviets were at a disadvantage their
00:02:30primitive warheads were big and cumbersome they had to design rockets capable of lifting much
00:02:35heavier loads but in october 1957 the soviets surprised everyone the heavy lift r7 rocket
00:02:50had sent sputnik the first artificial satellite into orbit the 83 kilogram sphere was equipped
00:02:58with nothing more than a beeping radio transmitter two days later the soviets tested a giant thermonuclear
00:03:08bomb and america could not help but link the two events i guess the american people alarmed
00:03:17that a foreign country especially an enemy country can do this we fear this in december 1957 america
00:03:25was preparing for its first satellite launch a vanguard rocket was to boost a tiny one kilogram
00:03:31payload to orbit coast to coast citizens were watching
00:03:39it was an intense humiliation for the united states just days later a soviet delegate to the un asked
00:04:02whether america would like aid earmarked for underdeveloped countries
00:04:05president eisenhower had wanted a non-military rocket to carry his nation's first satellite
00:04:15but the redstone missile developed for the army by verna von braun was given the directive to salvage
00:04:21national pride with a second attempt they would use the juno one
00:04:28in 1958 free men everywhere lifted their gaze to freedom satellite
00:04:38it was a success
00:04:41later that same year the eisenhower administration established nasa to coordinate the country's space
00:04:52efforts
00:04:55soon after nasa recruited its first seven astronauts they were all test pilots
00:05:03at this time in 1959 the united states had attempted twenty satellite launches only eight
00:05:11had been successful
00:05:18in 1961 the soviet union sprang another surprise his name was yuri alekseyevich gagarin
00:05:27he would become the first cosmonaut
00:05:30on the morning of april the 12th gagarin was strapped into vostok one
00:05:35it carried air and food for ten days if its re-entry rockets failed gagarin could last until his craft's
00:05:45orbit decayed naturally
00:05:48in 108 minutes vostok one completed one orbit and landed safely back in the soviet union
00:06:00three weeks later alan shepherd was preparing to become the first american in space in nasa's new project mercury
00:06:07before dawn on may the fifth shepherd was delivered to the launch site two hours before the scheduled lift off
00:06:16this would be the first manned flight of the redstone launcher but the redstone did not have the power to reach orbit
00:06:26this would be a suborbital hop
00:06:33in the spirit of the cold war shepherd had called his mercury capsule freedom seven
00:06:42there were weather delays and shepherd had been strapped into his seat for three hours before the flight started
00:06:48freedom seven took him to a height of 187 kilometers
00:07:09ending 15 minutes later in the atlantic where the capsule was picked up by a waiting aircraft carrier
00:07:16it was successful but compared to gagarin's orbital flight it was a poor second
00:07:30then after another three weeks there was a further development
00:07:37i believe that this nation should commit itself
00:07:42to achieving the goal before this decade is out
00:07:46of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth
00:07:50this seemed like a very rash proposition
00:07:53period when president kennedy made this speech
00:07:57his country had only successfully launched 12 satellites
00:08:01the u.s. had made a further 16 attempts
00:08:04which had all failed
00:08:08the atlas booster due to take the first american to orbit
00:08:11was still having problems
00:08:18but a new fast-tracked program
00:08:23under the direction of german engineer doctor verner von braun
00:08:27had been underway for several years
00:08:29a new launcher the saturn one
00:08:33was an attempt to surpass the russians heavy lift capability
00:08:37it would use a cluster of narrow tanks that could easily be fabricated using the tooling developed
00:08:44for the country's existing rocket fleet
00:08:48it would also cluster eight rocket engines to deliver the required thrust
00:08:54the engine used was the h1 it was a direct descendant of the engine that powered germany's v2 rocket
00:09:01after the second world war
00:09:08ferner von braun and some of his team of rocket designers had surrendered to the american forces
00:09:15the same hardware and extensive drawings
00:09:20tests began in new mexico
00:09:22using modified v2s
00:09:24blueprints for the v2s engine were given to north american aviation
00:09:28who implemented proposed improvements mentioned in the nazi documentation
00:09:35a spin-off company rocket dine handled the work and are still making rocket engines today
00:09:43in developing the saturn one there was a change in the approach of the engineers
00:09:49they were keen to avoid the high rates of failure that had occurred with other rockets
00:09:56this meant that all components would now be tested exhaustively before undertaking a launch
00:10:04this included the h1 engine which was required to deliver ninety nine percent reliability
00:10:11finally in october 1961 the first saturn was ready for flight testing
00:10:18it was a giant first stage with a dummy second stage and nose cone
00:10:23as it sat on the pad taking fuel technicians were methodically checking the rocket's subsystems
00:10:31this was time-consuming and would later be monitored by computer
00:10:36high-speed film cameras were focused on critical areas of the pad launcher interface
00:10:44a technique that continues to this day
00:10:47the first test of a new rocket design was never expected to go well
00:10:56but the saturn one performed flawlessly
00:10:59it was a small step towards president kennedy's goal of landing a man on the moon
00:11:08although congress was allocating huge sums for what was now called project apollo
00:11:14nasa still had no clear idea how they could do it
00:11:18there were two competing approaches
00:11:22direct ascent where astronauts would ride a huge craft directly to the moon
00:11:27land it there and then turn
00:11:30or earth rendezvous where two rockets would launch separate parts into earth orbit
00:11:35which would link up and then fly to the moon and land
00:11:40there were various concepts for a spacecraft that would fly from the earth to the moon
00:11:45land and then return
00:11:47all were huge
00:11:50both of these approaches would require a rocket of huge proportions
00:11:54and designs for the giant nova were studied
00:12:01there was a third method proposed which required a rendezvous in lunar orbit
00:12:06it called for a dedicated lunar lander which could be discarded after it served its purpose
00:12:12Langley engineer John Hubolt was convinced that this was the only way to get to the moon
00:12:17within president kennedy's 1969 deadline
00:12:24in july 1961 gus grissom had become america's second astronaut
00:12:29with another fifteen minutes suborbital flight
00:12:32at this stage two craft rendezvousing in orbit was seen as a tremendous challenge
00:12:38her rendezvous in lunar orbit was seen as madness
00:12:42and Hubolt's lunar orbit rendezvous LOR was dismissed
00:12:47but Hubolt and an informal group working at Langley
00:12:52had been studying the problems associated with orbital rendezvous since the 1950s
00:12:57and they understood the mathematics very well
00:13:00frustrated at having the lunar orbit rendezvous plan blocked from access to higher management
00:13:06he wrote a strongly worded letter to the NASA administrator
00:13:13in it he asserted that the only way to meet the presidential deadline was LOR
00:13:18he insisted that a man could be put on the moon without the need for NOVA
00:13:23with the LOR concept now in the open
00:13:26the theory and the calculations were scrutinized closely
