Apollo Begins

The next step was the Apollo program itself. Launched in 1967, the program began with a disaster. Apollo 1 was being prepared for launch when, on January 27, 1967, its three-person crew climbed into the command module to perform a systems test on the ground. During the tests, a fault in the wiring started a fire. The module had been flooded with pure oxygen, which caused the fire to spread in an instant. Astronauts Ed White, Gus Grissom, and Roger Chaffee were trapped inside, unable to open the hatch in time to escape the flames. All three men died.

After a break in the program for investigation into the accident, NASA quickly redesigned the Apollo spacecraft with several added safety features. When the Apollo program resumed in late

1967, the unmanned Apollo flights 4, 5, and 6 tested the rocket and modules for safety and reliability. (There were no Apollo flights numbered 2 or 3.)

The first manned Apollo flight, by Apollo 7, took place in Earth orbit in

1968. Later that year, Apollo 8 flew around the Moon ten times and returned to Earth safely. In 1969, the landing module was tested in Earth orbit by the crew of Apollo 9. Apollo 10 repeated the

Apollo 8 mission, this time completing thirty-one lunar orbits. During the Apollo 10 mission, two astronauts flew the lunar module within 47,000 feet (14,300 meters) of the Moon’s surface.