#apollo5

Today, in 1968, the Apollo 5 spacecraft took off after NASA completed the first lunar module to be launched in space by the US.

Before the Apollo 5, there had already been 4 Apollo missions, which carried space crews. The Apollo missions did not have a great start as the Apollo 1 failed to take-off, instead starting a fire and killing all the members on board. Shortly afterwards, the Kennedy Space Center launched Apollo 2 and 3, which sent people into orbit, although the moon landing was not until Apollo 11.

Before Apollo 5, the Apollo 4 was attempted. Which, like the Apollo 5, was noted for long wait times in that the Apollo 4 was the first to not have a crew on board and instead carried objects into space. The Apollo 5 however, was different. It had no crew, but also carried the first Apollo Lunar Module.

The first launch was expected on April 1967, and although the design had been perfected for the lunar module, welding problems caused it to be delayed all the way until 1968, when it finally took off. The rocket had many landing tests and many other simulations that aimed to provide a sense of how astronauts can make the best approach to land on the moon.

Concert 20 December 2017