00:13:30and while the idea was still resisted the plan was sound
00:13:34finally when Verna von Braun became convinced
00:13:38lunar orbit rendezvous was adopted
00:13:40in August 1961
00:13:52German teacher was preparing to become Russia's second cosmonaut
00:13:56at 25 he remains the youngest person to fly in space
00:14:00his flight in Vostok 2 made 17 orbits
00:14:11with Cheeto remaining aloft for more than a day
00:14:14he was the first man to eat in space
00:14:17the first man to sleep in space
00:14:19and the first man to suffer from space sickness
00:14:22NASA were resigned to their second ranking
00:14:33in what had become known as the space race
00:14:35with the newest version of the Atlas booster
00:14:40they felt they were closing the gap
00:14:42an unmanned flight went well but they were still worried
00:14:50to the humiliation of the astronaut corps
00:14:53CHIMP 81 later called ENOS
00:14:56would be the first to fly on the Atlas
00:15:00it was the first capsule to have solid state electronics
00:15:03there were some small problems during this flight
00:15:06but ENOS returned safely
00:15:08paving the way for NASA's first manned orbital flight
00:15:12in February 1962
00:15:15John Glenn was to be the first American to go into orbit
00:15:19in a capsule he had named Friendship 7
00:15:22the American people were taking their country's role
00:15:27in the space race very seriously now
00:15:29Glenn's flight was an opportunity for the US
00:15:32to salvage some pride
00:15:34John Glenn completed three orbits
00:15:38and returned to an Atlantic splashdown without incident
00:15:41as development continued successfully on the Saturn booster
00:15:47and the Mercury program began more ambitious missions
00:15:51NASA was getting a clearer view of its path to the moon
00:15:54a new group of astronauts was recruited
00:16:00with names like Neil Armstrong, John Young and James Lovell
00:16:05and the lunar orbit rendezvous plan meant that a new program
00:16:08would be implemented before Project Apollo
00:16:15originally called Mercury 2
00:16:17the program eventually emerged as Project Gemini
00:16:20a larger version of the Mercury capsule
00:16:23that would carry two astronauts was rapidly designed
00:16:26it featured ejector seats like a jet fighter
00:16:29and it would be boosted to orbit atop a refinement of the Titan 2 missile
00:16:35originally intended to carry a nuclear warhead
00:16:40training for the two-man missions began ahead of a tightly packed schedule of launches
00:16:45additional Mercury missions were scrapped
00:16:48there were very specific objectives laid down for the Gemini program
00:16:52orbital rendezvous had to be mastered
00:16:55and docking with a target vehicle had to become routine
00:16:58planners also knew that any trip to the moon
00:17:01would involve leaving the spacecraft
00:17:03and surviving in the vacuum of space in a pressure suit
00:17:11new infrastructure was built
00:17:13at Cape Canaveral a giant vehicle assembly building
00:17:16for the coming Saturn family of rockets was commenced
00:17:19in Alabama a captive rocket test facility was built
00:17:24and there were new engine test stands constructed in Mississippi
00:17:33at the new manned spacecraft center in Houston, Texas
00:17:36a new mission control hub was constructed
00:17:39it would monitor every detail of every mission
00:17:42largely due to the energy of Vice President Lyndon Johnson
00:17:48Texas was to become the focal point of America's space efforts
00:17:53it was September 1962
00:17:55before a crowd in the stadium of Rice University in Houston
00:17:59the leading space city
00:18:01gives such a warm welcome
00:18:03to our president of the United States
00:18:07we choose to go to the moon
00:18:17we choose to go to the moon
00:18:19we choose to go to the moon
00:18:24we choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things
00:18:30not because they are easy but because they are hard
00:18:34because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best
00:18:39of our energies and skills
00:18:41because that challenge is one that we're willing to accept
00:18:45one we are unwilling to postpone
00:18:48and one we intend to win
00:18:50and the others too
00:18:51though the American people were largely on side with the country's space goals
00:18:56Kennedy understood that the huge expenditures now being made
00:19:00could easily lead to an erosion of the national support
00:19:06but in little more than 12 months
00:19:09when the president returned to Texas
00:19:11he was assassinated
00:19:23Lyndon Johnson was now the president
00:19:26he strengthened his position in 1964
00:19:29with a landslide win in the presidential election
00:19:32and under his leadership America's space objectives remained unchanged
00:19:36in August 1962 the Soviet Union had set another space first
00:19:45Vostok 3 and Vostok 4 orbited at the same time
00:19:49NASA felt the Russians were already working towards orbital rendezvous
00:19:59in June 1963 another cosmonaut was preparing for another first
00:20:04Valentina Tereshkova would be the first woman to go into orbit
00:20:07Valentina Tereshkova would be the first woman to go into orbit
00:20:09Valentina Tereshkova would be the first woman to go into orbit
00:20:14In October 1964, Vladimir Komarov, the commander
00:20:19Flight Engineer Konstantin Feoktistov
00:20:22and Medical Specialist Boris Yergorov
00:20:24flew to orbit on a new spacecraft, Voskod 1
00:20:28and they wore normal clothing, not spacesuits
00:20:31To NASA, it seemed that the Russians were starting their own equivalent
00:20:37of the three-man Apollo program
00:20:39Towards the end of 1964
00:20:43Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov began training with a new piece of equipment
00:20:47His Voskod capsule would be fitted with a collapsible canvas airlock
00:20:51that would let him leave the craft
00:20:53The Voskod capsule's electronics used thermionic valves
00:20:57which relied on the ambient air to dissipate their heat
00:20:59so the capsule could not be depressurised
00:21:03In March 1965, Alexei Leonov on Voskod 2 became the first person to leave his capsule
00:21:13and float freely in space
00:21:15In March 1965, Alexei Leonov on Voskod 2 became the first person to leave his capsule
00:21:23and float freely in space
00:21:25In March 1965, Alexei Leonov on Voskod 2 became the first person to leave his capsule
00:21:29and float freely in space
00:21:31Again, the Soviet Union had beaten America
00:21:39in one of the critical steps NASA had stated it would need to master
00:21:43before an attempt at landing on the Moon
00:21:47The complete story did not emerge until after the fall of the Soviet Union
00:21:52Once outside, Leonov's spacesuit swelled like a balloon
00:21:56making him too large to re-enter the airlock
00:21:59Only by drastically venting his suit pressure could he squeeze back inside
00:22:14The Gemini spacecraft was a huge advance in capsule design
00:22:18Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom had been involved in the capsule's development
00:22:23and was responsible for the way pilot control systems resembled aircraft controls
00:22:29Like the Mercury capsule, it had corrugated titanium skin
00:22:33but its life support systems and power were housed in a separate module
00:22:37that was discarded before re-entry
00:22:40The astronauts had separate hatches and sat in ejector seats
00:22:46Importantly, these hatches could be reopened and closed in space to allow for spacewalks
00:22:54The first manned Gemini flight, Gemini 3, blasted off in July 1965
00:23:04Aboard were Gus Grissom and John Young
00:23:07Three orbits and five hours later
00:23:17Their craft landed in the Atlantic, just west of the Bahamas
00:23:2184 kilometers short of the intended target
00:23:24Importantly, Gemini 3 had been the first spacecraft to change its orbit
