#as-206

The ascent and descent stage of the Apollo Lunar Module (possibly LM-1 or LM-2) under construction at Grumman's facility in Bethpage, Long Island, New York.

Date: March 14, 1967

The S-IVB stage originally intended for Apollo/Saturn IB (SA-206) unmanned lunar module test mission is seen during mating at Complex 37. Its intended mission was AS-206, the test flight of the first production Lunar Module (LM-1) and scheduled to launch shortly after Apollo AS-204 (Apollo 1) in late February 1967. However, due to delays from Grumman in getting LM-1 finished in time and the tragedy of Apollo 1, caused this mission to be put on hold. The first and second stages were put into storage at Mather Air Force Base. When NASA started to relaunch the Apollo test missions, it was decided to use Apollo 1's Saturn IB (SA-204), since it was undamaged in the fire, to launch LM-1, now renumbered Apollo 5. NASA intended SA-206 to launch LM-2 on a follow-up mission, and pulled it out of storage to be refurbished. When LM-1 was successfully tested during Apollo 5, the follow-up mission was cancelled and SA-206 was placed back into storage. It finally flew five years later on the Skylab II mission.

Date: January 23, 1967

"On March 15, 1968, NASA announced that the planned second unmanned test flight of the Lunar Module (LM) was not needed given the success of the LM-1 flight during Apollo 5 in January. The decision to not fly LM-2 resulted in a significant cost and schedule savings to achieve the goal of landing a man on the Moon before the end of the decade. And while LM-2 never got to fly in space, it’s use as an important ground test vehicle helped clear the way for the first Moon landing. Because LM-2 was configured for an unmanned flight, it would have been too costly to reconfigure it for a manned flight, primarily to fireproof the cabin. As a result, the first manned test would utilize LM-3, then planned to be launched aboard a Saturn V in late 1968.

The Lunar Module (LM-2) Ascent Stage during vibration tests.

The decision at first put LM-2 and its Saturn IB rocket into storage, but NASA managers decided to use LM-2 as a high-fidelity ground-test vehicle since it contained flight-like systems. After a short time in storage, LM-2 was shipped to the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, where engineers used it for dynamic testing in the Vibration and Acoustic Test Facility (VATF) to better understand the effects of the Saturn V pogo oscillations seen during the Apollo 6 mission in April 1968. The results of those tests contributed to NASA engineers clearing the next Saturn 5 to carry a crew. After the attachment of landing gear, between March and May 1969 engineers in the VATF used LM-2 to conduct drop tests to verify the structural integrity of the vehicle and its subsystems. Because LM-2 contained flight-like vehicle systems, the results of these high-fidelity tests helped clear the Apollo 11 LM-5 to land on the Moon just two months later.

LM-2 ascent stage on display at the 1970 World’s Fair in Osaka, Japan.

After its ground testing days were over, LM-2 continued to be useful. In 1970, its ascent stage spent several months on display at the US Pavillion at 'Expo ’70' in Osaka, Japan, mated to the descent stage of Lunar Test Article-8. When it returned to the United States, it was reunited with its descent stage, modified to appear like the Apollo 11 Lunar Module 'Eagle,' and transferred to the Smithsonian in 1971 for display. In 2016, curators restored and relocated it to the new Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall in the National Air and Space Museum. The Saturn IB rocket that was planned to launch LM-2 came out of storage in May 1973, when it launched the first crew to the Skylab space station."

LM-2 modified to appear like the Apollo 11 Lunar Module "Eagle," on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

NASA ID: link, LM-NOID-09

The first stage of Saturn IB (S-IB-6) being moved to the pad at LC-37B to begin stacking of Apollo SA-206. It was to launch the first Lunar Module (LM-1) into orbit for real world testing of the craft that would take man to the moon. However, delivery delays of LM-1 by Grumman (the manufacturer of the Lunar Module) and the fire that claimed the lives of the Apollo 1 astronauts, caused a reordering of missions and vehicles of Apollo. The launch vehicle intended for Apollo 1 (SA-204) was undamaged and used to lift the LM-1 into orbit on Apollo 5. SA-206 was disassembled and placed into storage. It was later refurbished and used was used to lift the first manned mission, Skylab 2, to the orbital workshop.

Date: January 22, 1967

The second stage (S-IVB) of the AS-206 Saturn IB (SA-206) launch vehicle is being hoisted into position for mating at Complex 37, Cape Kennedy, FL. The 58.4 foot S-IVB stage has one Rocketdyne J-2 engine capable of producing 200,000 pounds of thrust.

Date: February 1, 1967

Date: Spring 1967

NASA ID: LM-NOID-12

The Descent and Ascent Stages of Apollo AS-206 Lunar Module (LM-1) (later Apollo 5) on the work stands at the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building, Kennedy Space Center, Florida. This was after its arrival and transfer via Hanger AF.

Date: June 23, 1967

The Saturn IB booster (S-IB-6) for AS-206 mission is being erected at Complex 37, Cape Kennedy, FL. The 80.2 foot booster has eight Rocketdyne H-1 engines capable of producing 1,600,000 pounds of thrust at sea level.

Date: February 1, 1967