Apollo 7
Apollo 7: NASA was the first manned mission in the
Apollo program to be launched. It was an eleven-day earth-orbital mission, the first manned launch of the Saturn 1-B launch vehicle, and the first three-man
American space mission. Goals for the mission included the first live
television broadcast from
orbit and testing the
lunar module docking maneuver.
- Launched: October 11, 1968 16:02:45 UT
- Returned: October 22, 1968 11:11:48 UT (retrieved by the U.S.S. Essex)
- Crew members: Wally Schirra (commander), Donn Eisele (senior pilot) and Walter Cunningham (pilot).
For nearly 30 years the Apollo 7 module was on loan (renewable every two years) to the National Museum of Science and Technology of Canada, in
Ottawa, along with the space suit worn by Walter Schirra. In November 2003 the Smithsonina Institution in Washington D.C. said it wanted them back.