00:23:31A vital development toward NASA's short-term goal of orbital rendezvous
00:23:36Grissom and Young's flight had been a morale booster for America's space effort
00:23:42And they were treated as heroes
00:23:44Less than a week after their return
00:23:46The two astronauts were given a tick-a-take parade through the streets of New York
00:23:51People were now taking the idea of a moon landing seriously
00:23:58At the White House, the astronauts met with President Johnson
00:24:09In parallel with the Gemini program
00:24:11Hardware for the Apollo missions continued development
00:24:15The final configuration of the Apollo spacecraft had been decided
00:24:19And mock-ups were fabricated for use in testing other parts of the Apollo system
00:24:27Because the Apollo command module was bigger than all previous spacecraft
00:24:31The designers had opted to return to the use of an escape tower
00:24:35Similar to the Mercury capsule
00:24:37Similar to the Mercury capsule
00:24:38To lift the crew clear in an emergency
00:24:44A special launcher known as Little Joe 2 was developed
00:24:47To test the escape system under a variety of simulated malfunctions
00:24:54During one trial, a real problem occurred
00:24:56And the escape tower worked perfectly
00:25:00Dummy capsules were dropped from aircraft
00:25:02To iron out problems with the landing parachutes
00:25:10Because the Apollo missions would all splash down in the ocean
00:25:13The capsule was tested in water
00:25:16There was always a trade-off between weight and strength
00:25:19And sometimes the engineers had to go back to the drawing board
00:25:26Testing of the new Saturn rocket
00:25:27The new Saturn rocket
00:25:28And its refinement, the Saturn 1B
00:25:30Was going well with no test flight failures
00:25:42On the morning of June the 3rd 1965
00:25:44Gemini 4 was being prepared
00:25:46For astronauts James McDivitt and Ed White
00:25:49It would be their first flight
00:25:50This would be the first mission controlled from the new
00:25:56Integrated Mission Control Centre in Houston
00:25:59Launch control remained at the Cape
00:26:01But after the launcher had cleared the tower
00:26:04All aspects of the remaining Gemini and Apollo flights
00:26:07Were controlled from this complex
00:26:09No problem
00:26:10No problem
00:26:13Lift off
00:26:17This would be NASA's first long duration flight
00:26:20An attempt was made to rendezvous with the Titan upper stage
00:26:24But with little success and depleted fuel reserves
00:26:27The exercise was abandoned
00:26:29Above Australia, White and McDivitt donned their spacesuits
00:26:32And began depressurising the capsule
00:26:33Ed White had to struggle with his hatched ore
00:26:43Which had jammed
00:26:45But after attention from McDivitt
00:26:47Who understood the problem
00:26:49It opened and White stepped outside
00:26:51I think I'm dragging a little bit
00:26:53So I don't want to fire the gun yet
00:26:56Okay, I'm out
00:26:57He was tethered to the spacecraft
00:26:59By an eight metre line that fed him oxygen
00:27:04To manoeuvre, he had a small zip gun that expelled oxygen
00:27:08It worked well, but was soon running low on gas
00:27:11Okay, I put a little roll in and take it right out
00:27:15A communication problem
00:27:17Meant that while Mission Control could hear him
00:27:19They could not speak to him
00:27:21Messages had to be relayed via McDivitt
00:27:24Don't explain, I'll come over here
00:27:26It's like a thermal glass now
00:27:28It all looked deceptively simple
00:27:31But other than be outside
00:27:33White had no real task to perform
00:27:36Around the world these pictures captured huge press attention
00:27:41I feel like a million dollars
00:27:45Right from its inception
00:27:47NASA had made a commitment to openness
00:27:49It was the one glaring difference between America
00:27:51And its Cold War adversary
00:27:54Jim McDivitt and Ed White
00:27:57Were both alumni of Michigan University
00:28:00Which held a ceremony for the astronauts
00:28:02When they were back on the ground
00:28:04Although the Soviet Union may still be ahead in the space race
00:28:08America was catching up
00:28:10And the unfettered access NASA allowed the press
00:28:14Meant that the Gemini program became a media phenomenon
00:28:16For McDivitt and White there followed the now regulations ceremonial at the White House
00:28:34Public support meant that lavish funding kept flowing
00:28:37And the accelerated development of Apollo hardware continued behind the scenes
00:28:41Booster testing of the Saturn 1 had concluded
00:28:47And its direct descendant, the Saturn 1B
00:28:51Was being fabricated for several unmanned missions
00:28:54It was earmarked for the first manned Apollo flight
00:28:57Scheduled for 1967
00:28:58The giant C5
00:29:02The giant C5
00:29:04Now known as the Saturn 5
00:29:06Was also being built
00:29:08This was the rocket that would take men to the moon
00:29:13Unlike the clustered tanks hastily pressed into service for the Saturn 1
00:29:17The Saturn 5 had larger, lighter single tanks
00:29:19And it replaced the eight H1 engines
00:29:23With five much larger F1 engines
00:29:26Gemini 5 launched in August 1965
00:29:39It was the first time a spacecraft had been powered by fuel cells rather than batteries
00:29:44This would enable flights of much longer duration
00:29:52But the system gave problems
00:29:54In addition the spacecraft's thrusters were unreliable
00:29:58The crew of Gordon Cooper and Pete Conrad
00:30:01Were forced to abandon a rendezvous exercise
00:30:04Through diminished electrical supply
00:30:06And limited control of their craft
00:30:08But Gemini 5 did set a new record for endurance
00:30:11As Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford sat in their Gemini 6 spacecraft
00:30:19An Atlas Agena on an adjacent pad was ready for launch
00:30:25The Gemini capsule had been designed for docking
00:30:32And in October 1965
00:30:35They would make the first attempt to rendezvous and dock
00:30:38With the Agena target vehicle
00:30:39Field pressure running a little high
00:30:42The launch of the Agena was perfect
00:30:44But shortly after stage separation
00:30:47Radar picked up five distinct objects
00:30:50The craft had exploded
00:30:52There was no point in proceeding with the mission
00:30:58Scheduling for the Gemini program had been tight
00:31:01With roughly one new launch every six weeks
00:31:03There was no replacement Agena ready to launch before the next flight
00:31:08Gemini 7
00:31:10It was decided that Gemini 6
00:31:14Now called 6A
00:31:16Would rendezvous with Gemini 7
00:31:18Which would launch first
00:31:20This would mean a very rapid turnaround between launches
00:31:24Which used the same facilities
00:31:25In December 1965
00:31:28In December 1965
00:31:30Frank Borman and Jim Lovell were preparing for NASA's longest duration mission yet
00:31:35The plan called for a flight of 14 days
00:31:38More than long enough for a return trip to the moon
00:31:42The schedule called for Gemini 6A to launch eight days later
00:31:47Shira and Stafford had been through this exact procedure just seven weeks earlier
00:31:57There could be no faulty target vehicle to let them down
00:32:02They're cleared for takeoff
00:32:09Roger, audio spot is five
00:32:11Four
00:32:12Three
00:32:13Two
00:32:14One
00:32:15Ignition
00:32:17A plug had released early forcing an automatic shutdown
00:32:22For the second time Shira and Stafford had been unable to get off the ground
00:32:26Very good
00:32:27Three days later Gemini 6A launched successfully
00:32:37Within six hours the two Gemini's were side by side
00:32:41Rendezvous was one of the difficult manoeuvres that had to become routine
00:32:45Before a realistic attempt at landing on the moon could be made
00:32:52Although the American public may not have appreciated the finer points of orbit
00:32:56The finer points of orbital mechanics
00:32:59Moving pictures of a spacecraft in orbit again roused huge media attention
00:33:07Gemini 7 set a new record for time in orbit
00:33:10But during the last few days the spacecraft had developed thruster problems
00:33:19The return to Earth was technically uneventful
00:33:21Though Bormann and Lovell were weakened after two weeks in space
00:33:28Astronauts were now greeted as returning heroes with intense press coverage
00:33:34They were becoming celebrities
00:33:35Next were two first time astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott
00:33:48As mission commander, Neil Armstrong would be the first American civilian to go to space
00:33:53Gemini 8 had a very busy flight plan
00:33:56Docking still had not been achieved
00:33:59And this flight was scheduled to rendezvous and dock with an Agena target vehicle that would launch an hour before the Gemini
00:34:11This launch was perfect and the crew of Gemini 8 were able to rendezvous and finally to dock with the target vehicle
00:34:18But again there was a thruster problem
00:34:21Which sent the two docked craft into a spin
00:34:24Armstrong separated the craft but the rate increased
00:34:28A Gemini Yaw thruster was stuck on
00:34:31Flight rules called for a prompt return
00:34:36The destroyer Leonard F. Mason picked up the crew and their capsule from the Pacific
00:34:40An ocean away from the planned recovery region
00:34:52On Gemini 9, Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan would try to achieve the objectives unmet by Gemini 8
00:34:59Docking was still to be mastered
00:35:01And as a substitute for the Agena target vehicle
00:35:05A shorter unit, known as the Augmented Target Docking Adapter, was launched
00:35:10It achieved orbit, but there was a worrying light displayed on a console in mission control
00:35:19When Stafford and Cernan caught up with their target, they saw the ascent shroud still in place
00:35:26An argument between contractors meant the team that normally fitted the fairing was sidelined
00:35:32Resulting in what became known as the Angry Alligator
00:35:36The target was useless
00:35:39Gemini 9 had nothing to dock with
00:35:42In addition, a spacewalk by Cernan saw him exhausted and drenched in sweat with his helmet fogging
00:35:48Tight deadlines laid down for the American space program were accelerating development
00:35:57But was NASA courting disaster?
00:36:00A mission review committee was established to make certain objectives were realistic
00:36:07Rendezvous and docking had been hampered by equipment failure
00:36:11But mission planners were confident it would be mastered
00:36:13The one outstanding problem facing the Gemini team was the spacewalk, or EVA, for extravehicular activity
00:36:22After Ed White's joyride in space, it came as a surprise that it was so difficult to actually work in weightlessness
00:36:34Practice for this activity on the ground had focused on a low-friction air table technique
00:36:39But it was nothing like being weightless and in a vacuum
00:36:44For brief periods in an aircraft travelling along a parabolic curve
00:36:49An astronaut could experience weightlessness
00:36:52This was difficult, but with only three more Gemini missions scheduled
00:36:57It was felt to be of value
00:36:58In December 1966, John Young and Michael Collins on Gemini 10
00:37:09Had very similar mission objectives to the previous two Gemini flights
00:37:13They successfully rendezvoused and docked with their Agena target
00:37:18Then, using the Agena's engine, boosted their orbit to a new record high
00:37:23The craft then rendezvoused with the spent Agena used by Gemini 8
00:37:31Collins made two spacewalks, losing his camera in the process
00:37:36As he made his way to the target craft, he found it difficult to gain purchase
00:37:41He was suffering similar difficulties to his colleagues on previous flights
00:37:45Gemini 11 had a two-second launch window
00:37:55Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon performed a direct ascent rendezvous just 94 minutes after launch
00:38:01This was the type of rendezvous planned for the Apollo missions
00:38:04They docked and undocked four times, giving NASA confidence in their rendezvous and docking ability
00:38:15Then, using the Agena's engine, the linked craft achieved a record orbital high point of 1300 km
00:38:27During EVA, Gordon attached a tether to the Agena as part of a gravitational experiment
00:38:32But yet again, the process was exhausting compared with simulated exercises on the ground
00:38:39NASA had just one more Gemini mission to iron out their EVA problems
00:38:47Planners decided to try a new simulation in preparation for the EVAs scheduled for the final Gemini flight
00:38:54Buzz Aldrin went through neutral buoyancy training at the McDonough School swimming pool near Baltimore
00:39:03There would be new anchor points installed on both spacecraft
00:39:08A waist tether was part of the new equipment
00:39:11Astronauts had said they used too much energy just trying to maintain their position
00:39:15As Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin walked to their launcher, they wore signs saying, the end
00:39:30The final Gemini mission was a big news event
00:39:34The next space flight was to be Apollo 1, due for launch in February 1967
00:39:39Though the flight plan called for the same rendezvous and docking as the previous four missions
00:39:50Each flight was about refinement of technique
00:39:53Particularly the way in which the guidance computer was being used
00:39:57But the prime objective for Gemini 12 was EVA
00:40:00Gemini 12 blasted off on the 11th of November 1966
00:40:11Rendezvous and docking was straightforward
00:40:17And so were the EVAs
00:40:20Aldrin followed the new protocols with restraints and scheduled rest periods
00:40:25And was able to use tools designed for Apollo
00:40:27With Gemini 12, NASA was confident it had mastered the techniques needed for the challenging Apollo program
00:40:385, 4, 3, 2, 1...
00:40:52The Saturn 1B had made two unmanned flights
00:40:54unmanned flights with early versions of the Apollo command and service modules.
00:40:58Both were sub-orbital flights.
00:41:05Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee were slated as the crew for the first
00:41:10orbital mission, Apollo 1, with a Block 1 command module.
00:41:15In training for the mission they were frustrated at the continuous changes
00:41:19being made to the Apollo spacecraft. It was the culmination of everything NASA had
00:41:24learned from the Mercury and Gemini programs, but it was not coming together easily.
00:41:33On January 27, 1967, the crew and support team were doing a plugs-out test, a launch
00:41:41simulation where the craft was not connected by umbilicals.
00:41:47As had been the case on all previous missions, they were breathing pure oxygen
00:41:51at slightly above atmospheric pressure.
00:41:55The Saturn 1B was not fuelled and the tests were not regarded as dangerous, but a spike
00:42:00in voltage triggered a flash fire in the spacecraft and in seconds the crew were dead.
00:42:10Flammable materials and the pure oxygen atmosphere were a lethal combination.
00:42:16High pressure in the capsule made opening the inward swinging door difficult.
00:42:29The United States was in mourning.
00:42:33Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee were buried with full military honours.
00:42:39Many at NASA had been dreading this kind of outcome. In a speech to colleagues at Mission Control,
00:42:52Flight Director Gene Kranz said,
00:42:54we were too gung-ho about the schedule and we locked out all of the problems we saw each day in our work.
00:43:01Manned flights were suspended. The Space Agency had to find out what went wrong and then completely
00:43:14redesign the capsule and mission procedures.
00:43:20All Apollo remnants were impounded and NASA initiated an exhaustive investigation.
00:43:27Both houses of Congress also set up enquiries.
00:43:31Frank Bormann was the only astronaut to serve on NASA's Accident Review Board.
00:43:36He was commander on his first mission and he had been selected to command the third manned Apollo mission,
00:43:42but there was a cloud over the whole programme.
00:43:48Ultimately, Bormann's testimony before a House committee helped convince Congress
00:43:52that the manned Apollo programme was safe to resume operations.
00:43:57Outside the enquiries, NASA tried to maintain its focus.
00:44:05Astronauts, who were experts in space flight, were now being sent on field trips to learn about geology
00:44:11in preparation for the Moon missions.
00:44:20Since 1964, the Soviet Union's space programme had gone quiet.
00:44:26But in April 1967, news broke that Vladimir Komorov, flying in a new three-person spacecraft known as Soyuz 1,
00:44:35had failed to deploy its parachutes, killing the cosmonaut.
00:44:45Although in the United States, manned missions for 1967 had been put on hold,
00:44:50NASA was still busy.
00:44:52The new Saturn V was almost ready for its first flight.
00:44:55Its three stages and their engines had all been exhaustively tested on the ground.
00:45:03For flight testing, NASA had adopted a new all-up testing plan that had worked in missile development.
00:45:09It involved more risk, but testing all stages together rather than on separate flights would save a lot of time.
00:45:21Intelligence reports were beginning to filter through that the Soviets were running their own lunar programme
00:45:27to maintain their lead in what clearly was a race for the Moon.
00:45:36The first Saturn V launch also marked the first use of the new launch control complex at the Kennedy Space Center.
00:45:43Originally scheduled for late 1966, developmental problems with the second stage pushed the launch out to November 1967.
00:45:57Not all managers were happy with the all-up test,
00:46:00but they realised that if everything worked, it would eliminate four launches.
00:46:06There was a fear of a launch pad explosion.
00:46:10With 90% of the Saturn V's launch weight being highly explosive fuel,
00:46:15calculations had been made to understand the damage a low-altitude failure could create.
00:46:22A malfunction would have been catastrophic,
00:46:25almost certainly causing NASA to miss its 1969 deadline.
00:46:29Ignition sequence starts. Five, four, we have ignition. All engines are running.
00:46:41We have liftoff. We have liftoff at 7 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
00:46:50Apollo 4 bristled with sensors and small film cameras.
00:46:54The cameras were sealed inside pods that were ejected after staging.
00:46:59Some of the most memorable images of the Apollo programme
00:47:02come from these cameras observing stage separation.
00:47:11In the Gemini launches, the first stages had exploded after separation.
00:47:17Though this did not threaten missions, engineers wanted to understand everything that happened.
00:47:24There were no surprises. The new Saturn V behaved exactly as its designers had intended.
00:47:41The Lunar Module, a vital piece of the Apollo hardware,
00:47:45had suffered changes in design with resulting fabrication delays.
00:47:48Engineers began loosely basing their plans on helicopters.
00:47:53But the large windows were soon dispensed with because of their weight.
00:47:58The astronauts would have to stand close to tiny windows to see their landing place.
00:48:04Learning to fly a craft designed to land on the Moon was not easy.
00:48:09At its Langley Research Centre, NASA had built a Lunar Module Simulator.
00:48:18It tried to recreate a lunar gravity environment so astronauts could practice the last 50 metres of their descent to the lunar surface.
00:48:25More popular with the astronauts was the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle and its offshoot, the Lunar Landing Training Vehicle.
00:48:35It was nicknamed the Flying Bedstead.
00:48:37In lunar simulation mode, a jet engine counterbalanced five-sixths of the craft's weight.
00:48:45Control of the craft came from variable rocket engines similar to that on the Lunar Module.
00:48:51When astronaut Neil Armstrong made his second flight in the research vehicle, things did not go according to plan.
00:49:00NASA had concern about the reliability of these machines, making a number of attempts to withdraw them from service, and with good reason.
00:49:13The craft's rapid development had not included wind tunnel testing, and even in slight breezes there were control issues.
00:49:19Armstrong ejected safely just 60 metres above the ground, but the training vehicle continued as an important adjunct to the Apollo program.
00:49:40Results from the inquiry into the Apollo 1 fire had led to an extensive redesign of the Apollo Command Module.
00:49:47The hatch now opened outwards and could be unlocked quickly.
00:49:52The wiring was shielded in non-flammable sleeves, and combustible materials inside the craft were excluded.
00:50:02Apollo space suits had been changed as well to eliminate flammable materials.
00:50:07Unlike the Gemini suits, which were air-cooled, Apollo astronauts would now wear an inner suit criss-crossed with tubing to carry cooling water.
00:50:15Above that there was a blue pressure garment with an outer protective layer of fire-resistant beta cloth.
00:50:23A completely sealed helmet that did not swivel with the head was introduced.
00:50:29A backpack could be added for life support and radio communication independent of the spacecraft.
00:50:34The suit was named the Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or EMU for short, and although it has been refined, the same design remains in use to this day.
00:50:48Wally Schirra, Don Isley and Walter Cunningham would make the Apollo program's first manned flight.
00:51:00By October 1968, NASA had confidence in the new Command Module.
00:51:05Apollo 7 would launch to Earth orbit on a Saturn 1b.
00:51:11The bigger Apollo capsule provided a more comfortable environment, necessary for long-duration flights that were required to get to the Moon.
00:51:31The crew could take off or put on their bulky space suits as required, and they didn't have to remain in their couches as in the Mercury and Gemini spacecraft.
00:51:44Soon after reaching orbit, the Command and Service Module separated from the S-IVB upper stage.
00:51:55On a Moon mission, this would normally house the Lunar Module.
00:52:00One of the four adapter panels had not opened fully.
00:52:05On subsequent flights, these would separate completely from the upper stage.
00:52:09The spacecraft turned around and practiced docking using a visual reference target that would usually be mounted on the Lunar Module.
00:52:22Not long into the mission, Schirra came down with a cold, and in the confines of the capsule it quickly spread to the other two.
00:52:28In zero gravity, the nasal congestion was not clearing in the same way it would on Earth, and the crew were very uncomfortable.
00:52:39Eating became a sore point with the astronauts.
00:52:42Though the food had improved since the earlier space missions, the freeze-dried and bite-sized rehydratable meals fell short of what they considered acceptable.
00:52:50The demands on this mission were considerable.
00:52:55Tense interchanges between the sick astronauts and mission control were not uncommon.
00:53:01They had to fire the Service Module engine no less than eight times.
00:53:07Public relations reached new heights on the mission.
00:53:11A series of TV broadcasts from the capsule were watched around the world.
00:53:15At one point, Schirra refused to switch on the TV equipment because the schedule was too crowded and the crew had not eaten.
00:53:24Preparing for re-entry, a new dispute broke out.
00:53:30The astronauts refused to wear their helmets during the return to Earth.
00:53:35With their colds, they worried about the rapid changes in pressure.
00:53:38They wanted to hold their noses and blow to equalise the build-up.
00:53:45Aboard the carrier Essex, the Apollo 7 astronauts were treated as returning heroes.
00:53:51But they did not receive the usual NASA honours, and Schirra, Isley and Cunningham never flew again.
00:54:00At the Kennedy Space Center, another Saturn V was being assembled.
00:54:04It would be the first Saturn V to carry people.
00:54:09Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders were training hard for the mission,
00:54:14due to fly to Earth orbit with a lunar module, to test procedures in docking, undocking and staging of the lunar lander.
00:54:25Unexpectedly, their training was interrupted.
00:54:28The Apollo 8 crew, along with their backup crew, were called to a meeting just months before the flight.
00:54:36Problems with the lunar module would lead to a delay of many months, endangering the 1969 moon landing deadline.
00:54:43So a new mission was proposed.
00:54:48Apollo 8, without a lunar module, would fly to the moon and go into orbit.
00:54:53Intelligence reports had suggested that the Soviet Union was planning to make a similar attempt.
00:55:00And NASA had no intention of being beaten again by the Russians.
00:55:06The Apollo 8 astronauts would be the first people to leave Earth orbit on a mission that would test the command module in deep space.
00:55:13The objectives had changed to understanding long-range communication, spacecraft navigation, and the examination of potential lunar landing areas.
00:55:24The flight would be a risk.
00:55:29Although the first Saturn V flight had gone well, the second, known as Apollo 6, had not.
00:55:35Engineers were confident they understood the problems and had solved them.
00:55:43Bormann, Anders and Lovell had to have faith that the issues would not recur.
00:55:49We have committed, we have, we have liftoff at 7.51 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
00:55:58It was a flawless launch.
00:56:00Eleven and a half minutes later, the spacecraft was in a parking orbit, with crew and ground staff checking all systems.
00:56:15During the second orbit, Mission Control gave them the thumbs up.
00:56:18Apollo 8, you are go for TLI, over.
00:56:25Roger, we are go for TLI.
00:56:28TLI, Translunar Injection.
00:56:31Soon after, the S-IVB upper stage fired, pushing Apollo 8 out of Earth orbit toward the Moon.
00:56:39Now a new problem arose.
00:56:42Frank Borman began to feel sick and threw up, which was even more unpleasant in zero gravity.
00:56:48A new problem arose.
00:56:52Because of the attitude of the spacecraft, they could not see the Moon, but through the round window they began seeing more and more of the Earth.
00:57:03They were the first people to see our planet in its entirety.
00:57:06However, this window soon fogged with gas from the oils in the chemical sealant.
00:57:16Apollo 7 had also suffered from this problem.
00:57:19As Apollo 8 approached the Moon, the crew prepared for an engine burn that would place the craft in lunar orbit.
00:57:25The main engine had to fire for four minutes when the command module was behind the Moon, out of radio contact.
00:57:37This was the first time the crew got a decent view of the Moon.
00:57:40William Anders prepared to photograph the lunar surface.
00:57:47An important part of the mission was to document areas such as the Sea of Tranquility in preparation for future lunar landings.
00:57:57On their fourth orbit, they saw something astounding.
00:58:03Oh my God, look at that picture over there.
00:58:06This is the Earth coming up.
00:58:08Wow, that's crazy.
00:58:10Hey, don't take that. That's my schedule.
00:58:13After this mission, it was said, they went to the Moon and discovered the Earth.
00:58:17Can I have a color film, Jim?
00:58:20Hand me a roller color, quick, would you?
00:58:21Oh, man, that's crazy.
00:58:23Quick.
00:58:25After ten orbits of the Moon, Apollo 8 fired its main engine and began its return to Earth.
00:58:32During the crew's back, Bill Anders captured more pictures of the Earth.
00:58:40The Apollo 8 astronauts returned as heroes.
00:58:42Their flight around the Moon had put NASA's space effort back on the front pages.
00:58:49On their return to Houston, there was an outpouring of national pride.
00:58:53Finally, the US was winning the space race.
00:58:59But it was the end of 1968, and there was only one year left to reach the Moon within President Kennedy's deadline.
00:59:12The missing piece of the Apollo system was the Lunar Module.
00:59:15It had existed as a mock-up for five years, but there had been delays in manufacture of the final craft.
00:59:23No one had built a Moon lander before, and there was nothing similar to base it on.
00:59:28Throughout its development, its designers were repeatedly asked to cut its weight by the builders of the Saturn V,
00:59:34as they gained a clearer understanding of the capabilities of the launch system.
00:59:38In March 1969, a Lunar Module with a crew was headed to Earth orbit.
00:59:46Apollo 9 would be the first test of the complete Apollo system.
00:59:52Russell Zweikart, Dave Scott, and Commander Jim McDivitt faced a punishing schedule.
00:59:59They would test the Lunar Module and the life support backpack for use on the lunar surface.
01:00:04Once in orbit, the Command and Service Module separated from the S-IVB upper stage that carried the Lunar Module.
01:00:14They docked with the Lunar Lander to withdraw it from the S-IVB.
01:00:23After separation, Apollo 9 backed away to a safe distance,
01:00:27and ground control sent the discarded stage on a course toward the Sun.
01:00:36The next few days were spent in maneuvers with the main engine being fired five times,
01:00:42changing the orbit in preparation for testing of the Lunar Module,
01:00:46and to simulate mid-course corrections that would be needed on a trip to the Moon.
01:00:50The crew removed the hatches and probes to clear the connecting tunnel between the Command Module and the Lunar Module that had been named Gumdrop and Spider.
01:01:00These were the first craft to be named since Gemini 3's Molly Brown.
01:01:09Every aspect of the linked spacecraft was closely monitored in mission control.
01:01:14Soon, McDivitt and Zweikart would fly in a machine that had no capability of returning to the ground,
01:01:20and nothing could go wrong.
01:01:21In case something did go wrong, and the two craft couldn't dock again,
01:01:31a spacewalk had been planned to test at outside transfer between Spider and Gumdrop.
01:01:36This was the Apollo program's first spacewalk,
01:01:40and Russell Zweikart was only connected by a nylon tether.
01:01:43All his oxygen and electrical power came from the portable life-support system he wore on his back.
01:01:51OK, Dave, come on up.
01:01:53Both spacecraft had been depressurised,
01:01:56and while Zweikart was busy at the Lunar Module,
01:01:59Dave Scott was retrieving an experimental sample from the outside of the Command Module.
01:02:05This spacewalk was cut short because Zweikart was suffering from space sickness.
01:02:10OK, well, nice and stable, with respect to you.
01:02:15The next day, Spider and Gumdrop separated for the first time.
01:02:19It's a nice-looking machine.
01:02:21So serious.
01:02:23Using its descent engine, the Lunar Module withdrew to a distance of around 150 kilometres.
01:02:33The next time Dave Scott, in the Command Module, saw the Lunar Module,
01:02:37it had jettisoned its lower half.
01:02:43All engine tests for both stages had worked well,
01:02:46and NASA was developing confidence in its new moon craft.
01:02:54Before re-docking with the Command Module,
01:02:57McDivitt and Zweikart did a complex series of pirouettes
01:03:00to allow Scott to inspect the craft from every angle.
01:03:16When the three astronauts were reunited,
01:03:18the Lunar Module was jettisoned,
01:03:20eventually to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.
01:03:22They spent several more days in orbit photographing the Earth
01:03:29before splashing down in the Atlantic.
01:03:31NASA had just nine months more
01:03:34to meet President Kennedy's end-of-the-decade deadline
01:03:37for putting a man on the moon.
01:03:39But there would be one more step before they made the first attempt to land.
01:03:42Apollo 10 would take a lunar module to the moon and descend toward the surface,
01:03:53but it would not land.
01:03:59In keeping with NASA's very tight schedule,
01:04:02it had a long list of questions to answer,
01:04:05and the mission would have the most experienced crew of any Apollo mission so far.
01:04:09Lunar Module Pilot Gene Cernan had flown on Gemini 9,
01:04:16Command Module Pilot John Young had flown on Gemini 3 and 10,
01:04:21and Commander Tom Stafford had flown on Gemini 6 and 9.
01:04:29One of the important problems that this mission had to solve
01:04:33was linked with the moon's uneven gravitation.
01:04:35Previous manned and unmanned lunar orbital missions had discovered
01:04:41that variable concentrations of mass within the moon
01:04:44had caused lunar orbits to be erratic.
01:04:47NASA needed to map these irregularities to fully understand
01:04:51how their spacecraft would perform in lunar orbit.
01:04:54Ten, nine, we have ignition sequence start.
01:04:57Engines on, five, four, three, two.
01:05:04All engines running.
01:05:07Launch commit, liftoff.
01:05:10We have liftoff, 49 minutes past the hour.
01:05:13Apollo 10 would be a complete rehearsal for the first lunar landing.
01:05:30It would be the second Apollo craft to leave Earth orbit.
01:05:33Docking with, and extraction of the lunar module, which had been the major focus of previous missions,
01:05:45was becoming commonplace.
01:05:47Ten, it's looking real stable to us. We show you closing finally.
01:05:51Roger.
01:05:52Roger.
01:05:57Ground snapping, we're there. Got two grays. Roger.
01:06:01Apollo 10 was the first spacecraft to make colour television transmissions,
01:06:06and they pulled in audiences of around one billion.
01:06:10I just do whatever he says.
01:06:11As in the previous mission, Apollo 10 had two spacecraft, each needing a different call sign.
01:06:20The astronauts had elected to call the mothership, Charlie Brown,
01:06:24and the lunar module, Snoopy, after the popular Peanuts cartoon strip of the time.
01:06:29Subsequently, space crews were asked to choose names that had a little more gravitas.
01:06:33After they disappeared behind the moon, they fired the main engine for six minutes,
01:06:45which the astronauts described as being interminable.
01:06:51The craft went into lunar orbit as planned,
01:06:54and six hours later Stafford and Cernan entered Snoopy to prepare it for descent toward the lunar surface.
01:06:59It was teeming with weightless flakes of mylar insulation that had come loose when the connecting tunnel had pressurized.
01:07:07This caused itching for the rest of the flight.
01:07:13But there were more problems.
01:07:17Charlie Brown, Houston.
01:07:19We're concerned about this yellow bias in the lamp and apparent slippage of the docking ring.
01:07:25We'd like you to disable...
01:07:26The lunar module was more than three degrees out of alignment with the command module,
01:07:31and air pressure in the tunnel between the two craft could not be released.
01:07:35Houston was worried that undocking now could damage the latches that held them together.
01:07:46Engineers on the ground decided that anything less than six degrees was not a problem,
01:07:50and Snoopy was given the all-clear to undock.
01:08:00This was the first time a lunar module had flown in the environment for which it had been designed.
01:08:04Mission planners were concerned that Stafford and Cernan might try to seize the opportunity to make an unauthorized landing.
01:08:18So Snoopy had been short-fueled.
01:08:20If they did land, they could not get back.
01:08:22They could not get back.
01:08:25For the next eight hours, John Young would be alone in Charlie Brown.
01:08:28Houston, Houston, Charlie Brown. How do you read on high gate? Over.
01:08:35Charlie Brown, Houston. Over.
01:08:38Roger. Read your line clear. Snoopy was goal for DOI.
01:08:44Right. Great. Sounds great. We copy.
01:08:46Snoopy dropped lower and lower, passing directly over the proposed landing site for the next Apollo mission,
01:08:57and traveling more than 500 kilometers from the mothership.
01:09:03But just before they were due to jettison the descent stage,
01:09:07a guidance setting switch, which was in the wrong position, caused the lunar module to gyrate wildly.
01:09:12By dumping the descent stage and switching to manual control,
01:09:17Tom Stafford was able to regain stability.
01:09:28Charlie, how's the stage good, huh? Wait till that big blank.
01:09:31Charlie Brown, Houston, they got staging. They had a while.
01:09:36You know, but they got it under control. Over.
01:09:38The rendezvous went according to plan, and Apollo 10 remained in lunar orbit for another 29 hours,
01:09:50mapping anomalies in the lunar gravity before returning to the Earth.
01:09:54But even as they were near the Moon, another Saturn V had been rolled out to the launch pad.
01:10:00Apollo 11 was being prepared for the first attempt at a landing on the Moon.
01:10:04On the Moon.
01:10:09Early on July the 16th, 1969, vast numbers were gathering along the beaches of Central Florida to witness history.
01:10:22The American people had been preparing for this moment for almost a decade since the late President Kennedy set a moon landing as the nation's goal.
01:10:32More than a million people were crowding the roads and causeways around Cape Canaveral that had been renamed Cape Kennedy.
01:10:44Minor dignitaries and friends and family of space workers had access to special stands constructed in the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center to see the Apollo 11 astronauts blast off.
01:11:02While the public had great faith in NASA's ability to land men on the Moon, the experts working in the space business put their chances of success at no better than 50-50.
01:11:18The astronauts had spent long hours in simulators preparing for every eventuality, yet the equipment they used for practice only provided an approximation of conditions in space, with some of the test rigs appearing bizarre.
01:11:36A special gantry built at NASA Langley provided something approaching the experience of lunar gravity.
01:11:46Hours before the scheduled launch, the giant Saturn V was slowly taking fuel. Its tanks would be constantly topped up till seconds before liftoff.
01:12:00Michael Collins was the command module pilot. He had flown previously on Gemini 10.
01:12:12Buzz Aldrin was a lunar module pilot. He had pioneered new techniques for space walking on Gemini 12.
01:12:18And the mission commander was Neil Armstrong. On Gemini 8, his cool head and quick thinking had saved the mission from tragedy.
01:12:33Apollo 11 would have a fully experienced team chosen to deal with and solve difficult problems.
01:12:41And there would be problems.
01:12:45Every NASA mission had built upon the experience of previous missions.
01:12:49But there was always a point when they entered unknown territory.
01:12:53And the pressure to reach the Moon before the end of 1969 had been unrelenting.
01:13:04But across America, people were supremely confident and launch parties were held across the country.
01:13:15Local entrepreneurs were quick to capitalise on the mood of celebration.
01:13:18Local entrepreneurs were quick to capitalise on the mood of celebration.
01:13:24Goodbye, mother. So long, mother. So long, mother. So long, mother.
01:13:31The swing arm now coming back as our countdown continues.
01:13:36At the Kennedy Launch Center, tension was high.
01:13:39For German-born rocket pioneer Werner von Braun, his whole life had been leading up to this moment.
01:13:45Firing command coming in now.
01:13:49Everyone at the Cape understood how many different components had to work correctly for a successful launch.
01:13:55Astronauts agreed that the launch made them most anxious.
01:13:59Firing command coming in now.
01:14:02This would be the sixth launch of the Saturn V booster.
01:14:05And while some of these flights had been a little lumpy, all were regarded as successful.
01:14:11T-minus 15 seconds. Guidance is internal.
01:14:1612, 11, 10, 9. Ignition sequence starts.
01:14:22Six.
01:14:23Set.
01:14:53After it cleared the launch tower, control was transferred from the firing room at the
01:15:07Cape Complex to Mission Control in Houston.
01:15:27Twelve minutes after launch, Apollo 11 was in low Earth orbit.
01:15:31Apart from a slightly rough ride with the third stage, everything had been routine.
01:15:35Translunar injection and docking with the lunar module were now practices that had been
01:15:45done many times before, and they too were achieved with little fuss.
01:16:02The cruise to the moon and lunar orbit had been done twice before, and flight manuals
01:16:07and checklists had all been rewritten with the benefit of previous experience.
01:16:14The Apollo system had been designed so that all navigation observations and engine burns
01:16:19could be made by the crew.
01:16:21But radio-ranging techniques had improved so rapidly that Mission Control was now giving
01:16:26all the instructions.
01:16:28However, the crew still used the onboard technology to determine their position in case of a communications
01:16:34problem.
01:16:36Command module pilots took pride in the accuracy of their navigation.
01:16:45both the command and lunar modules were equipped with the Apollo Guidance Computer, one of the
01:16:52first practical microcomputers.
01:16:54We recommend you accept the amount of 49 and continue through your sequence of sightings.
01:17:00For most computations, there was a manual workaround, but for the complex flight path required for
01:17:07the lunar module to land on the moon, the flight computer was essential.
01:17:18In lunar orbit, the crew of Apollo 11 would lose radio contact every time they passed behind
01:17:23the moon.
01:17:28During the 13th orbit, the lunar module separated from the command module.
01:17:38The two craft now adopted individual call signs.
01:17:42The command module became Columbia, and the lunar module was now Eagle.
01:17:48Descent to the moon happened in three separate stages, each controlled by its own computer program.
01:17:54The first stage was the braking phase that changed the orbit so it would reach a zone above the
01:18:04designated landing point.
01:18:07During this period, the crew were travelling feet first looking up at the Earth.
01:18:13The next stage was the approach phase, when the Eagle tipped up into a more vertical attitude.
01:18:19This was when Aldrin and Armstrong got their first view of the landing point.
01:18:23A long elliptical region in the Sea of Tranquility was their target.
01:18:30The open plane was judged to be the easiest place for the first lunar landing.
01:18:34But unexpected things began happening.
01:18:41Fuel in the lunar lander's tanks began sloshing around.
01:18:45While this was not dangerous, the motion meant the craft could give no clear indication about
01:18:50its pre-programmed landing site.
01:18:51Then the flight computer began sounding an alarm, and there was only one person in mission control
01:19:07that knew what a 1202 alarm was.
01:19:10A young software engineer understood the computer was overloaded, but that it could still look
01:19:15after critical functions.
01:19:17The mission would continue.
01:19:18The final part of the landing sequence was still computer controlled, but it allowed the commander
01:19:32to override the craft's rate of descent and its positioning.
01:19:36As it was heading for a field of large boulders, Armstrong took control, looking for an appropriate
01:19:41landing area.
01:19:42That's good.
01:19:43120 feet.
01:19:44100 feet.
01:19:45Three and a half down.
01:19:46Nine forward.
01:19:47This took longer than anyone expected.
01:19:49105.
01:19:50Okay, 75 feet.
01:19:51That's looking good.
01:19:52Down a half.
01:19:53Six forward.
01:19:54Fuel was running low.
01:19:5560 seconds.
01:19:5660 seconds.
01:19:57Lights on.
01:19:58Down two and a half.
01:20:02Speaker 1, forward.
01:20:0340 feet, down two and a half.
01:20:24Up some dust.
01:20:25Two and a half down. Great shadow.
01:20:29Four forward. Four forward, drifting to the right a little.
01:20:33Ready? Down and a half.
01:20:3530 seconds.
01:20:35Forward, just...
01:20:36Contact light.
01:20:43Okay, engine stop. ACA at a descent.
01:20:47Post control, both auto-descent. Engine command override off.
01:20:51Engine arm off. 413 is in.
01:20:54The relief in mission control was palpable.
01:20:57We copy you down, Eagle.
01:20:59Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
01:21:06Roger, Twink. Tranquility, we copy you on the ground.
01:21:09You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot.
01:21:17Because of the distractions during the descent,
01:21:20no one had a clear idea of the Eagle's exact location.
01:21:23Okay, we're going to be busy for a minute.
01:21:26After I'm on, take care of the...
01:21:27After the craft was made secure,
01:21:30the flight plan called for the astronauts to get some sleep.
01:21:34But Armstrong and Aldrin requested a change, which was agreed to.
01:21:37They began preparing for their walk on the lunar surface.
01:21:41Seven hours later, Armstrong was climbing down the ladder.
01:21:53The footbeds are only depressed in the surface about one or two inches.
01:21:59A black-and-white TV camera was now activated.
01:22:02And around the world, 600 million people were watching.
01:22:05That's one small step for man.
01:22:11One giant leap for mankind.
01:22:14This was something new.
01:22:16No one had thought that history would be televised with the world as witness.
01:22:20Beautiful, Mike. It really is.
01:22:22It had been argued that television was a waste of time.
01:22:28Now, NASA was rescheduling future missions
01:22:31so that astronauts would step onto the moon in prime time.
01:22:34You do have to be.
01:22:37You do have to be.
01:22:39Armstrong and Aldrin spent two and a half hours on the lunar surface,
01:22:43and much of that time was used in ceremonial duties,
01:22:46such as planting the U.S. flag and chatting to the president.
01:22:54The trip back to lunar orbit went smoothly.
01:22:57From here, the three astronauts were back on thoroughly understood ground.
01:23:06The three-day return cruise to Earth was a calm period
01:23:09before a storm of publicity obligations
01:23:11that the Apollo 11 astronauts had not prepared for.
01:23:16Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins were fated in ticker-tape parades
01:23:29across the United States and then across the world.
01:23:36NASA was keen to build on this wave of popularity,
01:23:40but the final three scheduled moon landings were soon cancelled,
01:23:43and although the remaining moon missions became more ambitious and complex,
01:23:48the American people lost interest.
01:23:53The Apollo program ended in 1972.
01:23:57Nobody has been back to the moon since.
01:24:00NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
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